Having played their New Year’s Day game two days early, Welling United start 2024 with a Vanarama National League South home game against Aveley.

It took a very late goal to rescue a point for Danny Bloor’s Wings team at Dartford which was the minimum that they deserved. They had already fallen victim to a smash a harsh defeat by the same team at Welling on Boxing Day so it would have been rough on them had they come away with nothing from either game.

However, it took a Dartford own goal deep into stoppage time to keep Welling from drawing a blank for the fourth game in a row. After the two festive season games both Bloor and assistant manager Ben Austin spoke about freshening the squad so there may be a new face, or two, on show against Aveley.

Incoming players means that to balance the books, others have to leave. Amadou Kassarate departed prior to the Christmas period and is now at Bishop’s Stortford. This week, Jephte Tanga’s loan expired and his parent club, Leyton Orient recalled him.  

Saturday’s visitors Aveley will be making their first ever league visit to Welling having been promoted from the Isthmian League Premier Division. They started very well and even topped the league briefly. However, they have hit a sticky patch since then. Their victory over Dover Athletic on New Year’s Day was their first in the league since early November.

This will be the return fixture between the two teams following Welling’s visit to Essex early in December. In that game, Welling defied the odds to claim a point despite being reduced to ten men in the first half, having an outfield player in goal, and going in at half time behind.

Tristan Abrahams put Welling ahead from the penalty spot eleven minutes before half time then Wings goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook brought down Manny Ogunrinde in the opposite area. The award of a spot kick wasn’t in doubt, but the dismissal of Charles-Cook appeared to be double jeopardy. That proved to be unjustified after the event when the red card was rescinded on appeal. Anthony Grant went in goal for the kick but Siju Odelusi sent him the wrong way to equalise.

Antony Papadopoulos then came on and took the gloves but found himself picking the ball out of the net moments later when Ogunrinde’s cross sneaked in off the far post. 

Bloor made a further change at the break, and the ten men Wings were the better team in the second period, deserving their equaliser just shy of the hour mark. Despite being in goal, Papadopoulos still managed to register an assist when he saw the opportunity to send Kain Adom away. The Welling wide man raced away, rounded Jonathan North, and slotted it home from a tight angle.   

Neither side scored again, and the two teams will both be looking to go one better at the J. Hearnden Skip Hire Community Stadium on Saturday.

Picture supplied by Dave Budden.