By SCOTT HATLEY

CHELMSFORD failed to capitalise on their other promotion hopefuls being in FA Trophy action as they fell to a 3-1 defeat to a resurgent Weston-Super-Mare on Saturday.

A brace from Bradley Ash and one from Dayle Grubb were enough to prevent City from making it four wins on the trot and climb back into the Conference South play-off places.

Lee Sawyer’s late penalty was scant consolation for the Clarets as they were roundly beaten after a disjointed display.

City boss Mark Hawkes declined to comment as Weston continued their upturn in fortunes as they look to steer away from the drop zone.

Coming into the match off the back of three straight wins Mark Hawkes named an unchanged side to the one that beat Farnborough 6-2 last weekend.

But the Seagulls were a side on the up and almost went in front but Bradley Watkins was able to steer Dayle Grubb’s effort around the post.

But Weston took the lead when Oliver Watkins shot and the ball took a huge deflection off the thigh of Harry Hickford to loop up invitingly for Aston Villa-loanee Watkins to try and claim, only for Bradley Ash to nip in front of him and Michael Toner to head into an unguarded net.

The second half was more of the same for the Clarets, but they should have put themselves back level when Rob Girdlestone’s strike was blocked into the path of Chelmsford’s top-scorer, Michael Cheek, but he could not find the target. Instead City were made to pay for their wastefulness on the ball and their lack of cutting edge with two late goals sealing the points for the home side.

The first came from Grubb who picked the ball up 35 yards from goal, travelling towards goal unchallenged before rifling the ball into the bottom corner.

And as injury time approached substitute Joe McClennan capitalised on a loose pass by Toner to cut one way and then another to fire a cross across the face of goal for Ash to tap in for his second.

Chelmsford’s previous two visits to the Somerset coast had failed to produce a goal for the visitors, but at least this time they managed to break that duck after Mark Hughes was upended by a combination of Grubb and Jake Mawford.

The referee pointed to the spot with Sawyer sending Luke Purnell the wrong way for his fifth goal of the season.