Welling United looked to be in control of their first visit to Aldershot’s Electric Services Stadium before a highly contentious decision turned the game on its head.

Two early corners illustrated the hosts quick start and from the second Jake Goodman headed wide from close range after Joe Oastler had flicked on Craig Stanley’s delivery.

Brett Williams shot wide then Jordan Roberts brought a save out of Lee Butcher as Aldershot hunted for the early goal.

Having weathered the early storm, Ross Lafayette fired over for Welling before the referee made the first of his debatable decisions.

Although he had allowed a nasty late tackle on Blaine Hudson to be punished by nothing more than a free kick, he deemed Hudson to be guilty of an obstruction so bad that it was punishable by a booking and a direct free kick.

Wings player-manager Jamie Day was cautioned shortly after for a reckless tackle on Lewis Young, brother of Manchester United’s Ashley.

Lafayette was first to a Day free kick just before the break but could not direct his header on target. Building on their strong end to the first period, Welling started the second in the ascendancy.

Hudson headed wide from Day’s corner then Lafayette was flattened by Chris Barker. In view of some of the bookings before and after, it was a measure of the referee’s inconsistency that he was lenient on this occasion.

Day almost made Barker pay for it with a free kick round the wall but Glen Morris made a spectacular save to keep it out.

His joy was short lived however as, from the resulting corner, another excellent Day delivery was met by the head of Lafayette and directed inside the far post.

Williams was booked for a foul shortly after receiving a warning before the referee made the decision that changed the course of the match.

Hudson was adjudged to have fouled Oastler in the penalty area and a spot kick was awarded with Hudson shown a second yellow card. Williams stepped up and sent Butcher the wrong way.

Manny Oyeleke and Lafayette were both booked in the aftermath of a foul by the former but Welling looked to have kept the hosts at bay before Aiden O’Brien, one of two Millwall loanees, put Aldershot ahead with twelve minutes remaining.

Butcher appeared to have his shot covered but it took a wicked deflection and although the Welling custodian got close, he was unable to claw the spinning ball out.

Further cautions followed for Aldershot’s Roberts and Welling’s Fraser Franks as the referee continued to brandish his yellow card randomley.

O’Brien added his second and the Shots third with two minutes remaining and although Day fired a free kick just over and Aristide Bassele was foiled in the last minute of injury time by Morris, there was no way back for Welling.

Aldershot Town: Morris, Oastler, Stanley, Goodman, B. Williams (Paterson 88), Oyeleke, Roberts, Barker, Gibbs, Young (Mekki 68), O’Brien.

Unused substitutes: Tonkin, Rowlands, L. Williams.

Welling United: Butcher, Vanderhyde, Cargill (McLaren 80), Day, Franks, Hudson, Bergqvist, Beautyman (Bassele 80), Guthrie (Cumbers 82), Lafayette, Healy.

Unused substitutes:Turner, Joe Obersteller.

Referee: Wayne Barratt

Attendance: 2,058

Welling star man: Jamie Day

Pictures supplied by Dave Budden.