Weymouth suffered another Tuesday night defeat following a resounding 5-2 loss to Hungerford Town at The Bob Lucas Stadium.
Tonight's loss means that The Terras have lost all but ONE of their 11 Tuesday night league matches so far this season.
The Crusaders ended the match as deserved winners, which saw two goals from Bristol Rovers loanee Ryan Jones.
The other marksmen for the visitors were top-scorer Jake Evans, substitute George Smith, and recent signing Joe Boachie, all three of whom epitomised the dominance displayed by Danny Robinson’s side.
In contrast, Bobby Wilkinson’s side looked constantly shaky throughout the 90 minutes, apart from a brief spell in the second half which saw two goals from standout forward Ahkeem Rose.
Perhaps the most unsteady part of Weymouth’s performance came from their defence, with Brendan Willson being the chief culprit.
The recent signing, joining The Terras on loan for a second time from Eastleigh, was arguably at fault for two of the goals, before being sent off as the match entered its close.
As it stands, Weymouth and Hungerford are now level on points, albeit with the visitors having played one game more.
Whilst Wilkinson’s side are not yet bottom of the table, they have played three more games than last-place Concord Rangers, who are only a point behind.
Both sides entered Tuesday night in an unwanted relegation battle, with a win desperately needed for either of the two teams.
It was The Terras who had the slightly less abysmal record, sitting two places ABOVE their opponents.
However, it only took the challenging Crusaders five minutes to break the deadlock, Jones being the scorer for Robinson's side with a simple close-range finish.
Ever-busy Zaki Oualah was unable to keep the ball out, despite reaching a desperate hand to it. However, it could be argued that Joel Rollinson's low-driven cost should have been cleared by a leaky Weymouth defence, which, before Tuesday night, had conceded 57 league goals.
As for Hungerford, they looked to add more to what was only their 30th league goal of the season.
The hosts' shoddy backline play looked to continue after Willson was unable to clear the ball properly, landing straight at the feet of an opposing player.
The new signing, who joined The Terras on loan for a second time earlier this month, may have been considered lucky that the Crusaders were unable to capitalise on his clearance.
As the game reached the quarter-hour mark, few could dispute that the dominant play had not been imposed by the visitors, who were boasting the majority of both possession and chances.
Moreover, the Crusaders' back line appeared unfazed when Xander McBurnie attempted a defence-splitting through ball, perhaps uncharacteristic of a group of players who had conceded 44 goals up until that point.
Perhaps what was most reflective of the game's opening 20 minutes was that the most vocal in the Bob Lucas Stadium was Wilkinson, his desperate instructions to his struggling players cutting through the cold Tuesday silence.
Unsurprisingly, the second goal came, again, to Hungerford, Evans tapping the ball into an open net.
Perhaps even more unsurprisingly, the Weymouth defence was once more at fault, the back four all looking out of position as the Crusaders were deadly on the counter, allowing top-scorer Evans to slot in his FIFTH of the season in all competitions.
The match had only reached its opening quarter. However, for the long-suffering Terras supporters, the opening 23 minutes will have felt like a lifetime.
However, it took just three minutes after Hungerford's second for the hosts to finally look dangerous, Rose firing the ball towards Jed Ward, who had his first real action of the game.
Bradley Ash was the next player for the home side to look somewhat close to scoring, with The Terras' top scorer attempting an ambitious effort in the 32nd minute, around 25 yards out.
Weymouth's following succession of corners was perhaps a sign that the tide of Tuesday's match was beginning to change.
However, as was reflective of The Terras' first half, the deliveries ultimately proved wasteful, landing straight at the feet of an increasingly assured Hungerford defence.
In contrast, Weymouth's back line showed no signs of appearing less shaky as the first half had entered its final 10 minutes, with recent signing Archie Procter carelessly hacking down fellow newbie Boachie near the halfway line.
However, the former Dorking Wanderers centre-back was perhaps fortunate to only pick up a booking, having been the last man in the way of Oualah's net.
