BOTH teams were keen to claim the three points to improve their play-off prospects in this Kent derby but Welling and Ebbsfleet were forced to share the points at the end of an entertaining tussle.

Earlier in the season Ebbsfleet gave Welling a trouncing and for the first twenty minutes of this encounter it appeared that this encounter may follow a similar path, especially after the visitors scored a rather soft opening goal in the seventh minute.

There looked little danger when Ashley Carew floated a ball towards the goal but Welling goalkeeper John Whitehouse lost his footing completely and the ball ended up in the back of the net.

After Anthony Acheampong had been cautioned for a foul on Calum Willock, Carew shot just wide from the free kick.

Ebsfleet opened the Welling defence again when Tom Phipp’s deep cross was pulled back by Jacob Erskine for Willock to hook just wide in spectacular fashion.

Slowly, Welling worked their way back into the game and a Jamie Day free kick went just beyond Jack Parkinson and Derek Duncan was called upon to make a crucial interception.

Ryan Dolby, making his Welling debut, then went on a thrilling run but went just wide with his stabbed effort before Welling equalised on 31 minutes.

Jamie Day’s left wing corner found Ben Martin unmarked and he made no mistake with a powerful header on his first home appearance for the club.

Willock went close to putting Ebbsfleet back in front but headed wide then Welling had a chance when Luis Cumbers squeezed the ball through for Lee Clarke but he was unable to get the ball out from under his feet and get a shot in.

After Michael West shot wide with a long range curler Ram Marwa was lucky to escape censure for an ugly challenge through the back of Lee Clarke.

Parkinson had the last chance of the half blocked by goalkeeper Preston Edwards from another deep Day free kick.

Carew hit a snap shot wide early in the second period before Dolby and Jack Obersteller combined well before the former flicked his effort just wide.

Loick Pires chested the ball down for Day but he was unable to hit the target before Andy Sambrook made an excellent tackle on West at the cost of a corner.

Marwa then intercepted a Sambrook pass and produced a save from Whitehouse before Day became the second Wing cautioned for what appeared a rather innocuous foul.

Clint Easton headed a dangerous left wing cross behind for a corner and once the danger was cleared Ebbsfleet made their first change, bringing on Joe Howe for Craig Stone in an attempt to stem the joy Welling were having down that side.

However the next chance came down that route when Dolby played Obersteller in and the left back’s cross was headed just wide of the post by the hard working Pires.

As the play went back to the other end, Acheampong made a great clearance to thwart Paul Lorraine.

A long shot from Duncan was saved by Whitehouse and Erskine bundled the loose ball wide.

Phipp talked himself into the referees notebook as both teams battled for a late winner without carving out any further clear cut chances although Cumbers almost played Clarke in deep into injury time.

Welling United: Whitehouse, Sambrook, Obersteller, Acheampong, Martin, Parkinson, Day, Clarke, Cumbers, Dolby, Pires. Unused substitutes Andrews, Bellamy, Dennis, Heffernan.

Ebbsfleet United: Edwards, Stone (Howe 67), Duncan, Carew, Easton, Lorraine, West (Williams 86), Marwa, Willock, Erskine, Phiipp (Ginty 90). Unused substitutes Pooley, Hawkes.