George Alexander’s first half hat-trick guided Welling United to victory at Slough Town.

It took less than four minutes for him to score his first, Rob Howard sent Ade Azeez through but he side-footed wide. Rebels’ goalkeeper Will Dennis passed out to Scott Davies who squared to Temi Eweka but his shot was blocked by Azeez to Alexander who controlled it before he fired home.

Shaken Slough took a while to adjust and only had an effort through a low shot by Ogo Obi that drew a save out of Myles Roberts in the opening fifteen minutes.

They then started to raise the tempo. James Dobson crossed from the left but it was fractionally too high for Elliott Benyon who was unable to hit the target with his header. Matt Lench then used clever footwork to make space to shoot but fired over and he was again too high with another effort from the edge of the penalty area.

At the other end, Taylor Maloney scuffed a shot wide of the near post before Slough attacked again when Eweka’s thirty yard effort skimmed across the artificial surface however Roberts got behind it to save comfortably. Dobson shot wide of the near post before Welling came close when Jamie Sendles-White met Maloney’s corner but landed it on the roof of the nett.

Thirty minutes after his opening goal, Alexander scored again. Howard delivered a free kick, Azeez nodded it on and Alexander’s first touch teed it up and his second, with his back to goal, flicked it past Dennis and into the net.

Josh Jackman almost pulled one back immediately when his shot came back off the post. Benyon followed up but his effort was cleared off the line by Kodi Lyons-Foster. However, moments later Welling scored again, helped by kamikaze defending. Davies tried to chest it back to his goalkeeper but Alexander anticipated it and fired it home gleefully.

Sendles-White came close again but his shot was blocked before Dobson had an opportunity for the hosts in first half stoppage time but fired his free kick over.

At the break, Slough player/manager Davies substituted himself and brought Louis Walsh on and tinkered with his formation to try to repair some of the damage. However, it was Welling who had the first openings of the second period. Azeez fed Amadou Kassarate and his low shot was saved well by Dennis.

Kassarate and Medy Elito then combined to put Alexander away and his pass to Azeez gave Welling’s leading scorer a shooting chance but he fired wide of the near post.

Walsh showed the danger that he would pose by doing all the hard work before squaring to Dobson who side-footed over from the edge of the area. Walsh then sent in what appeared to be a cross that swerved in the wind a drew an excellent diving save out of Myles Roberts in the Welling goal.

Roberts was again called into action when an almighty goalmouth scramble caused him to twice claw it out from under the bar before he made another brilliant save to thwart Eweka who had got in behind Welling’s back line.

Substitute Kyrell Lisbie then missed out on his first Welling goal when Dennis’s hurried clearance appeared to smash into Eweka’s shoulder and rebounded into the teenager’s path. As he looked up and sized up his chance to roll it into the empty net, the referee stopped play being uncertain about whether Eweka had sustained a head injury. 

One last opportunity came Slough’s way in injury time when awarded a free kick on the edge of the area but Moe Shubbar blasted well wide.

Slough Town: Dennis; Davies (Walsh 46), Eweka, Lench, Dandy, Togwell, Jackman, Dobson (Shubbar 60), Amartey (Obi 9), Benyon, Goddard. Subs not used: Forster, George.

Goalscorers: None

Yellow cards: Eweka

Welling United: Roberts, Howard, Powell, Curran (Barnes 64), Sendles-White, Lyons-Foster, Kassarate, Elito, Alexander (Lisbie 84), Azeez (Parry 90+5), Maloney. Sub not used: McKenzie-Lyle, Andrews.

Goalscorers: Alexander (4), (34), (37)

Yellow cards: Curran, Maloney, Elito, Roberts, Lisbie

Referee: Kirstie Dowie

Assistants: Martin Underhay and Oliver Kaya

Attendance: 655

Images courtesy of Dave Budden