Having turned the corner over with an unbeaten Easter, Welling continued their good form with an excellent win at Tranmere Rovers.
Before the game, there was a minute’s applause in memory of Tranmere Rovers legend Johnny King. However, at the end, there was a cacophony of boos from the unhappy home team supporters.
Michael Chambers had an early opportunity but headed just over before returning Welling goalkeeper Marek Rodak made a fine double save from Jeff Hughes and James Norwood.
Sam Corne fired over for Welling then Scott Kashket had an effort saved as Welling continued to search out an opening.
Rodak made another outstanding save to keep out Jake Kirby’s close range header. He was powerless, however, to stop Tranmere from going ahead. Guy Taylor-Fletcher chipped in and Lee Vaughan volleyed home emphatically.
Within two minutes, parity was restored. Welling were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area and Ian Gayle was allowed time to head goal wards. Although his effort was blocked, it came back out to him and his side-footed follow up took a deflection to leave Scott Davies helpless.
Vaughan cut in but his shot at the near post was beaten out by Rodak before Kadell Daniel fired wide from another free kick.
Harris took Welling’s next one and it flew upwards off the head of a Tranmere member of the wall but it came down just beyond the reach of Scott Kashket who hoped to touch it home.
Taylor-Fletcher caused havoc in the Welling defence but when it came out to Norwood his near post effort was saved by Rodak.
Daniel volleyed wide for Welling just before the break.
It looked as though Rovers might go ahead soon after the break but Taylor-Fletcher’s header was cleared off the line acrobatically by Barney Williams.
Just beyond the 70 minute mark, Welling went ahead. The outstanding Nortei Nortey did the hard work before his selfless pass allowed Daniel to slot into an empty net.
More clever play by Nortey allowed Kashket a shooting chance but his volley flew wide.
For a team chasing promotion, Tranmere created little against their youthful opponents although there was a scare when Norwood crashed a shot against the post and Hughes, following up, fired just beyond the other post.
Substitute Luke Wanadio might have put the icing on the cake for the Wings but volleyed wide after Daniel and Kashket again opened up the Rovers’ defence.
It mattered little as the final whistle sounded soon after for Welling to celebrate their second consecutive win.
Unsurprisingly, Welling manager Dean Frost was happy with the continued upturn in form. “It’s the most important thing that we win regardless of who we play against but I suppose when we come to what is really a league club, and a fantastic stadium, the best stadium in the league, I’m delighted.
“I think last week was a long time coming and I think after weathering a twenty minute storm, I think we deserved three points. We were quite threatening in the final third in the last twenty minutes and it could have been a little bit more if we’d taken more care with our finishing.”
He added “I was saying to them before the game I felt we really needed to test the goalkeeper. I’ve watched him a few times on the internet and I’ve thought the goalkeeper had let a couple in from long range, especially before the game it was raining as well. It was a quite slippery surface, I said shoot but we didn’t shoot enough.
“The players we have like to get it to feet in and around the box, manoeuvre little one twos and round the corners. It’s not that we don’t encourage them to shoot but we won 2-1 today.”
Tranmere Rovers: Davies, Vaughan, McNulty, Ihiekwe, Hill, Kirby (Higdon 77), Jeninngs, Harris, Hughes (Mackreth 57), Norwood, Taylor-Fletcher (Fenwick 61).
Unused substitutes: Turner, Riley.
Goalscorers: Vaughan (18)
Yellow cards: None
Welling United: Rodak, Williams, Taylor (Wanadio 67), Chambers, Gayle, Lokko, Nortey, Corne, Kashket (Porter 90+1), Daniel, Harris.
Unused substitutes: McEntegart, Saggers, Yusuff.
Goalscorers: Gayle (20), Daniel (71)
Yellow cards: Chambers (51), Gayle (78)
Referee: Adam Bromley
Assistants: David Fisher and David Underwood
4th Official: Mark Powell
Attendance:5173
Welling star man: Ian Gayle