Salisbury made an incredible comeback from two goals down to beat Weymouth in a thrilling encounter.

The Whites started brightly with Charlie Knight providing some threatening early runs down the left wing. Salisbury had much of the early possession but it was new goalkeeper Tommy Smith who marked his debut with a great one on one save from the Weymouth striker Dubois.

Weymouth were allowed to settle into the match and it was Dubois’ mazy run and low drive into the box which fell at the feet of his strike partner Byerley, who faked cleverly to create a yard and finish with his right foot.

Unable to keep the ball on the ground and play for large parts of the game, City failed to create any strong chances. Jamie Turley got on the end of a Clarke cross, only to nod wide.

A freekick was conceded when Giles was deemed to have fouled to the right of the Whites’ penalty area. A whipped ball in was met with a powerful header by Ben Gerring to put the visitors 2-0 up.

The Whites struggled to carve out a clear threat on goal, but forced some late pressure with a succession of corners. Mclaggon then picked the ball up and turned his man sharply to force a save from the Weymouth stopper.

Half time and Manager Darell Clarke had the lads out early. Grouped together in the centre circle, the team regrouped. Striker Matthew Wright was brought on for Ryan Brett, with Charlie Knight moving to left back.

The added height upfront gave Salisbury a stronger presence in the final third, but Weymouth remained hard to break down. Dubois forcing a great save from Smith, with the resulting tap in ruled out for offside.

Salisbury didn’t let their heads drop and the contest remained tightly contested in the middle of the park. Chris Giles was moved into an attacking role and Bradley Gray was introduced for the first time this season, replacing Kayne Mclaggon. Gray couldn’t have wished for a better start. On receiving the ball, the striker turned his man before rifling a sensational thirty yard strike in off of the underside of the bar.

The Raymond McEnhill was thrust into life as the majority of the 900 onlookers roared on the home side. Confidence restored, White shirts poured forward in search of an equaliser with Ben Joyce smashing the ball into the side netting with less than ten minutes to go. Giles’ aerial prowess was causing the Weymouth defenders trouble and the Whites were breaking through with greater purpose.

With two minutes to go, young midfielder Josh Casey burst into the box, sidestepping his man and about to strike when he was brought down. A clear penalty. Gray picked up the ball and, despite the Weymouth fans crowding behind the goal, calmly converted with a powerful low finish. A brilliant comeback for Salisbury!

But they weren’t finished.

Rallied by fantastic support, in the last minute of normal time, the men in white launched upon a Weymouth side who showed no signs of their earlier discipline. Josh Casey again ploughed into the box, only to have his shot blocked, but the rebound fell perfectly for striker Ben Joyce to smash home and send the home fans into raptures. A remarkable turnaround for the Whites.

Speaking after the game, Assistant Manager Mikey Harris was keen to address the poor first half performance, “ We know we weren’t good enough in the first half. We know we can score goals, but we can’t make a habit of conceding them first.”

He was however delighted with the turnaround and the contribution of returning striker Gray, “Bradley’s first was just a great strike, and he took his penalty cooly. His return is a massive boost for the club.”

The Whites next match is Saturday 28th August against Hemel Hempstead Town.