As rainbows formed over Park View Road, Welling United continued to hunt for the pot of gold at the end of an F.A. Cup run.
Visitors Swindon Supermarine arrived hoping to cause a shock but had no answer to the scoring prowess of Adam Coombes.
Having already scored a Welling hat-trick at Concord Rangers this season, the Welling striker doubled the feat with six of Welling’s seven goals.
He started causing problems from the start with a teasing cross that Marines keeper Connor Jones could only palm out to Pierre Joseph-Dubois whose shot was blocked wide.
Then the visitors showed their intent with a shot by Josh Parsons that was beaten out by Chris Lewington.
Twice Coombes threatened, first when at full stretch diverting a deep Mitchell Nelson cross beyond the far post, and then having a shot from the edge of the area deflected wide.
His next opportunity in the 22nd minute was finished with aplomb. Ali Fuseini split the defence and Coombes showed great composure in taking his time before firing beyond Johns.
To their credit, the visitors came back and equalised just four minutes later. Callum Parsons was not closed down quickly enough and his shot from 20 yards was deflected beyond Lewington.
As half time approached, Welling scored twice in three minutes. Once again, Coombes sprung the offside trap, and once again he finished clinically.
Joseph-Dubois made it three when he was first to Lyle Della-Verde’s long ball forward and headed home as Johns charged out.
Dan Walker came on for Joseph-Dubois at the break and had an opportunity when breaking clear of the back line before shooting wide.
Callum Parsons then got clear of the Welling defence but Lewington did well to deflect beyond the far post.
Johns then made a great save from another powerful Coombes effort.
After another Johns save from Danny Waldren’s header, Sam Hatton had a corner cleared back out to him. He looked up and picked out Coombes who rose to head home at the far post.
Eleven minutes remained when Welling made it five with Coombes’ fourth of the afternoon. Having been bundled over in the area, he was up quickly to take the penalty which he converted by sending Johns the wrong way.
Tiring visitors Marine conceded two more in the closing minutes, first when Coombes fired home a beauty from twenty five yards and then when he converted a fine through ball from Walker.
Mark Goldberg, Welling’s manager, was pleased with the result but refused to be carried away by the scoreline. “We were very eager not to underestimate the opposition. To be honest, it (the scoreline) wasn’t a true reflection of the difference between the two teams. We’ve got to give them some credit. Even when we went two, three goals ahead of them, they kept having a go.
“Offensively, they were very very tidy on the ball and they were creating a lot of opportunities. They could have had three, four goals. It could have been one of those cup-ties, it could have gone four all. We had two very good saves, one very early on by our goalkeeper, even at nil-nil, which was very important. We’ve got a goal. They’ve got a goal back. Whether it was a deflection or not, we gave him too much room in front of the back four.”
“We were very clinical today. For one player, Adam Coombes, to score six goals in one game is quite incredible, whatever the opposition, and it’s a great performance by him. But it was not just an individual performance. The goals were well worked, they were clever goals.
“It was so important to respond from the disappointment at Poole last week. We’d won two and should have got a draw there. We didn’t and suddenly we’ve been set back. Today everyone knew how important it was and I’m so pleased for the lads that they’ve done what they’ve done today.”
“Defensively, I’ve got to be honest, I still worried at three-one, at four-one, at five-one. I need to stop feeling that way. We defended against a decent team today, and we defended well, but the fact that I still feel vulnerable means that I can’t paint over the cracks and I have to do something to give us some more ammunition. I don’t believe right across the back four, I just think that there’s another addition to the team in the back four that’s required.”
Welling United: Lewington, Nelson, Brown, Fuseini, Hayles, Leacock, Joseph-Dubois (Walker 46), Waldren, Morgan (Johnson 71), Coombes, Della-Verde (Hatton 55).
Unused Substitutes: Agu, Francis, Slabber.
Swindon Supermarine: Johns, Alexander (Thompson 66), Morgan, Westlake, Wood, Morris, Gray, Hooper (Shepherd 74), Waldon, J. Parsons (Selman 66), C. Parsons.
Unused substitutes: Leigh, Taylor.
Referee: David Spain
Assistants: J. Mannix and P. Fellas
Attendance: 325
Man of the match: Adam Coombes
Pictures supplied by Dave Budden.