On a miserable wet evening, Phoenix Sports and Welling United tried their best to bring some joy to the healthy crowd in attendance.
After Francis Babalola had a shot saved by Sports’ goalkeeper Steve Phillips, the hosts made light of their two division disadvantage by going ahead with just 12 minutes on the clock. A low through ball split the Wings defence and veteran Frankie Sawyer finished with ease.
Jack Barham then burst through for Phoenix but Cole Brown timed his intervention to perfection with a clean tackle..
Babalola tried his luck again for Welling but his shot was deflected wide. Minutes later Sawyer had a similar effort at the other end that clipped a defender and went just past the post.
Alfie Pavey thought he was in business for Welling but his shot was blocked by a brave tackle from Terry Murray.
Referee Gerry Heron had shown leniency earlier on as he didn’t want to brandish his yellow card but he had little choice when Jack Hopkins caught Brown..
Pavey had one last opening before the break but fired over.
When the second half started, Welling changed their entire eleven whilst Phoenix made four substitutions.
Six minutes had passed when a high cross was brought down skilfully by Pierre Joseph-Dubois before he lashed his effort into the back of the net..
Alec Fiddes then had a shot saved by Phillips before firing over from 25 yards.
Barham thought that he had put Phoenix back ahead with a good finish but the flag was up for offside earlier in the move.
Archie Johnson then fired high and wide for Welling before Olumide Durojaiye made a great challenge at the other end causing a massive splash in the process.
Once more, Phoenix had the ball in the Welling net but Lewis Collier had no chance of saving as he was bundled unceremoniously into the net.
Kaka Dembele, Laste Dombaxe and Tom Bradbrook all had shots saved with relative ease before a Zak Bryon shot drifted just wide for Phoenix.
Fiddes had one last effort for Welling before Ashley Probets almost caught Collier out with a long free kick that sailed over him but past the post.
That was as close as it got to a winner as the two teams shook hands with the spoils shared.
Phoenix Sports: Phillips, Andrews (Amgbaduba 73), Lee (Probets 46), Seixas (Ansah 46), Murray, Fitchett, Akpele (Golding 46), Hopkins (Bryon 46), Barham (Robinson 73), Sawyer (Aldridge 59), Pattison (Ramadan 59).
Welling United 1st half: Lewington, Brown, Johnson, Parkinson, Francis, Coyle, Babalola, Corne, Pavey, Goldberg, Moli.
Welling United 2nd half: Collier, Dembele, Johnson, Dymond, Durojaiye, Gayle, Joseph-Dubois, Dombaxe, Bradbrook, Fiddes, Foxley.
Phoenix Sports:
Goalscorer: Sawyer (12).
Yellow card: Hopkins
Red cards: None
Welling United:
Goalscorer : Joseph-Dubois (51)
Yellow cards: None.
Red cards: None
Referee: Gerry Heron
Assistants: Joe Dann-Pye and Daniel Baruch