Dream debut for Martin

9:57am Monday 11th August 2008

Bath City 0-4 Welling United

WELLING United fielded no less than seven players in their starting line-up making their league debuts for the club.

Hosts Bath City just missed out on the play-offs last season and will be expected to be in the shake-up again this term, so the visitors can be pleased with this result with some justification.

As expected, Bath came out strongly and in the third minute Welling left back Craig Braham-Barrett received the first yellow card of the season, albeit not helped by pressure put on the referee by the home crowd.

The Wings went ahead from their first meaningful attack in the 13th minute.

Ellis Green beat Jim Rollo and delivered a low awkward cross.

It somehow eluded both Charlie Sheringham and Joe Healey but Ryan Martin, coming in from the left wing, connected perfectly to give goalkeeper Paul Evans no chance.

Soon afterwards, Green showed his ability to work at both ends of the pitch when his well-timed tackle on Rollo thwarted a Bath attack following a corner.

A short spell of pressure from the home team almost brought about an equaliser from Stuart Douglas.

First he shot over when well placed then he netted, but a long time after play had been pulled back for offside.

Bath twice made messes of free-kicks before Martin showed them how to convert such opportunities in first half stoppage time.

Following a cynical foul on Sonny Cobbs, Martin made the hosts pay when his accurate free-kick went just inside the post leaving Evans helpless.

The hosts came out for the second half full of aggression and Mark Badman soon found his name in the referee's book.

Welling produced the more incisive football and Cobbs and Graeme Andrews both went close.

It came as no surprise when Welling increased their lead on the hour following further indiscipline by the Romans when conceding a needless free-kick for one of many fouls on Green.

Despite an enormous run-up, Martin did not really connect as well as he would have hoped, but the effort was on target and somehow squirmed between Evans' arms and legs and into the net.

Andy Ford was able to make substitutions, allowing two more players to make their league debuts, while Seb Schoburgh started his second spell for the club.

In fact, Schoburgh might have made an immediate impact but lost his footing just as it looked like he was going to open his account.

With five minutes remaining, Welling should have been awarded a penalty when another poor tackle on Green, this time by Slocombe, was deemed wrongly to have taken place outside the penalty area.

It mattered little, however, as substitute Sol Pinnock showed he was also able to take a free-kick by curling his strike into the top left hand corner.

As time ran down, Jamie Turner was called upon to make a rare save and protect his clean sheet Manager Ford will have much to be pleased about.

Four goals away to one of the contenders for promotion, a clean sheet, and equally importantly the fact Welling kept their discipline while Bath picked up four second half yellow cards.

Welling: Turner, Sinclair, Braham-Barrett, Quinn, McEntegart, Andrews, Green, Cobbs (Dorian Smith 68), Healey (Pinnock 77), Sheringham, Martin (Schoburgh 71). Subs not used: Andrews, Blackburn.

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