What a day! Nearly 2,000 Weymouth fans set out from the town in the early hours of Saturday morning with little more than hope and the promise of a good day out. When they returned in the darkness of the cold November night, they were celebrating one of the greatest chapters in the history of Weymouth Football Club, not to mention the FA Cup itself! Bright start  | | Weymouth fans get there early |
The mood of the fans assembled at the Wessex Stadium ready to travel seemed bright - people were just genuinely looking forward to cheering the Terras on and having a fun afternoon. An early set-off time was needed to get us there before the match, and the 7.30am departure saw a convoy of coaches heading north, with claret and blue very much the colours of the day. A quick stop in Dorchester to pick-up some stowaways was greeted with cheeky ditties about the local rivals, before the coach set off on the long-haul journey to Nottingham. Masses It wasn't until the service station stop that it dawned on us just how many people had made the trip. Some bemused looking Villa fans sipping their tea were put to shame - the real claret and blues had arrived! Having returned to the motorway, the next two hours passed in a flurry of excitement; the butterflies began to flutter in the tummy and supporters turned their thoughts to the game. After some five and half hours of churning up tarmac, the sight of the City Ground floodlights brought ripples of cheers throughout the coach - and a much needed trip to the loo! 'Claret and booze'  | | The Weymouth support made a lot of noise |
Next stop was the pub, where many supporters enjoyed a bit of banter and a few drinks with their Forest counterparts. Songs were sung (if you could call it singing) and the atmosphere was genial. One local policeman even got a kiss from a girl wearing a pink Weymouth third kit and a claret and blue wig! (Lucky man!) Then, as kick-off approached, the Terras support with their arsenal of inflatables moved toward the lower tier of the Bridgford End, the singing increasing with volume with every step. Pride The mood inside was electric. As you entered the seating area the wall of noise and colour hit you, not to mention the beach-balls and other items being floated around. Forest's relatively meagre following were incredibly quiet, even the notorious A-Block seemed lethargic in their taunting. As kick-off approached, the teams emerged onto the pitch and the Weymouth end erupted. The proud supporters who had seen their team treading out on the humble pitches of Basingstoke, Maidenhead and Yeading, applauded and cheered as their heroes ran toward them on the lush greenery of the City Ground turf. Unfortunate  | | Weymouth players warm up before the game |
With the game underway, Garry Hill's side acquitted themselves well to the early challenge of their League One hosts. That is, until sloppy marking on a Forest cross gifted Gary Holt a free header, and the Terras were undeservedly a goal down going into the break. This didn't spoil the mood of the fans, after all the gulf in class that everyone expected had failed to show, and it seemed as though the Weymouth lads could turn it round in the second half. Handy Andy How right they were! Weymouth poured on the pressure in the second half, as Forest's panicky side struggled to contain Chukki Eribenne and Kirk Jackson. One such attack just before the hour earned a corner, and the supporters behind the goal rose with tension and excitement - yearning for an equaliser. Shaun Wilkinson swung it into the box and there at the back post was Andy Harris, rising to bullet a header beyond the outstretched palm of Forest's Rune Pedersen and send the visiting fans into raptures. Mayhem The blue-touchpaper had been lit. 1,800 travelling supporters were a blur - waving, cheering and making an absolute racket. Poor Andy Harris was buried under a pile of blue-shirted bodies as his teammates rushed to join the celebrations, and the pendulum seemed to have swung suddenly in Weymouth's favour. It had Forest panicked - they brought on another defender to shore up their shaky backline, and as the minutes ticked down it seemed as though the Terras had managed to not only hold Forest, but outplay them too. Final whistle...  | | Weymouth players applaud the fans |
Weymouth had done it! Forest were coming back to the Wessex Stadium, and the 'big day out' had become a massive celebration of a famous result. Even the Forest fans humbly applauded the Weymouth players and supporters as they cheered - the hosts had been outplayed on and off the pitch. Everyone who travelled had done the town proud, and many boarded the coaches to relax at the almost perfect end to a long, but extremely satisfying day. The Replay? The replay is taking place on Monday 14th November - kick off at 7.45pm. You can hear full live commentary on BBC Radio Solent, where Laurence Herdman will be joined by former Weymouth boss Stuart Morgan, as well as Non-League reporter Paul Scott. Catch full commentary of the game right HERE on this website from anywhere in the UK, or if you live locally by listening to BBC Radio Solent 96.1 and 103.8FM as well as 1359AM and DAB Digital Radio. Well done Jason! Weymouth keeper Jason Matthews could be in line for a trip to the FA Cup Final, with or without his teammates! He's been nominated in the FA's Player of the Round category for his excellent display against Forest, and the in-form custodian would be in line for the VIP treatment at this season's final if he's successful. Fans can vote for Jason on the FA's official website. | 
