After another eventful week at Park View Road, co-caretaker manager, Harry Wheeler, gave his views after the 2-0 defeat at Hemel Hempstead Town.

“I thought it was a poor game. I thought the game in general was poor from both sides. I don’t think there was great quality out there.” he said. “The disappointing thing is the manner of the two goals. Sometimes you get poor games and you come away with a 0-0 and you say ‘Fair enough’ and ‘We’ll take that’ but it’s the manner. If you’re going to lose it, try not to lose it like that.”

During Welling’s seven game winning run, Christian Nanetti had been hugely instrumental, however he was left out and replaced by Dan Walker. Wheeler explained “It was literally because he was late. We’ve set a time to be here, he was late and by standards that were at the club, and all we’re doing is following on from Jamie (Day) when he was here, Jamie would have done exactly the same thing, so the standards don’t change. He didn’t do it on purpose but if you’re late we have rules set for that and that was the only reason for the change.”

He also explained the reason for bringing Nanetti on for George Oakley rather than bring him in to the eleven who had enjoyed the recent success “One for the booking (Oakley had been cautioned earlier), the referee was getting happier and happier with the cards. We knew it was likely that Pierre (Joseph-Dubois) was going to come on as well.”

There is no fixed time scale on how long Wheeler and fellow joint caretaker manager Tristan Lewis will be in charge. “We’re doing it game by game. The idea is to carry on from what Jamie had left. I spoke to Jamie on Tuesday night and he said that it was going to be a tough one. They’d just come off the back of a draw at Hampton and before they’d won three.

“I know them here from my time at St Albans. They start very sharp. They’re good at home. They’re a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde team. Sometimes they’re brilliant, sometimes they’re not. It was going to be a tough game any way so it just happened to coincide with the managerial change.”

Wheeler had praise for the travelling fans. “I thought they were excellent. I felt a little bit sorry for them that they couldn’t see a bit more quality out there. I’m sure they understand you can get games like that and you can take it once. If there’s a repetition next week, which I’m sure there won’t, then it becomes a worry.”

Explaining how the combination with Tristan Lewis will work, he said “We’ll bounce off each other. We’re both not fans of joint managers, and never have been. I’ve probably taken more of the role because I know the players, because I was here before. We sat and we spoke and he (Lewis) said he hasn’t been in the changing room when Jamie’s been there, and Ady'(Pennock)s been there so it doesn’t change from what was before.

“I had a role to play. I didn’t just stand there twiddling my fingers Whatever I was doing before, I’m still doing and Tristan’s bringing in his experience of this kind of thing. He has been a caretaker manager this season so we’ll work together. It’s probably more predominantly on my way but that’s not through anything other than I know how it was before.”

Should he and Lewis identify someone who could come in to strengthen the squad, he said “It would be something that we would have to discuss. It’s not something I’ve asked within the last day or so because it’s been a quick change. I’m sure that if it’s something we all agree on, there would be a way around it.”

As well as the departures of Day and Pennock, Wheeler confirmed that some of the additional coaching staff had also left the club. “Stacey’s moved on (goalkeeping coach Stacey Beckham) so that’ll be something that will need to be addressed.”

Also, he confirmed that, potentially, the club would be looking to bring in a new fitness coach however it was not an urgent requirement. “My job, outside of here, is as a personal trainer so I can add that part, it’s not a problem, but we can do the same kind of things. Neil Widdington was very, very good and it’s a shame to lose him. I’m not trying to claim I’m as good as Neil but we can try to replicate it.”

Picture supplied by Dave Budden.