Premier Division Glebe visited Division One leaders Welling Town in the Southern Counties East Football League Challenge Cup Second Round.

For the hosts, it game them the opportunity to test themselves against the highest ranked club that they had ever faced in a competitive match.

On the other side of the fence, Glebe knew that if they weren’t on top of their game, they were at risk of slipping on the banana skin.

Certainly they came out meaning business and Laurent Hamici twice fired high over the bar. Then a good flowing move sent Daniel McCullock away down the right wing and his low cross looked sure to end in a goal but Luke Miller put it over from two yards out.

At the other end Lamarl Hubbard put in a good cross and Max Fitzgerald was relieved to see his header claimed by goalkeeper Justus Owusu.

Enoch Adeji went on a strong run before pulling back to Ryan Golding but the Boots’ leading scorer was unable to keep his shot down.

Jack Moore, in the Welling goal, saved well from McCullock before Marlon Patterson fired wide from twenty yards.

Arlie Desanges curled beyond the far post then a monster throw by Chris Mirrlees caused all sorts of problems in the Glebe penalty area.

There was confusion soon after when Miller’s tackle went back to Owusu who picked it up. The referee deemed it a back pass and awarded Welling an indirect free kick. He then had a change of heart and after a long conversation with an assistant he reversed his decision. To get the ball back to Owusu he instructed Golding to pass an uncontested drop ball to the goalkeeper.

It seemed tough on the Boots that as they were enjoying their best spell of the match they went behind. McCullock crossed low to the far post and Hamici tucked it home,

Immed Kartita tried to catch Moore off his line just before the interval but his effort went over.

Buoyed by their goal just two minutes before the break, Glebe were dominant for most of the second half. Jack Clark went on a long run and shot low but Moore stuck out his right foot to keep it out.

Marvin Birch was brought down just outside the area and Moore had to be alert to save Kartita’s cheeky free kick under the jumping Welling wall.

Hamici sent McCullock through and he beat Moore only to see it come back out off the post.

Talu Jonah headed wide from Kartita’s corner before Moore made another excellent save, this time from a free kick by Sam Edwards,

Eventually the second goal came and once again Kartita was the architect, His cross picked out Miller and this time he made no mistake.

Miller placed a shot wide after more good work by Kartita before Moore made good saves from Hamici and another Kartita free kick.

Moore made one more save late on from Hamici before the referee brought the game to a close.

There was no disgrace for the Boots in defeat to a good Glebe side while the visitors’ manager Anwar Uddin will have been delighted with his side’s good professional performance,

 

Welling Town: Moore, Laungani, Weber (Chentouf 74), Hepburn, Mirrlees, Page, Hubbard, Dylan, Golding (Donaldson 64), Desanges (Gordon-Young 64), Adjei.

Subs not used: Piro, Hardie.

 

Glebe: Owusu, Birch, Clark (Rosenfield 63), Patterson, Fitzgerald, Jonah, McCullock (Obasa 66), Kartita, Hamici, Edwards, Miller.

Sub not used: C. Villanuci, Sendonaris, E. Villanuci.

 

Welling Town:

Goalscorers:

Yellow cards: Dylan, Chentouf, Moore

Red cards:

 

Glebe:

Goalscorers: Hamici (43), Miller (77)

Yellow cards: Birch

Red cards:

 

Referee: David Rowland

Assistants: Paul Greenfield and Darren Keating

 

Attendance: 103

 

Man of the Match: Immed Kartita