Ho-Wey the lads....
Match Preview
Weymouth v Tiverton Town
Saturday 31 October 2026
Kick-off 3pm
At the Bob Lucas Stadium
Tiverton’s form has picked up in the last few games, as Tuesday night’s thrilling 2-2 draw at home to promotion candidates Dorchester bears out. However, the sternest test of the season so far awaits the Yellows at league leaders Weymouth. You would feel, though, that the team will have to raise their game to the maximum to upset the Dorset side that once sat at non-league’s top table.
With Toby Stephens, Louis Jagger Cane, Dan Koita, Corey Koerner and Ryan Keates not far away from being able to play fuller parts in games, and with Josh Bissett hopefully returning from illness on Saturday, the squad looks stronger and is definitely capable of taking something away from the Bob Lucas Stadium.
It could prove to be a selection headache for Asa Hall and his coaching team, as they look to pick what they feel will be a side with the potential to get the job done. To see two strikers get their names on the scoresheet on Tuesday night will have been encouraging.
Perhaps a good measure of our hosts’ ability is that, at the weekend, they edged out Sholing at home in the FA Trophy. We were narrowly beaten by the same opponents in the FA Cup, having spurned plenty of chances that could have seen us into the next round of that competition. In midweek, Weymouth beat Shaftesbury 3-1 away; our corresponding result was a 4-1 away success.
However, I think it’s fair to say that the unpredictable nature of this division seems to indicate that, if a team isn’t at it, wherever they are placed, they will almost certainly lose. The Terras are well supported, and playing in front of a big crowd also demands a certain temperament.
Being manager of Weymouth was a bit of a poisoned chalice last season. Despite the club having three different managers in the dugout during that campaign and suffering relegation, a lot of good work has been done by current boss Jamie Wells. He couldn’t prevent the club going down but appears to have got things back on track.
Wells is noted for having been a prominent coach in Bournemouth’s academy and worked hard in the off-season to build a squad capable of promotion, in line with the expectations of the directors and supporters.
Bringing in a striker of the calibre of 33-year-old Toby Holmes gives the Terras a proven goalscorer, as his record over the last ten years or so at Steps 3 and 4 of the Southern League shows. At this level, he is a 20-plus-goal marksman and has already reached double figures in the league this season.
Last term, he notched 26 in this division for Shaftesbury and has now scored more than 220 goals in the Southern League. Holmes’s other ports of call were Poole, Dorchester, Wimborne, Salisbury and Taunton. Over three seasons for Wimborne, beginning in 2016/17, he found the net on 104 occasions.
Our hosts’ squad is stacked with players who have played higher up the pyramid. The 24-year-old midfielder Euan Pollock is a product of Bournemouth’s academy. Before joining Weymouth in the 2024/25 campaign, he had loan spells at Truro and Hungerford while with the Cherries. Able to play a number of positions across midfield, he is a gifted performer.
A player who needs no introduction is Tor Swann. The fan favourite is an exciting winger who often gets supporters off their seats. Swann joined Weymouth from the Yellows during last season and has established himself as a regular in the side. He again appears to have an excellent rapport with his current club’s fans. The 22-year-old has also been among the goals, with 11 in all competitions.
Attacking midfielder or forward Tom Bearwish is the club’s captain, a role he has held in recent seasons. Initially with Eastleigh, the cultured footballer is homegrown, having joined Weymouth’s academy. A mainstay of this side over quite a few challenging seasons, he remains an inspirational figure.
Former Exeter City youngster Mitch Beardmore is a forward-thinking midfield player. A few seasons back, the 22-year-old scored a sensational six goals for Plymouth Parkway in a 6-0 humbling of Gloucester City in the division above. An undeniable talent, Beardmore was a loanee at Tiverton while with the Grecians and also had a lengthy spell with Bath City. He arrived in the off-season.
Playmaker Wes Fogden may be a veteran, but he is a skilful operator who enjoyed a successful career in the EFL for Bournemouth and Portsmouth. A young pro at Brighton for five seasons, the clever manipulator of the ball is now 38. Fogden has been a big non-league player for the likes of Havant & Waterlooville, Dorking Wanderers, Poole and Dorchester.
He has put his boots back on this season after managing relegated Dorchester last term and has untold pedigree to offer at this standard of football. In his senior career, Fogden is only a few games shy of making 600 appearances. Of those, 270 were for Havant & Waterlooville and 60 were for Bournemouth.
Fellow midfielder Lewis Brown has been a constant this season. Another former young pro with Bournemouth, 21-year-old Brown is highly thought of. Loan stints with Totton, Truro and Salisbury have served him well. He was briefly with Havant & Waterlooville last term, before spending the bulk of it at Shaftesbury.
Vastly experienced centre-back Calvin Brooks has been a real stalwart for the Terras across two spells. Having played over 400 times for the Dorset team, the strong competitor, highly skilled defender and good distributor of the ball has been a key component of this side for many years. Salisbury and Dorchester have been other destinations.
Further pedigree is provided by fellow central defender and former Wimborne captain Sam Jackson. A good organiser who is also good on the ball, the dependable Jackson started the season with Poole before putting pen to paper on a deal at the Bob Lucas Stadium. Dorchester and Bashley are other clubs he has represented.
Right-back or right wing-back Brooklyn Genesini has an impressive goalscoring record this term, with five league goals. The 24-year-old, who played five times in the EFL for Swindon, was previously part of Bournemouth’s academy. A gifted ball carrier, Genesini has also played for Yeovil, Poole and Dorchester.
The 30-year-old Oakley Hanger is a versatile and seasoned defender, with both Dorchester and Wimborne on his playing CV. He is equally at home at right-back or in the centre of defence. Harry Hutchinson played well as a loanee for Tivvy during last season. The former Poole and Dorchester utility man signed for Weymouth in the latter part of that campaign.
This is a third spell at Weymouth for talented shot-stopper Gerard Benfield. A sought-after Southern League keeper, the 29-year-old’s services have also been acquired by Salisbury, Dorchester and Wimborne. He was with Dorchester in the previous campaign.
If we can show the same quality and character that we have displayed in the games against Larkhall and Dorchester, this could be a hugely competitive game. However, any drop from the peaks of performance we reached in our last two fixtures will definitely be taken advantage of.
