New Year’s Day heralds the reverse fixture of the festive season double between Tonbridge Angels and Welling United in the Vanarama National League South.

Having met at Longmead on Boxing Day, the teams will resume their rivalry at Welling’s Park View Road to start off 2023.

On Boxing Day, Welling edged the first game courtesy of a goal by Ade Azeez and an outstanding save by Myles Roberts to thwart Jordan Greenidge. The best other chances were when Devonte Aransibia hit the bar for the Angels and Stefan Payne hit the post for the Wings.

In the fifth minute of injury time Jonny Henly went up for a corner and got up to head goal-wards but Roberts was equal to it and pushed it over.

Victory took Welling to within two places and four points of Tonbridge so there is little between the two teams as was illustrated on Boxing Day.

Last season’s two meetings were also tight affairs, both finishing one-nil to the hosts. The first game was decided by a goal by Bradley Stevenson midway through the first half. In the return game at Tonbridge, Tommy Wood scored the only goal inside the first fifteen minutes.

The last time there was more than one goal scored in a game between the two teams was back in August 2019 when the Wings won four-two at Park View Road. Bradley Goldberg’s brace put the Wings two up before Adam Yussuf pulled one back two minutes before the break. Gavin McCallum restored Welling’s two goal lead in injury time.

Anthony Cook added a fourth twenty minutes into the second half and D’sean Theobalds’ goal with seven minutes remaining was no more than a consolation goal for the Angels.

There was no return game that season, nor any games between the two teams in the following season due to Covid-19.

Roberts was on the bench for Tonbridge on a loan spell from Reading, his club at that time, on the day of Welling’s four-two win. He has since been transferred to Watford, who loaned him to Welling at the start of this term.

Former Wings who played for Tonbridge on Boxing Day were Aransibia, Henly and Craig Braham-Barrett, while Mason Saunders-Henry is also in the Angels’ squad but didn’t feature in their sixteen.

Both managers, Jay Saunders at Tonbridge, and Welling’s Warren Feeney, will be working hard on their plans on how they can win the game so another tight encounter can be anticipated.

Picture supplied by Dave Budden.