Following a tight defeat in the F.A. Trophy, Welling United return to National League South action on Saturday when entertaining Eastbourne Borough.

Last Saturday’s game at Hungerford Town was always going to be a difficult one but with the strong Easterly wind and on a difficult pitch, Peter Taylor knew that attitude and desire was crucial. He certainly got that, but it was not quite enough.

His team went ahead in first half injury time when Hungerford’s goalkeeper struggled to keep out a corner from Che Krabbendam and Ade Shokunbi hooked it home. However, they held their lead for less than a minute allowing the hosts to force home at the end of a goalmouth scramble.

Mason Saunders-Henry put them back ahead after being sent clear by Joe Muscatt and when Jack Sims saved a penalty and the follow up, the Welling supporters started to believe. Sadly for them, two goals in the last twelve minutes, the second of which was a cross that caught in the wind and ended up in the top corner, meant that the Wings went home empty handed. 

Eastbourne Borough had a more straight forward afternoon, winning two-one at home to Tiverton Town thanks to a Charlie Walker brace although a goal by the Devon club might have given them a jittery last fifteen minutes. 

They are twelfth in the league at present, but just two points ahead of Welling. Away from home, they have won two, drawn one and lost four but amongst the successes was an impressive two-nil victory at Maidstone United.

Although the clubs met in Sussex behind closed doors last season, the early termination of the campaign meant that they didn’t play each other at Park View Road. The last meeting between the two clubs at Welling was a low key goal-less draw in September 2019.

Picture supplied by Dave Budden.