Welling United 0-2 Maidenhead Utd

WELLING United's stuttering Blue Square South campaign took yet another turn for the worse on Saturday with a home defeat to their fellow strugglers from Berkshire.

Victory for the visitors was much deserved as they were tactically spot on and enjoyed the better of the play as their five man midfield overpowered the two veterans in the middle for Welling, Neil Smith and Richard Carpenter.

Maidenhead nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Jamie Turner missed a long ball forward allowing Emmanual Williams in, but the angle was too tight for him as all he could do was stretch to keep the ball in play before losing possession.

New loan signing Charles Ademeno almost provided a sensational solo goal for the hosts as he ran from the halfway line.

Ademeno beat two defenders to leave him 20 yards out and his curling effort would have found the top corner if Louis Wells wasn't on hand to make a good save.

Welling then missed two great chances from corners.

The first came on 12 minutes when Neil Smith headed into the path of Chris Moore, who only managed to hook his shot wide from six yards.

Then a low Orlando Smith cross ricocheted to Ademeno who, just like Moore, hooked his shot wide from close range.

Maidenhead then turned defence into attack on 37 minutes to provide the first goal.

Welling had over committed their attack and a long clearance from the back left Williams faced one-on-one with makeshift centre-back Leon Solomon.

Williams twisted and turned before making half a yard to fire a left foot shot low past Turner at his near post.

The Wings nearly hit back three minutes before half-time when Orlando Smith's corner found Neil Smith at the far post, but his header was blocked on the line.

Welling failed to respond in the second half and were punished again when a loose ball was picked up by Dwayne Lee just left of centre on the edge of the box.

He then coolly slotted into the bottom corner past the helpless Turner in the 53rd minute.

Neil Smith searched desperately for a way back into the match as he even changed to a 3-3-4 formation by bringing on Omari Coleman and Lloyd Blackman.

But they still lacked creativity and failed to make any sort of threat for the rest of the game in what turned out to be a drab second half.

Welling never came to terms with Maidenhead as Carpenter and Neil Smith were run ragged by the packed Maidenhead midfield.

Ellis Green and Orlando Smith could not find any room to manoeuvre out wide and when they did, their service was poor.

Ademeno and Andy Pugh were never in the game as continuous long balls from the back left them stranded and neither was a real threat in the air to Maidenhead's tall back line.

The Wings also suffered from injury problems, missing Tony Sinclair and Robbie Ryan in defence to leave them with Leon Solomon, a natural right-back, and Marlon Patterson, a left-winger, playing out of position.

Welling: Turner, Ohakam, Patterson, Carpenter, Moore (Coleman 57), Solomon, Green, Neil Smith (Blackman 69), Ademeno, Pugh, Orlando Smith. Subs not used: Boyce, Nethercott, Cottrell. Att: 494