Having exited the F.A. Cup at Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, Jamie Day will need to prepare his Welling United team quickly for the difficult trip to Grimsby Town on Tuesday night.

The Wings’ hopes of reaching the third round for just the second time in their history were dashed by three goals conceded in the opening 21 minutes. Although Ross Lafayette pulled a goal back in the second period, it was asking too much for them to add another two against a team who had only conceded eight times at home in ten division two league games.

Defeat ended all involvement in cup competitions this season and the old ‘concentrate on the league’ cliché is now the case for Welling.

It is a different situation for Grimsby, however, as they beat a football league club for the second consecutive round. Having seen off local rivals Scunthorpe United in a replay at the first hurdle, they beat Northampton Town at home on Saturday and have been rewarded with another tie at Blundell Park against Huddersfield Town.

Although disappointed to lose, it was not all bad news for Welling as Luis Cumbers played the last quarter of an hour after fourteen months out through injury. Harry Beautyman also entered the fray at the same point to start his second comeback. Doug Bergqvist was on the substitutes’ bench and will hope to figure against the Mariners.

There will be no danger of Grimsby under-estimating their visitors as when the two teams met at Park View Road, back in August, Welling claimed their first win back in the top tier of non-league football. Lafayette scored the crucial only goal late in the game giving the Mariners little time to respond.