One point out of the last six would suggest a Welling United dip in form but that statistic is not a true reflection of their performances in those two games.
At Hampton and Richmond Borough they had to settle for a draw when conceding in the 85th minute, then at home to champions elect Havant and Waterlooville, the visitors converted their only clear-cut chance.
Now they entertain Hemel Hempstead Town looking for a quick response to get them back into play-off contention..
Jamie Coyle will have to shuffle his pack again as Jack Jebb and Jack Parkinson will both be absent through suspensions. He will also be keeping his fingers crossed that Adam Coombes will be fit to play after he limped off injured on Saturday against Havant.
Following Saturday’s defeat he said “After today we’ve got a game in quick succession that we can go out and bounce back and we’ve done that throughout the season. It was a real frustration today, and a bad result for us and the same on Monday .
“We’ve got to lick our wounds and move on quickly because we’ve got cup finals now coming up between now and the end of the season if we’re going to be in the mix at the end of the season.”
Due to the injuries and suspensions, they may struggle to find sufficient first team players to fill the bench. Coyle said “We’ll have to look at a few of the academy boys to come in and fill the gaps. There’s no hiding the fact that we are thin on the ground at the moment.”
However, the players who were on the bench on Saturday will be chomping at the bit to start the game and make a claim for a regular starting place and Coyle is happy that the replacements are more than ready. “The boys that have been on the bench have quality and have got the opportunity to come back in and keep the shirt.”
Visitors Hemel come into the game off the back of a solid three-one victory against Chippenham Town which took them three points clear of Welling into fifth place having played the same number of games. Welling are now ninth, two spots below the play-off zone but the league is so tight that qualification is still in their own hands.
When Welling visited Hemel Hempstead earlier in the season, they came away with a draw in a game that will be remembered for one of Joe Healy’s specials. Antonio German put the Tudors ahead early on and Jordan Parkes converted a penalty to put them two up before the break.
After the interval Tom Bradbrook pulled one back before Healy scored his special. Laurie Walker was hurried into a clearance from out wide and Healy collected it just inside the Tudors half before launching it into the unguarded net.
Away from home, Hemel have won six, drawn seven and lost five. Their last three away games have seen plenty of goals with 3-3 draws at Chelmsford City and Truro City either side of a 3-2 defeat at Dartford.
Last season at Park View Road there were also goals as Welling threw away a two goal lead. Dean Morgan scored early on in his debut and Adam Coombes made it two before the half hour mark.
Further chances came and went before Hemel turned the game on its head with two goals in five minutes. First Jack Kelly walked his way in to score then Chris Lewington failed to deal with a high ball and Jake Robinson stole in to net.
Instead of settling for the point, Welling surged forward and left themselves short at the back and James Potton took advantage with a clever lob.
Picture supplied by Dave Budden.