New look Welling United put in a much improved performance at league leaders Wealdstone but still left with nothing to show for it.

Since being appointed as manager on Tuesday afternoon, Bradley Quinton has been very busy, bringing in four new players and a coaching team.

Gavin McCallum was restored to the starting line-up and created the first opportunity for himself but shot wide before the hosts started to impose themselves.

Michee Efete got forward and had a shot deflected over then Michael Phillips failed to keep a shot down from twenty five yards.

Moses Emmanuel, making his Wealdstone debut, having been released by Welling earlier in the week, beat the offside trap but fired out of the ground from a tight angle, before Jake Sheppard also fired into the distance.

Billy Clifford blasted a free kick into the defensive wall and when it came back to him, his follow up shot was deflected wide then Sheppard shot well wide with a first time effort from the edge of the penalty area.

McCallum had a deflected shot saved before the hosts were lucky to keep ten men on the pitch.

Being over elaborate at the back, they were caught out when Korrey Henry took advantage of slack work by captain Jerome Okimo and was given a clear run on goal. Okimo responded by bringing him down and was fortunate to escape with a yellow card.

Soon after, Wealdstone broke the deadlock. Emmanuel nodded a cross down to Efete and he had space to fire low under Dan Wilks from eight yards out.

Welling responded quickly and Harry Isted made a brilliant save from McCallum who had been played in by Bradley Goldberg. Goldberg then fired straight at Isted after good work by Nathan Green.

Harold Joseph almost marked his debut with a goal but just missed the far post with an angled shot after Rob Swaine had headed down Anthony Cook’s free kick and another McCallum shot was deflected over.

Although, Welling were now in the ascendancy, Wealdstone almost added a second in first half stoppage time when Emmanuel’s shot came back off the bar.

Having jarred his knee just before the interval, Swaine was unable to take to the field for the second half and Connor Dymond replaced him, with Cook taking the captain’s armband.

Emmanuel twice shot off target early in the second period and Dennon Lewis curled wide of the far post before Philip Roberts was given his Welling debut by Quinton and it almost paid dividends immediately.

Diaz Wright and Cameron James combined well in midfield to send Roberts away and Isted made another brilliant save, this time with his foot, to deny Welling.

Isted was again in action soon after, doing well to recover when Nathan Green’s free kick took a big deflection to divert it towards the other side of the goal.

Phillips then got himself sent off after being shown two yellow cards within three minutes and could find himself in further trouble should the referee’s report include the length of time that it took him to leave the field.

As they tried to hold onto what they had, Wealdstone defended manfully throwing bodies into the line of shots and running down the clock as far as they could. This even included an unused substitute being booked for back-heeling the ball out of the ground as it went out for a throw-on.

Only once more was Isted tested, by a rasping drive by Dymond, and the Stones might have added a second on the break in the closing minutes. Chasing the game, Welling were left short at the back and Lewis’ shot drew a good low save out of Wilks.

There was plenty for Quinton to take from the game into the two training sessions before the next match.

Wealdstone: Isted, Efete, Sheppard (Mendy Mendy 46) Clifford (Jebb 68), Stevens, Okimo, Phillips, Smith, Emmanuel, Green (Charles 88), Lewis.

Subs not used: Watt, Cadogan. 

Goalscorers: Efete (26)

Welling United: Wilks; Rich-Baghuelou, Joseph, McCallum, Swaine (Dymond 46), Wright, Cook, James, Henry (Cosgrave 80), Goldberg (Roberts 61), Green.

Subs not used: Copeland, Akinyemi.

Referee: Christopher O’Donnell

Attendance: 932