Rose had another chance to pull one back for the hosts just four minutes before the break, the Jamaican-born forward having the ball bounce off his shin just a few yards out.
However, given the early Crusaders attacking play, one could be forgiven for their surprise at the visitors having only scored 29 league goals before Tuesday's clash.
What will be less of a shock, however, is that Wilkinson's side have now conceded 59 league goals so far this season, the most out of any team in the National League South.
The last major event of the first half was another booking for The Terras', McBurnie committing a needless challenge near the halfway line.
With the halftime score remaining 2-0 to Hungerford, the opening 45 minutes could not have been more different for both sides.
The Crusaders' nickname seemed fit, perhaps for the first time this season, with the dominant attacking play, particularly in the opening 20 minutes.
However, Wilkinson's side went into the changing room with a huge mountain to climb, at risk of slipping even further away from safety.
The second half began with TWO changes for the home side, Keelan O'Connell and Scott Rees replacing McBurnie and Wilson, who were unable to rectify their first-half faults.
The changes appeared to have worked, O'Connell being unfortunate to have been found offside following a surge down the wing.
But despite The Terras' early promise, it was Robinson's side with the first dangerous opportunity, in-form Jones rattling the post with a long-range effort.
It took 11 minutes in the second half for Weymouth to finally claw one back, with Rose calmly heading in from a pinpoint accurate corner.
The scoreline was not the only thing to have changed, with the 713 loyal Terras supporters breaking out in song and excitement as their team looked to add a second.
The second goal almost came just four minutes later as Tom Bearwish's threatening shot hit the outside of the post following a level of trickery from the Weymouth captain, in which two opposing defenders were sent tumbling to the ground.
If either team looked likely to grab another goal, it was Wilkinson's side, his tactical changes appearing to be the catalyst to get his team back into the game.
The equaliser finally came in the 68th minute, Rose again proving effective at heading in corners with his second of the game.
If Weymouth were to find a winner, it looked likely that a set piece would prove decisive, with in-form Rose being too difficult for the befuddled visitors to handle.
As for Hungerford, their defence now appeared far less assured than their first half display suggested.
Looking to rectify the recent scoreline, Robinson introduced George Smith for Callum Gunner with less than 20 minutes to go.
The tenacious midfielder, who joined the Crusaders in 2022, came on looking to make an impact for his now stumbling side.
Wilkinson's third and final change came 14 minutes before the final whistle, Ben Thomson replacing David Sesay, who appeared to hobble off with a knock.
Shortly after, Weymouth's hard work came undone with a third Hungerford goal, Jones firing home his second with a powerful finish from close range.
The versatile Bristol Rovers loanee pounced on a loose ball from Willson, again at fault having miscontrolled the ball.
Only a couple of minutes had passed when the Crusaders added their fourth, the visitors having played Weymouth at their own game after substitute Smith was on the receiving end of a set piece.
With the game now having entered its final 10 minutes, Robinson's side looked to have gained a level of control similar to what they had shown in the first half, snatching any vital point away from their opponents.
To further add to The Terras' misfortunes, Willson capped off a torrid evening with a red card, hacking down Boachie, who was through on goal, on the edge of the 18-yard box.
The ever-imposing forward finally netted a goal of his own just three minutes before full time, putting his side into a three goal lead.
Few could have foreshadowed a scoreline of 5-2 to the appropriately-named Crusaders after The Terras' turned their misfortunes around early in the second half.
However, Robinson's first change looked to be the catalyst for a string of dangerous Hungerford attacks.
Ultimately, Boachie's goal proved the final straw for many disgruntled Weymouth supporters, who were slowly exiting the Bob Lucas Stadium in their hundreds.
And with the final score being 5-2 to Hungerford Town, the implications for both sides could not be more different.
Although Hungerford still have work to do to climb out the dreaded relegation zone, their deserved victory now leaves them in 23rd place.
As for Wilkinson, his side remain in colossal danger, having played more games than their relegation rivals.
Ultimately, this result proved to be another case of Tuesday terror for The Terras