Interim manager Rod Stringer’s return to Welling United started in great fashion with an FA Trophy win at Royston Town.
Before being relieved of his duties, previous manager Lee Martin had allowed some players to move on to give him room to bring players in to refresh the squad. He then departed having not had the opportunity to recruit which meant that the squad was depleted. That was worsened by Queen’s Park Rangers recalling Cory Adjetey-Brew having previously stated that his stay would be extended until January.
As a result, Stringer, who had not met the majority of the squad prior to the game, was left with little choice other than to select virtually the same team that lost away to Hashtag United on Tuesday evening. He made just one change with Adjetey-Brew replaced at left back by right footed Wayne Bushell-Williams.
Other than a shot by John Ufuah that was blocked bravely in the penalty area, there was little goalmouth action in the first twenty minutes. That all changed when the Wings went ahead approaching the midway point of the first period. Captain Jack Paxman broke a tackle and sent Zac Hambury away. He crossed low and Femi Akinwande finished from close range.
Paxman came close to extending Welling’s lead early in the second half with a shot that was just off target. However, the escape for Royston was brief as the Wings scored soon after. Luke O’Neill made a good tackle out wide to give him space to pick out a long diagonal pass over the top to Ufuah. The Welling wide man controlled it before slotting it home.
Midway through the second period the visitors went three up. Hambury burst down the right wing and crossed. Ufuah came inside from the other flank to meet it with a close range header that left goalkeeper Reuben Rabstein floundering.
Although Royston sent the commanding presence of centre half and captain, Adam Murray, forward and tried to bombard Welling with high crosses in the swirling wind, their defence held firm. Kian Harness had a close range header held on the line by Kai McKenzie-Lyle and on the one occasion that the goalkeeper did struggle, O’Neill was in the right place to hack it off the line and away to safety.
There were no further issues and Welling were able to celebrate their first clean sheet of the season as their victory took them out of the qualifying rounds and into the first round later this month.
Welling United: McKenzie-Lyle; O’Neill, Dobbs, Majoyegbe, Williams-Bushell; Ebuzoeme; Hambury (Addy 74 (Cundle 89)), Paxman, Scott, Ufuah; Akinwande (Shakpoke 76). Sub not used: Norman, Simmons.
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