Welling United 2-1 Braintree Town

For most of the first period, Welling struggled to get into the game, but after the break, their slick passing proved too much for the Iron.

Mitch Brundle fouls Tyrone Marsh on the edge of the area

An injury to Kieron St Aimie caused Wings manager Jamie Day to go into the loan market and bring in Tobi Sho-Silva who was thrust straight into the starting line-up.

Day, himself, was not fit enough to play and Sam Corne came in.

Just ten minutes had elapsed when Braintree were forced into making a change with Steve Smith replacing Remy Clerima but it did not seem to bother them too much when Jordan Cox buried Simeon Akinola’s lofted through ball.

Welling custodian Jamie Turner made a routine save from Dan Walker but Akinola might have done better when heading over from a Walker corner.

Sam Habergham was cautioned for Braintree and Sho-Silva for Welling when Nick Hamann, the Iron goalkeeper, appeared to exaggerate any contact there might have been.

Chris Bush scores

Jon Nouble shot over after good work by Tyrone Marsh and Sho-Silva as the front three started to click but it took great defensive work by Loui Fazakerley to keep Akinola from having a free header at goal.

Harry Beautyman belted a free kick into the wall allowing Braintree to break but Ken Davis fired wide.

Walker then cut in from the wing but shot meekly at Turner when squaring might have been the better option.

Jake Gallagher got on the end of a good passing movement but his first time effort was claimed by a grateful Hamann.

If this didn’t prove to be a warning for Braintree, it probably should have done as the Wings started the second half passing crisply at a high tempo.

Bush is congratulated after his goal

Marsh was sent away immediately after the break but was sent crashing to the ground by a crude tackle from Mitch Brundle for which he was rightly cautioned.

Beautyman rolled the free kick giving Chris Bush enough of a view to fire a low drive into the bottom corner.

Sam Corne’s clever ball then gave Beautyman a chance for a shot that was saved and a series of Ben Jefford corners caused some frantic defending as Bush and Zach Fagan came up to supplement the Wings’ strikeforce.

For the second time in the match, Braintree broke from a Welling free kick and Turner made a good save from James Mulley.

Beautyman celebrates his winner

Jamal Fyfield replaced the impressive but tiring Corne and made his present felt immediately when setting up Beautyman for the opportunity to put Welling ahead.

Once sent away, the Wings’ leading scorer did not need a second invitation to shoot and fired low and hard through Hamann at the near post.

Braintree found more urgency and Davis fired over after Turner’s save was put back into the area by a Welling defender.

Massey made a vital block from another Beautyman effort before Welling had a huge stroke of good luck.

Smith hit a shot that took a massive deflection and Turner was no more than an onlooker as it crashed back off the post.

The defensive wall then did its job in injury time when clipping a Davis free kick over the crossbar for a corner which came to nothing.

Follow us on Twitter @NewsShopperSprt

Welling United: Turner, Fazakerley, Jefford, Gallagher, Fagan, Bush, Beautyman, Corne (Fyfield 74), Sho-Silva, Nouble (Hudson 84), Marsh (Baselle 66). Unused substitutes: Butcher, Williams.