Welling United 0-1 Dartford

One win, one draw and two defeats in the month has left the Wings in penultimate position in the league table and they will be aiming at a march for points in March.

Ryan Maxwell made two new signings to his Welling squad during the week. Vladimir Paternoster, on loan from Luton Town, replaced the suspended Lekan Majoyegbe at the heart of the Wings defence whilst Ibby Akanbi was on the bench. Sam Smith, who was celebrating his birthday, was unavailable as his loan from Dartford didn’t allow him to participate. That made room for Jack Thomas who returned from a toe injury.

Ade Azeez had a great chance to put the hosts ahead against one of his former clubs in the early stages when rising to meet Lewis Gard’s free kick but his header drifted over with goalkeeper Jonny Henly struggling to get across. Ayman El-Mogharbel then had a shot deflected to wrong foot Henly, However, the block took the pace off the shot and the one time Welling stopper was able to get across and save comfortably.

Joe Tennent had a half chance at the other end when choosing to head back across rather than go for goal after meeting Dan Carter’s clipped free kick and it floated beyond the far post.

Although opportunities were few and far between, the Wings had the better of what there were in the first period and Azeez had another chance as half time approached. Despite not having great power, his shot still troubled Henly who could only paw it out as far as Dartford’s on-loan centre half Dave Winfield and the former Wing’s hacked clearance went perilously close to flying into his own net.

After the half time break, and with the slope now in their favour, the visitors started to show a little more enterprise and Dan Carter screwed a shot wide before Dan Smith was thwarted by an excellent tackle by attacking wide man Troy Howard who had tracked back to help out.

Thomas then showed his ability to read the game by bursting forward from his defensive midfield position and pressing Dartford into making a mistake and he found himself clean through with just Henly to beat. He hit his shot early and powerfully but couldn’t beat Henly who beat it away with his forearm.

Finally, with over an hour on the clock, Dartford tested Welling goalkeeper Mackenzie Foley when Callum Jones broke through. The young custodian was equal to it with an excellent block and when it was recycled to Olly Box, his shot was cleared off the line by Chris Arthur.

Howard then had a chance at the other end when heading wide from John Ufuah’s cross before a string of substitutions, broke up any momentum. Akanbi came on for Welling’s seventieth league debut of the season before Dartford created a little more in the closing minutes.

Sammie McLeod should have done better when it stood up nicely for him and he sliced it well wide. Foley then saved from Denzelle Olopade.

Sadly for the Wings, a momentary lapse of concentration proved costly. Believing that they should have been awarded a throw-in, they allowed Dartford to take it quickly and Jones drilled it across the face of goal for substitute Rohan Vaughan to fire home.

That was tough on Foley and the Welling back four as they deserved a clean sheet and a draw would probably have been a fair outcome. However, another match three days later meant that they had little time to dwell on it.

Welling United: Foley; O’Keefe, Paternoster, Gunner, Arthur; Thomas; Howard (Crichlow 75), El-Mogharbel (Oluwatimilehin 53), Gard (Reynolds 69), Ufuah (Vukoje 90+1); Azeez (Akanbi 83). Subs not used: None.