After bossing the game for the first hour, curious substitutions and panic in the penalty area left Welling United rock bottom of the Vanarama National League South.
Songs sung by Hemel Hempstead Town supporters included something close to ‘two up, and you messed it up’ and they were absolutely right. Just as they had been at Dartford in midweek, they were a much better than their opponents for the first hour but couldn’t keep going for the full ninety minutes.
In midweek, they were undone by clever Dartford substitutions but against the Tudors it was their own changes that resulted in them losing.
Dean Morgan was just eleven minutes into his debut when he opened his account, finishing after being set up by Pierre Dubois-Joseph.
Dubois-Joseph almost added a second himself when he mugged Jack Kelly before chipping just over.
Adam Coombes made it two in the 26th minute with a superb strike that gave Jamie Butler no chance.
Lyle Della-Verde rounded Butler but David King got back to stop him from sliding home a third as Welling finished the half strongly.
After the break, Welling continued to press and Butler made outstanding saves from Coombes and Ali Fuseini before they fell apart after making a substitution.
Dan Walker came on for Dubois, and within five minutes, it was 2-2.
First Kelly dribbled his way through the defence before slotting home then a high ball was allowed to bounce over Chris Lewington for Jake Robinson to steal in behind and equalise.
Robinson might have scored again but shot wide of the near post before Rickie Hayles headed over at the other end.
Coombes was sent free by a poor defensive header but Butler came to the rescue again, making a great save at the feet of Welling’s leading scorer.
Searching for the winner cost Welling dear as they got caught on the break and James Potton lobbed home to consign the Wings to another defeat.
Before the game, Mark Goldberg had decided to let Damien Matthew run things from the bench whilst he watched on from the directors box. However, he was left to reflect on whether that had been a wise move. “I had a chat with Damien before the game and after training during the week and we wanted to see whether he could take on that role. I thought it would be good to take a step back and to see if Damien could take on that role on a trial basis.
“It was something Damien wanted to do and something that suited me at the time.” Whether the experiment will be continued was something that will be decided after further thought and discussion.
Onto the actual game, he said “We were totally in control. We were bossing the game. Our starting eleven, for me, was exceptional. It was difficult that substitutions were made, possibly at a time where we didn’t need to make them. The momentum switched from being with us to being with them.
“They got a goal against the run of play and then the second goal was a ball that bounced over our goalkeeper’s head which was bizarre. I think that our bench just isn’t strong enough at the moment.
“It was great to get Dean Morgan into our team. I thought he did really well for his first game and I think that there’s no doubt that people will see that, although we are bottom of the league, we’ve got a starting eleven that’s capable of winning games.”
Talking further about the substitutions, he added “Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I’ve been very open with Damien. I thought he made the decisions too early.
“Another question mark I have at the moment is about the fitness of the squad. I’ve put a lot of trust in people and I’m paying out a lot of money. I’ve got to get this right. You’re going to see some decisions made.”
Welling United: Lewington, Nelson, Brown, Fuseini, Francis, Hayles, Joseph-Dubois (Walker 62), Waldren, Morgan (Johnson 71), Coombes, Della-Verde (Slabber 89).
Unused Substitutes: Leacock, Agu.
Hemel Hempstead Town: Butler, King, Kelly (Thorne 78), Mendy, Diagne, Connolly, Kaloczi, Corcoran, Robinson (McNamara 12), Potton, Montgomery (Taaffe 60).
Unused substitutes: Weiss, Spring.
Referee: Lloyd Wood
Assistants: Ryan Head and Thomas Marshall
Attendance: 401
Welling star player: Ali Fuseini.
Images courtesy of Dave Budden