Day relishing Wings’ Trophy run (From News Shopper)
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Day relishing Wings’ Trophy run
12:02pm Wednesday 19th December 2012 in Sport By Brad Pinard
Jamie Day scores Welling's winner at Woking on Saturday. PICTURE BY DAVE BUDDEN.
WELLING player-manager Jamie Day is not getting carried away despite enjoying his side’s Trophy run after claiming another Conference scalp.
Day’s goal saw off Woking on Saturday to set up a tie with high-flying Grimsby Town in the third round as Welling look to topple their third Conference club of the season in the competition.
But despite the impressive record in the Trophy so far, Day is keeping his team’s feet collectively on the ground.
Welling may have now won nine games on the bounce but Day knows his side will have to raise their game even more to see off Grimsby.
“We are on a great run at the moment and to get that win on Saturday in the Trophy was special,” Day explained.
“Grimsby are a good side and they’re second in the league above so clearly it will be a very tough game in the next round.
“We beat Newport, who are top of the Conference, earlier this season so that result prove we can beat the best sides in the competition.
“But we will have to raise our game once again next time around.
“Grimsby are a big club, a good side and they’re not where they are in the league for no reason.
“We are looking forward to it.”
The Conference South club are right in the title race once again this season and sit just five points off of leaders Salisbury with games in hand over them and second-placed Dover.
Play-off heartbreak last season against Dartford appears to have spurred on Welling, whose nine wins in a row also landed Day with the manager of the month award in November.
Despite admitting the Wings’ impressive run will have to come to an end at some point, Day is hopeful Christmas time can be a joyous occasion at Park View Road.
“It is great to be on the run we are on, but it will come to an end at some point,” he said.
“Obviously we will be happy to get through the Christmas period with it intact but we know we have some tough games coming up over the next few weeks.
“We do have some games in hand over the teams around us but Dover and Salisbury are both playing well and of course Salisbury have the advantage of being full-time, which could be crucial at this time of year.”
Welling host lowly Tonbridge Angels on Saturday and will look to close the gap on the two teams above them with a 10th win in a row.
With five games in 14 days coming up, Day has revealed his squad will be fully utilised in the upcoming games and he has very few injury worries to contend with.
“Ben Martin is struggling to be fit for the Tonbridge Angels game at the weekend but obviously Fraser Franks came on in the Trophy last week and should be fine,” Day reported.
“Apart from that everyone is looking good and we will have to fully use the squad over the next few weeks.
“To have that many games in a short space of time is not ideal, but it is the same for everyone and a fully fit squad could be a massive help.”
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Comments(3)
wellred1
says...
7:53pm Wed 19 Dec 12
I agree with the comment about people coming to watch Welling play.
I urge people to come and watch this team. Once you`ve been to a game you`ll be hooked.
Kids under 12 admitted free too!
Dartbored
says...
4:27pm Thu 20 Dec 12
With Charlton up the road you're always going to struggle attracting fans, which is a shame. If you get promoted to the BSP then it could become a real issue, as everything (stewarding, policing) costs more money.
SidcupResident says...
12:54pm Wed 19 Dec 12
When he first took over player/manager, Welling were in the relegation zone but within a few months had them finishing sixth just off the play-off places! They would have finished higher if it weren't for a points deduction brought about by HMRC...
Last season he took them to the play-off final, and this season has them potentially on course for automatic promotion. All done on a shoe-string budget!
As much as I'd love Jamie Day to stay at welling, he's almost certainly bound for managerial positions in the higher leagues in the not too distant future.
I'd strongly recommend people to come and watch Welling. They're playing some very entertaining football at the moment (which can be seen in the match highlights on their website), and are very good value for money.