Charlie Wyke helped himself to a hat-trick as Carlisle United cruised to victory at Welling United.
Although he will be happy to go home with the match ball, most Welling supporters and neutrals in the ground left shaking their heads at an awful refereeing performance.
Carlisle had far more quality in attack and were always likely to progress further but Welling’s cause was not helped by Simon Hooper’s decision making.
There were also eyebrows raised by the Welling team selection which saw a number of the team’s best performers sitting on the bench.
Coach Paul Barnes explained the choices saying “You look at Lincoln last week. I thought it was a great team performance, I though adding to that when Kieron (St. Aimie) came on he did ever so well. We thought the goal threat of (Michael) Bakare deserved to start.”
Realising that a draw would probably result in a replay defeat he said they went for “George Porter and Bakare supporting Kieron up top in a 4-3-3 in possession.
“You look in the three in midfield, I thought were excellent last week at Lincoln and we thought we didn’t want to upset the shape and the personnel. (Reece) Harris was ill all week. He hasn’t trained all week.”
In the opening minutes, Wyke, Alexander McQueen and Antony Sweeney all missed chances as Carlisle looked to make an early mark.
However, it took them seventeen minutes to open the scoring when Wyke slid home Jabo Ibehre’s defence splitting pass.
Bakare had Welling’s first chance when curling wide from St. Aimie’s lay off.
Mr Hooper then made his first debatable decision, refusing Welling a penalty when Mark Ellis pushed Porter over in the area.
On the stroke of half time, Carlisle doubled their lead when Sweeney used his hands to deflect Ibehre’s shot home.
Regardless of the decision, Head Coach Matthew McEntegart thought the defence should have done better. “Our lads have got to be a bit more resiliant. It’s not ideal being 1-0 down but it’s a lot better being 1-0 down than it is being 2-0 down at half time.”
Immediately after the break, Mr Hooper decided that a nothing challenge by Zac Fagan was worthy of a penalty but goalkeeper Michael McEntegart went the right way and blocked it out Danny Grainger’s effort.
McQueen then tripped Bakare in the other area, but the clearest penalty call of the day was denied.
McEntegart saved from Wyke and Sweeney put a free kick over before another highly contentious decision went against the Wings.
Harry Osborne was deemed to have fouled Sweeney and a penalty was awarded. To rub salt into the wound, Osborne was dismissed. Grainger again stepped up and fired into the top corner.
Wyke added his second and Carlisle’s fourth from close range with twenty minutes remaining.
Bakare came close to converting a Barney Williams cross and substitute Sahr Kabba came close as Welling looked for a consolation.
They almost had it when Sam Corne’s free kick came out off the inside of the post.
However, as the fourth official prepared to raise the board stating minutes of injury time to be played, Wyke completed his hat-trick from Patrick Brough’s cross.
Brough almost made it six but his last gasp effort came back off the post.
Manager Loui Fazakerley said afterwards “I just think the scoreline was very very harsh. We conceded some sloppy goals. The first two goals that we conceded, we conceded in disappointing fashion. Very disappointed to lose the game and gutted that the score was as big as it was.
“It sounds like we say it every single week that we don’t get decisions and other teams do. To us on the side and to everyone in the ground, it (the trip on Bakare) did look like a pen. You look at Harry Osborne’s one, it’s very very soft.”
Next Saturday, Welling travel to Tilbury in the F.A. Trophy before returning to league action.
Welling United: McEntegart, Williams, Jefford, Fagan (Lee 56), Chambers, Osborne, Porter, Corne, St. Aimie (Harris 61), Bakare (Kabba 76), Wellard.
Unused substitutes: Aksoy, Adeyinka, Lokko, Vidal.
Carlisle United: Hanford, McQueen, Grainger, Joyce, Raynes, Ellis, Kennedy, Sweeney (Dicker 67), Wyke, Ibehre (Asamoah 67), Gilliead (Brough 72):
Unused substitutes: Hery, Archibald-Henville, Thompson, Bacon.
Referee: Simon Hooper
Assistants: Ian Rathbone and Lloyd Wood
4th Official: Mark Derrien
Welling star man: Sam Corne
Attendance: 2,028
Pictures supplied by Dave Budden.