It took a come from behind victory for Welling United to beat Chesham United and progress in the F.A. Cup.

Although, nowhere near their best, Welling manager Steve King felt that it was mission accomplished. “I said before the game the objective is just to get through the tie.” confirmed King “There’s teams in our league that’s gone out today to lesser opposition so for us it was just a matter of getting through. We’re in the next round. The club will get a decent amount of money for that.

“Chelmsford have gone out to Worthing. There’s no given right to win cup games. Chesham are bottom of their league, not won in the league all season, made a helluva fight of it and we had to come from behind to win.

“I wasn’t happy with the performance.” he continued. “I felt that they needed to score, the other side, to kick us into gear. Credit to them. They came and had a game plan. They hit the big man (Jefferson Louis) all day long.

“He was a handful. He’s thirty-nine, nearly forty years of age and he’s still a handful as he has been throughout his whole career.

King was particularly unhappy with the way his team went behind. Bradley Clayton nicked the ball in midfield and sent Jefferson away to brush off a challenge before finishing well. “Giving away, turning the ball over, on the outside of your own area wasn’t good.” said King.

However, Jack Jebb levelled within five minutes and Welling enjoyed the last ten minutes leading up to the break. “We could have had two or three (more) in the first half.” said King. “Their keeper made two good saves on a slippery surface.”

Although Welling had the majority of possession in the second half, it was never easy. King said “I don’t think  (goalkeeper) Dan (Wilks)’s really had a save to make in the game but they were always there. They were always on the peripheral of it. I thought that something might have run their way, a little flick or something. We weren’t anywhere near our standards today.

“I thought too many players took too many touches.” He said. “It was like touch, touch, then another touch, then another touch, then the pass has gone.”

Gavin McCallum capped a good performance with the winner, partly because he listened to King’s instructions from the sideline. The Welling manager explained “He was going to make the run across the box and I’ve told him last minute just to peal out the back, and he’s pealed round the back because Jebb’s free kicks are that good that you have to have someone covering the back post because they whizz straight across you otherwise.”

King concluded “ I said to the players how important this game is. The F.A. Cup is massively important to the club. It’s a good feeling. It’s a great competition. If you can go far in it, the exposure you get, the fans you bring, the finances it brings, it’s a really really good competition.”