For the second consecutive week Welling United are on the road with a visit to Chippenham Town.

Last weekend, Peter Taylor took the team for the first time since taking over the manager’s role and saw, first hand, the challenge that lies ahead. 

So far this season, Welling have lost all three of their away games and have conceded eleven unanswered goals so they will need a big improvement to get anything out of their trip to Wiltshire. However, sixth placed Chippenham have had far more success away than on their home patch where they won their first game but lost their next three including an F.A. defeat to Hastings United last Saturday. 

The corresponding fixture didn’t take place in the null and void 2020-21 season so the last meeting at Hardenhuish Park between the two teams was back in November 2019, a match that finished goal-less.

They did meet at Park View Road last season, though, and it was the visitors who claimed the three points in another tight match. Bradley Ash scored the only goal ten minutes after coming on as a second half substitute.

There will definitely be one change to the Welling team that lost at Oxford last weekend as goalkeeper Tom Smith suffered a dislocated shoulder and will have to sit out the next four to six weeks. It was wretched luck for the Arsenal loanee as it was only his third match of the season having missed the first five through another injury.

Taylor has acted by signing Jack Sims who spent his youth career at Southend United before being signed by Blackpool but released in June. He is a guaranteed starter and may be joined by another Taylor signing, O’Shane Stewart, who is a midfield player and has been signed on loan from Southend. 

Although Taylor has stated that this role will be one of his biggest challenges, he is confident of success and a good result at Chippenham would be a great boost for the Wings.

Picture supplied by Dave Budden.