On Tuesday evening, Welling United host Dulwich Hamlet in a rearranged Vanarama National League South fixture.
Originally, the local derby should have been contested during the festive period but due to an outbreak of Covid-19 in the visitors’ camp, the game had to be postponed.
By the time that the reverse fixture was due, on the 2nd January, those stricken had recovered and their self-isolation period had expired so that game went ahead with Welling claiming their second away win of the season. Dipo Akinyemi scored the only goal of the game but Welling were always in control and were good value for their win in front of a sell-out crowd.
Since then, Welling have played well in most of their games but have not been blessed with much good fortune so they were relieved to get back to winning ways in another one-nil win on Saturday, at home to Chippenham Town. That game was decided by a goal from Ade Shokunbi which was created by Akinyemi, who is probably playing his best football since joining the club from Dulwich.
That win was very important for Welling as the two teams below them, Braintree Town and Billericay Town, both won on Saturday, the latter at home to Dulwich.
Despite that defeat, Dulwich are still in eighth place, one point outside the play-off zone with games in hand. That was only their third loss on the road where that have won five and drawn four so Welling know that they are in for a tough match.
There was no meeting between the two clubs at Park View Road last season due to the pandemic so the last time Dulwich visited was in November 2019. That game ended nil-nil with the nearest that either team came to scoring being a Danny Mills strike, against his former club, coming back off the bar.
Picture supplied by Dave Budden.