Kodi Lyons-Foster’s second goal of the season was sufficient for Welling United to claim a crucial three points.

Twenty-four hours before kick off. Welling were without a goalkeeper. Myles Roberts was injured, Kai McKenzie-Lyle was absent on international duty, and Fraser Barnsley had returned to Oxford United so the Wings were allowed to draft in Yusuf Mersin on an emergency loan deal from Maidstone United.

Manny Parry returned to the starting line up in an unfamiliar position of defensive midfield, a position in which he excelled. He might have put the Wings ahead in the early stages but his shot from the edge of the area was tipped over by a retreating Max Harris.

Clever football by Christie Pattisson and Dylan Gavin, on his second Wings debut, put Ade Azeez in behind but Harris was out quickly to block with his legs. Pattisson then hit a thunderbolt that hit the underside of the bar and came out.

Taylor Maloney delivered a corner that was headed out as far as James Dunne who was well off target before the visitors missed a great chance.

Tom Smith whipped in a cross and Scott Wilson looked certain to score however he somehow managed to not get a clean header on it and it flew away.

Another Maloney corner was headed wide by Lyons-Foster before Bath had another opportunity, this time from a contentious free kick. Opi Edwards headed across and Danny Greenslade could only turn it over from six yards out.

After the break, chances continued to be few and far between and there was nearly an hour on the clock when James Morton’s first time effort from twenty-five yards flew wide with Mersin rooted to the spot.

Maloney hit a free kick into the defensive wall before Welling missed a fantastic chance. Chi Ezennolim twisted and turned to give himself space to cross and he sent it low into the six yard box but Azeez stabbed it over from inside the six yard box.

Eight minutes remained when the Wings broke the deadlock. Jamie Sendles-White headed Maloney’s corner back across the face of goal and Kodi-Forster fired it home via a defender and Harris.

Greenslade finally drew out a save from Mersin, his first in a Welling shirt, with a thirty-yarder that the goalkeeper turned around the post. Bath didn’t make anything of the corner, or the remaining time, as Welling saw out the remaining minutes without further concern.

Victory took Welling up to fifteenth in the table and increased the buffer between them and the drop zone to six points ahead of their visit to Chippenham Town on Tuesday evening.

Welling United: Mersin, Howard, Ezennolim, Parry, Sendles-White, Lyons-Foster, Pattisson, Dunne, Azeez, Gavin, Maloney.

Sub not used: Lisbie, Barnes, Papadopoulos, Andrews, Vendrells-Parcerisa.

Goalscorers: Lyons-Foster (82)

Yellow cards: Parry, Howard, Maloney

Bath City: Harris, Edwards, Morton, Hayfield, Parselle, Greenslade, Morton, Lines, Smith, Cox, Wilson, Frear.

Subs not used: Clarke, Raynes. Ford, Spokes.

Goalscorer: None

Yellow cards: None

Referee: Tom Ellsmore

Assistants: James Keane and James Hall

Attendance: 707

Pictures supplied by Dave Budden.