Welling United 3-2 Eastleigh

WELLING hosted Eastleigh with the opportunity to avenge defeat for the second consecutive week.

In September, the Hampshire side beat Welling with the help of a goal by James Baker.

Now a Welling player, Baker went one better on Saturday by scoring twice as the Wings claimed a good victory.

The hosts lined up with one change to the starting XI from the previous Saturday’s win at Worcester City, with Loui Fazackerley making his full debut at the expense of Jerome Anderson who dropped to the bench.

Eastleigh started with attacking intent and won a corner in the first minute.

They continued to look threatening and Welling’s keeper Jamie Turner had to be quick off his line to thwart Jamie Brown before an Andy Harris free kick thudded into the home team’s defensive wall.

It was then the turn of the home team to exert some pressure and they went ahead in the 12th minute following an excellent football move.

Fazackerley, receiving a wonderful pass from Tony Sinclair down the right flank, cut in and played a perfect pass across the goal for the on-rushing Baker to finish emphatically.

Charlie Sheringham then went close with a snap-shot before Ryan Johnson hit a rasping drive which went just wide with the Spitfires keeper Jason Matthews well beaten.

Turner then had to make a save from a Tony Taggert header and Brown went close when Welling failed to deal with a corner as the game opened up.

Sonny Cobbs curled a free-kick just over the bar for the hosts before Baker looked to have been put through, only to be pulled back cynically by Tom Jordan.

The Eastleigh captain was probably relieved to have only been shown a yellow card.

Fazackerley continued to trouble Eastleigh’s back four, first crossing just beyond Sheringham and Baker, then shooting narrowly wide before setting up Baker’s second.

Collecting a threaded ball played down the left wing by Cobbs, Fazackerley looked up and crossed to the near post for Baker to head home from close range.

Sanchez Ming then got himself into a good position, only to be hacked down by Luke Byles, who received no more than a stern lecture from referee Steve Rubery.

His escape was short lived, however, as another crude tackle before half time earned him a yellow card.

Peter Adeniyi could have reduced the arrears in between these incidents but having been played clear of the Welling defence by Anthony Riviere, he screwed his shot well wide.

Lee Blackburn played Sheringham in at the start of the second half, but his lob did not have sufficient elevation to trouble Matthews.

Eastleigh made two substitutions, including the introduction of ex-Wing Matt Bodkin, as they started to dominate the game.

After Jordan had headed over the bar from an Eastleigh corner, Welling made their first change, bringing on the pacy Anderson as a replacement for Sheringham, looking to catch the visitors on the break as they pushed forward.

Andy Forbes pulled the visitors back in contention when scoring from close range from a Matt Groves cross before Groves played Bodkin in, who was foiled by a brilliant piece of last ditch defending by Ming.

Forbes came close again as Turner fumbled his shot wide and Groves crossed onto the roof of the net before Welling wrapped up the win with just three minutes remaining. Chasing a long through ball, Anderson lobbed the out rushing Matthews and shepherded the ball into the net, fully justifying the earlier substitution.

There was still time for Forbes to score again, converting a Taggart cross deep into injury time, but it proved to be too little, too late.

Welling: Turner, Ming, Cobbs, Quinn, Matthew McEntegart, Sinclair, Fazackerley (Gross 88), Blackburn (Andrews 80), Baker, Sheringham (Anderson 61), Johnson. Subs not used: Docker, Green. Att: 501.