In front of another 200+ crowd, Sittingbourne slipped to defeat against a very well organised Welling United side who just about deserved the win at the end of the day.
Welling ahead at the break and despite playing in just their first pre-season game of the campaign, they looked far more impressive than Maidstone United had done on Tuesday when Sittingbourne won 4-1. The Wings were ahead at the break after a clever chip from Anointed Chukwi as he was played in behind the defence leaving keeper Harley Earle exposed – the striker coolly clipping the ball over the advancing keeper!
The home side went close early on when a shot crashed back out off a post before Welling’s trialist wearing number eleven looped a header onto the roof of the net! Chukwi then put the visitors ahead and then the home side had a late chance when defender Charma Torsiello had a shot blocked in the Wings box with the keeper committed but an even first half ended with the visitors narrowly in front ahead of the masses of half-time substitutions expected.
They duly came which led to the second period being just as close with the Brickies arguably edging the chances.
Ayman El-Mogharbel thought he had won a penalty when seemingly brought down only for the referee to award a corner! Mitchell May was then pulled back by a defender when he raced clear – the defender getting “only” a yellow card! Ayman then prodded a through ball for Eman Robe, but he could not get hold of the shot and the ball went through to the keeper.
Welling was then to seal the win late on with two strikes in a couple of minutes as the Brickies went in search of an equaliser with two very swift breaks that were swept in beyond the despairing dives of unlucky keeper Claudio Boakye – the second swept home by Martell Taylor-Crossdale and the third side footed home by a trialist.
Sittingbourne did get on the scoresheet late on as the Welling keeper fingertipped a Codey Cosgrave drive over and from the resulting corner young Hadley Tossell headed home Aymans corner.
Images courtesy of Dave Budden