Despite the game ending goalless, both teams put in one hundred percent as Welling United claimed a well deserved point at Chelmsford City.

Peter Taylor introduced new signing Tommy Davis to the starting line-up and Aaron Barnes was recalled to replace the injured Joe Muscatt.

After Dipo Akinyemi had a shot turned round for a corner the hosts had two good chances. First, Chez Isaac found Tom Blackwell who chested it down but Charlton Athletic loanee Hady Ghandour blasted over. Then Isaac was again the creator but once more Ghandour was unable to keep his effort down.

Louis Dunne slung in an inswinging corner which Jack Sims did well to push over before former Wing Cameron James shot wide from a tight angle.

Although Chelmsford enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges it wasn’t all one way and Danny Parish met a Yannis Drais corner with a stooping header that flashed wide of the near post. Chelmsford came back and Sims got caught out of position but Arthur Penney did brilliantly to stop Dunne from getting a shot away.

By the time it came out to James, the Welling goalkeeper was back to save his shot with relative ease.

Drais had a shot saved easily by Jacob Marsden before a cynical foul by Christian Frimpong stopped Olumide Durojaiye from shooting just before half time. Frimpong was rightly shown a yellow card.

Early in the second half Akinyemi chased a long ball and looped his header over the out-rushing Marsden but Ade Oluwu got back to hack off the line. Parish then shot from a narrow angle but Marsden saved.

At the other end Sims saved comfortably from Ghandour before Penney cleared off the line from a James shot. Sims was tested by a series of inswinging corners into a busy six yard box but was equal to all that Chelmsford could throw at him.

Akinyemi hit a low drive that should have been straightforward for Marsden but it took a big bobble and the Chelmsford goalkeeper did well to cling on.

Mason Saunders-Henry was then introduced to the action and had an opportunity to make an immediate impact but he was unable to get a clean connection on his shot.

Maxwell Statham came close to his first Welling goal when his thunderbolt of a shot clattered the crossbar. Fortunately for Marsden it hit the side of his face when it came out rather than the back of his head and back into the net.

Ade Shokunbi fired into the side netting before Dave Winfield headed over when a corner was rescued and crossed back into the penalty area.

Shokunbi was cautioned for dissent and Frimpong was fortunate not to follow him into the book for a similar offence moments later. He didn’t make the most of his good luck though, as he committed a needless foul soon after and was shown a second yellow card and was dismissed.

There was only the three minutes of additional time for Welling to try and take advantage of their numerical advantage and the Clarets defended well allowing only one shot, a Bradley Stevenson effort that was deflected over.  

Chelmsford City: Marsden, James, Vaz, Frimpong, Winfield, Oluwu, Dunne (Freeman 67), Isaac, Jackson, Blackwell, Ghandour (Sheringham 70).

Unused substitutes: Hockey, Deslandes, Simpson.

Goalscorers: None 

Yellow cards: Frimpong

Red card: Frimpong

Welling United: Sims, Barnes (Stevenson 73), Ezennolim, Statham, Davis, Penney, Shokunbi, Durojaiye, Akinyemi, Parish (Saunders-Henry 63), Drais.

Subs not used: Campbell, Perkins, Richards.

Goalscorers: None 

Yellow cards: Durojaiye, Shokunbi

Referee: Ben Atkinson

Assistants: Luigi Lungarella and Mark Chalkley

Attendance: 567

Pictures supplied by Dave Budden.