After Welling United’s well deserved away point on Saturday, they crashed to their fourth successive home defeat.

Their point at Truro came at a heavy cost as the Wings were ravaged by injury. Mark Goldberg was forced into making multiple changes.

Teenager Harvey Brand was handed a first team debut with many players having to fill roles away from their normal positions.

When Welling won the league four seasons ago, they did it by making their Park View Road a fortress. This season they are yet to claim a home point.

Off the pitch, their fun day appeared to be a success but on the field it was another day of disappointment not helped by conceding their sixth penalty in seven games.

They fell behind in the fifth minute when Chris Lewington was left exposed and Luke Daley rounded him before slotting home.

Lewington then saved well from Shaun Jeffers before Brand drew a save from Ross Fitzsimons at the other end.

Shamir Mullings gave Welling a let off when missing a gaping goal then Anthony Church headed over when he should have done better.

Julian Banton was well off target for Welling before they had another escape when Robbie Wilmott missed a gilt edged chance having been set up by Jeffers.

Jamie Slabber was off target for the Wings before Chelmsford finished the half strongly. Chris Bush strode through the Welling midfield and set up Jeffers but Lewington made another great save.

Then Church had a header cleared off the line but Bush, following up, could not beat Lewington to heap further misery on his former club.

Warren Whitely replaced Slabber at the break as Mark Goldberg looked to change things.

Dan Walker could have given Welling a life-line but missed his kick after good work by Lyle Della-Verde. Rickie Hayles then headed over at the far post

Lewington made another save from Mullings’ header before Welling again came close. Adam Coombes, in just his second game for the club, fired a rocket from the edge of the area that crashed back off the post.

Had that gone in, it might have lifted Welling’s confidence but any hope they had was extinguished with a 74th minute penalty decision. It looked harsh on Coombes as the foul looked to have been on him but Jeffers stepped up and sent Lewington the wrong way.

Mitchell Nelson was unable to find the target with a stooping header from Della-Verde’s cross as Chelmsford looked happy to settle with what they had.

Seventeen year old substitute Josh Jackson tried his luck in injury time but his effort flew over.

Not surprisingly, Goldberg was disappointed. “Although we had a makeshift squad there is a few individuals that I expected to step up to the mark so that we didn’t have to make any excuses after the game.

“I do feel let down but at the same time it was a complete change from the squad that went to Truro. We were left without any centre midfield pairing that we’ve had so far, without a centre back pairing that we’ve had so far, and it could have been a lot more. It could have been a lot worse. The size of the job was too great for this squad.”

Welling United: Lewington, Brand, Brown, Banton, Nelson, Hayles, Joseph-Dubois (Jackson 78), Coombes, Slabber (Whitely 46), Walker, Della-Verde. Unused Substitutes: Sprague, Johnson, Devyne.

Chelmsford City: Fitzsimons, Miller, Blanchett, Rees, Bush, Walsh (Bailey-Dennis 57), Daley, Church, Mullings (Moore 62), Jeffers, Wilmott (Graham 84). Unused Substitutes: Bricknell, Reid.

Referee: Josh Smith
Assistants: Tom Reeves and Robert Tinder

Attendance: 705

Welling star player: Chris Lewington

Images courtesy of Dave Budden