After yet another blank weekend, Welling United will be back in action on Saturday when they visit Hungerford Town in the Vanarama National League South.

Welling’s last game was a Tuesday evening home match against St. Albans City which ended in defeat and sadly the end of Brad Quinton’s tenure as manager of the Wings. Former Gillingham and Dover Athletic manager Steve Lovell has now taken the reins with Tristan Lewis his assistant. By the time that the Hungerford game comes around, Lovell will have had three training sessions to work with his team. 

There have been a lot of players coming and going this season with barely a game without at least one debutant and it’s likely that there will be more movement as Lovell brings in players to suit his methods.

Definitely gone are Joe Taylor and Finn O’Mara whose loan spells have come to an end after two games each. Taylor has now signed a loan deal with Ebbsfleet United and made his debut for them in their two-nil victory at Slough Town on Tuesday night.

Fourth placed Hungerford will give Lovell and Lewis a tough challenge to start their new partnership. The Crusaders demonstrated their prowess by claiming a hard earned point at Dartford last weekend. Five first half minutes remained when they went ahead. Craig Fasanmade was sent away down the left hand side and he squeezed it home between former Wings keeper Dan Wilks’ legs.

However, they had to dig deep in the second half after two more ex-Welling players combined for the equaliser. Jack Jebb’s free kick was met by a towering header home by Josh Hill.

When the two teams met at Bulpit Lane last season, Welling put in an excellent performance and returned with the three points. Danny Waldren put the Wings ahead in first half injury time and Anthony Cook added an excellent team goal twelve minutes from time. However, James Rusby was gifted one back in stoppage time but Wilks’ goal wasn’t threatened again and Welling ran out worthy winners.

That game will have little bearing on the game to come as only Rusby and Louis McGrory were in Hungerford’s sixteen who played in that game and the sixteen who were at Dartford last season. For Welling, no players remain from the team from that game last season.

Picture supplied by Dave Budden.