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SPORTS REPORTER: Adam Summers

WEYMOUTH boss John Hollins and his assistant Alan Lewer are certainly making good headway in the summer transfer market.

The pair have already managed to secure the signings of youngsters Joshua Webb and Sam Cutler, and experienced winger Ryan Williams and by the sounds of some of the noises coming out of the Wessex Stadium there are a lot more talented acquisitions on their way.

With Kyle Critchell, Scott Doe, Marcus Browning, Anton Robinson, James Coutts and Stuart Beavon having all signed as well, the outlook is looking bright but there is still a lot of work to be done.

Paolo Vernazza's future remains in doubt and that is a situation Hollins and Lewer will no doubt want to get tied up as soon as possible.

Although the former Arsenal man spent a couple of spells on the sidelines with injuries last season he still made 35 outings and provided 12 assists, and quality players like him who can open up defences with such regularity are not easy to find.

Michael Malcolm would also be a valuable addition. He has proved in flashes just what he is capable of and one can only feel there is a lot more to come from him.

Tony Bedeau and Matt Bailey, two players who enjoyed loan spells at the Wessex Stadium earlier this year, are also being linked with permanent moves to the Terras. But both men are also attracting the interests of a lot of other clubs so their situations might rumble on for a while longer.

The other main area that Weymouth need to fill is between the posts. Loanee Stephen Henderson returned to Bristol City at the end of the season and with Jon Stewart and Dave Roberts both having been released, two keepers are clearly at the top of Hollins and Lewer's shopping list.

It has been sad to see certain players leave but it was clear last season that the squad needed an overhaul and so far the signs are looking encouraging.

n Last weekend witnessed the Grand Finale of the Premiership and what a joke it turned out to be The farce kicked off with John Terry's antics in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge. It was the Premier League's wish for every game to kick-off at the same time but due to the England defender's initial failure to wear the correct pair of shorts it turned their well thought out plans into a sham.

Is it any wonder why Terry's captaincy at international level is under threat? If he can't even get that right how on earth is he going to lead us to glory on the world stage?

If that was not annoying enough, we then had to put up with an inept refereeing performance from Steve Bennett at Wigan Athletic's JJB Stadium.

I could excuse him for not giving a penalty when the ball seemed to strike Rio Ferdinand's arm but to then give a debatable spot-kick at the other end bought by Wayne Rooney's theatrics, and to not send Paul Scholes off for the clearest of second bookable offences defied belief.

In fact I would go as far as saying it was a disgrace! The moment he failed to show Manchester United's flame-haired playmaker the red card, my blood boiled to such an extent that I had to switch off the television in protest.

Don't get me wrong, I think Alex Ferguson's men thoroughly deserved to win the title but to see it happen in such an unsavoury fashion was hard to take.

Bennett even managed to turn down the clearest of penalties in the second half when Titus Bramble chopped down Scholes but fortunately for the official Ryan Giggs then came off the bench and celebrated equalling Bobby Charlton's appearance record for the Red Devils by scoring his side's second.

The Welshman's strike clearly deflected the spotlight off Bennett's woeful refereeing display and probably rightly so because the winger deserves every single piece of credit he receives for his fantastic service, but I certainly won't be forgetting what was a shambolic end to a great campaign.

n It was great to see Bristol City reach the Coca-Cola Championship play-off final by beating Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

I reported on Yeovil Town when Gary Johnson led the Glovers from the Conference to League One, and I am so pleased that he is now working the same magic with the Robins.

The former Latvia boss' recent record is fantastic and if there was ever a young English manager who deserves a chance to prove himself in the Premiership it has got to be him.

The fact his City squad in midweek also included four ex-Yeovil players, three of which played under Johnson in the Conference, also proves exactly what can be achieved with a bit of hard work and determination.

So congratulations Gary, Lee Johnson, Michael McIndoe, Liam Fontaine and Chris Weale, and good luck at Wembley next Saturday. I will certainly be rooting for you!

8:11am Saturday 17th May 2008

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