While Jamie Day had put together a predominantly youthful team for the 2014-15 season, new manager Jody Brown has looked to bolster the squad with players that add some experience.

Assistant Manager, Glen Little, has been registered as a player but will be used sparingly. His career includes 246 appearances for Burnley and 96 for Reading.

Rowan Vine has also signed and might have played at Forest Green last weekend had his international clearance been completed. He has played for a host of clubs including Luton Town (102 games, 31 goals) and Queens Park Rangers (69 games, 9 goals). His last club was Greenock Morton, hence the need for clearance.

On Friday, Welling announced the signing of Darren Purse who played 169 times for Birmingham City, including a League Cup Final appearance, and 111 times for Cardiff City.

Reece Harris (23) has been signed from Heybridge Swifts and Joseph Zerafa (26) from Grays Athletic and they also increase the average age of the squad.

That does not mean that there is no opportunity for younger players. Two have come in on loan, Josh Carmichael from AFC Bournemouth and Charlton Athletic’s Harry Osborne. Brown has also stated publicly how impressed he has been with some of the young players he has inherited.

He also has the reserve/development squad to call upon. At the start of the season, Day said that he didn’t want players over 19 in the squad and the management team of Matt Horne and Rob Dillon went a little further and have produced a group of mostly 16 and 17 year olds. The aim, at the start of the season, was to get at least one into the first team by the end of the 2015-16 season.

Joey Taylor has already been fast-tracked and made a full Vanarama Conference Premier debut. Had the hapless fourth official at the home game v FC Halifax Town known how to operate the ‘number board’, 16 year old Archie Johnson would have made a cameo appearance having impressed in pre-season first team friendlies.

Due to their early F.A. Trophy exit, the first team had no game on Saturday so had a morning training session. However, the development squad were in action in a first round Challenge Shield tie versus Hartley Wintney.

Although clearly the better team, Welling struggled to create clear cut chances in the first period and only had one goal, Jefferson Ocran’s finish from Grant Lye’s cross, to show for it.

In the second half, Welling continued to press and Lye hit the crossbar before having an effort ruled out for a tight offside decision. Ocran hit the post and the Wings were almost made to pay for failing to notch a second. Goalkeeper Charlie Cotterill was called upon to make two vital saves before the game was made safe.

Charlie Plummer’s header sent Lye clear in the 85^th minute, and he converted clinically. Within a minute the outstanding Ocran added a third, and substitute Steve Gunner finished it off in injury time with a good finish at the far post.

Welling United line up: Cotterill, Brand, Taylor, Dillon, Plummer, Okoye, Ocran, Wootton (Kempton 65), Lye, Kelly (Gunner 60), Johnson (Gyamfi 46).

Unused substitutes: Birch and Shabbily.

Pictures supplied by Dave Budden.