It’s derby day on Saturday as Welling United entertain Tonbridge Angels in the Vanarama National League South.
Both teams are coming in off the back of defeats and will be looking to show their character and ability to bounce back.
Welling travelled to Bath last Saturday, another team that were going through a poor spell, and were second best early on. They could easily have been two down after fifteen minutes but settled and enjoyed more possession leading up to half time which ended goal-less.
Bath went ahead with a mixture of good fortune and poor Welling marking. A corner was well over-hit but it came to Ross Stearns who was completely alone. He brought it down and fired it back inside the far post. Welling then searched for a goal and got caught at the back when Alex Fletcher scored a superb second. Arthur Penney pulled one back in injury time but it was only a consolation goal.
Steve McKimm’s Tonbridge side lost one-nil at Braintree Town last Saturday and then again by the same scoreline at home to Havant and Waterlooville on Tuesday night. They have now gone three games without a goal which has seen them drop down into eighteenth place, three points behind the Wings. They have played two games fewer, though,.and will be back in a good position with a win.
A couple of victories would launch either side into the top half of the table, such is the congestion. Braintree are second from bottom yet are only nine points shy of the play-offs so a few wins could change the complexion of the table massively.
At Park View Road, Welling have won three, drawn one and lost three whilst the Angels away form is won two, drawn one and lost two so this game could go either way.
Due to Covid-19, there was no corresponding fixture last season, and the last meeting between the two clubs at Park View Road was in August 2019 when the Wings won 4-2. From the two teams who met that day, only Jonathan Henly and Sonny Miles remain in the Tonbridge side and there are no players from the Wings sixteen remaining.
Picture supplied by Will Allen.