Having won their opening Vanarama National League South fixture last Saturday for the first time since the 2018-19 season, Welling United were unable to back it up at Bath City.

During that season, Welling won at Twerton Park, which was the last time that they left that ground with all three points.

This match was certainly not one for the purists. The hosts are suffering a minor injury crisis and were unable to name five substitutes whilst the Wings have rebuilt over the summer and the predominantly young side are still gelling. Therefore, the encounter was bitty, not helped by some eccentric officiating.

Although Welling made a bright start, Ewan Clark had the first goal attempt for the hosts with a curling effort from outside the penalty area that didn’t trouble Welling goalkeeper Rhys Lovett. Kieran Parselle volleyed over for Bath before Gene Kennedy gave Harvey Wiles-Richards his first taste of the action, and he held on comfortably.

Reece Grant failed to hit the target from close range from Martell Taylor-Crossdale’s centre and Welling paid the penalty when Bath scored on their next attack. Jordan Tillson was given too much space down the left and his low cross found Scott Wilson who was allowed to turn too easily and he made no mistake with a low finish.

Lovett, from Wilson, and Wiles-Richards, from Elliot Long, made regulation saves before the first half drew to a close.

Kennedy had the first opportunity for Welling in the second period when he exchanged passes with Chiori Johnson before surging through two challenges but as Wiles-Richards came out, he stabbed it just outside the post and into the side netting.

Clark then got himself behind the Welling defence when chasing a route one attack but Lovett did well to force him wide and the defenders got back before he could get a shot away.

That was the end of the hosts as an attacking threat as they looked to stifle anything that Welling tried and slow the game down. Rod Stringer responded by changing his team’s shape and sending Jack Burchell forward but he had to re-think his tactics when already cautioned Burchell was shown a harsh second yellow, presumably having been deemed the aggressor when he and Jack Batten contested a fifty-fifty and both ended in a heap.

Despite being down to ten men, Welling might still have claimed a point when Kennedy burst into the penalty area and thought that he had been brought down. As had happened throughout the match, the local referee ruled against the visitors. The Welling kit man was so enraged that he talked himself into being shown Welling’s second red card of the afternoon.

Stringer has a week to work with his team on what he has seen over the last two weeks ahead of their home game with Farnborough.

Welling United: Lovell, Johnson (Mensah 81), Martin, Burchell, Winfield, Wells, A. Grant (Cornish 75), Kennedy, Taylor-Crossdale, R. Grant (Bramble 65), Long (Walker 54). Substitute not used: Borg.