Welling United's F.A. Cup run ended at Eastleigh although they went down fighting.

It was the hosts who started the brighter and Scott Rendell had the ball in the net early on but the flag was up for offside.

Rendell was again offside a few moments later and the whistle had gone long before he squared for Tom Bearwish to slot home.

However there was no let off for the Wings when Eastleigh went ahead in the eleventh minute. Connor Dymond made a brilliant header off the line but Welling didn’t clear it and Bearwish got there just before Ejiro Okosieme who was adjudged to have brought him down. Rendell stepped up and his stuttering run forced Dan Wilks to dive early before he sent it into the other corner.

Their lead didn’t last long, though, and Welling won a free kick and took full advantage. Jack Jebb slung in a brilliant free kick that Adam Coombes flicked goalwards although Danny Hollands might have got the last touch.

That appeared to settle Welling down and Sanchez Ming found Bradley Goldberg but he couldn’t keep his header down and it sailed harmlessly over.

It was a little against the run of play when Eastleigh went back ahead. Hollands rose to power a header towards the top corner, Wilks did superbly to claw it out but it fell kindly for Ben Williamson to force home from close range.

Coombes fired over for Welling before Bearwish headed a Jack Payne corner over as the game settled down.

One last chance before half time came Welling’s way when Anthony Cook went on a thrilling run down the right wing but his cross just evaded Goldberg and the angle was too tight for Coombes to finish at the far post.

Two goals in ten second half minutes killed the game in the hosts favour. An awkward bounce in the area came up and Okosieme handled for another penalty. Again Rendell took it and although Wilks went the right way, the veteran striker squeezed it in off the post.

Five minutes later Bearwish got on the end of a Payne cross and stooped to head home.

To their credit, Welling didn’t throw the towel in and Goldberg wriggled his way into a shooting position but Max Stryjek made a low save at his near post.

Ming then sent over a cross that Coombes met but he was unable to get any power on his header and Stryjek made the save.

Substitute Nathan Green was the next to test Stryjek, but again he was equal to it then Aaron Cosgrave worked his way into the penalty area but shot into the side netting when a better option might have been to square it.

Four minutes remained when Anthony Cook fired into the top corner to reduce the arrears.

Sam Smart cut in from the right but his low shot was kicked out by Wilks before Welling came close to a third when Green’s header was nodded off the line by Rob Atkinson.

Had that gone in it could have made for a nervy last few minutes for Eastleigh but they saw injury time out with no further alarm and can now prepare for a trip to Stourbridge in the F.A. Cup First Round.

Welling United: Wilks, Ming, Anderson, Dymond, Swaine, Okosieme, Jebb (Agyemang 75), Waldren (Cosgrave 61), Goldberg (Green 70), Coombes, Cook. Subs not used: Copeland, McCallum, Oyinsan, Widdrington.