BY MARK DOIG
Having played very well in the first half, Welling United struggled playing up the slope after the break and fell to defeat at home to Hampton and Richmond Borough.
Sam Cornish was absent through an injury sustained at Torquay United three days earlier, and was replaced by Theo Alexander. The only other change was the return of Jack Burchell in place of Chiori Johnson. New signing Charles Ondo was allocated a place on the substitute’s bench.
Injuries continue to haunt the Wings. Cornish joined long term absentee Harvey Walker along with Elliot Long on the sidelines. Possibly, the turning point in the game against Hampton was when Anthony Grant was forced off four minutes after the break, with Welling leading, meaning that they had no natural enforcer in front of their back line.
Rod Stringer’s team started the livelier and had already had three goal attempts before they went ahead in the tenth minute. Daniel Martin crossed low and Josh Redfearn controlled it well before firing home.
They continued to look good going forward but they were undone by set pieces delivered by former Wing Kristian Campbell at the other end. A free kick, taken by him, was punched out behind the far post and when he then swung in the corner, a meek header goalwards was punched out by Dylan Berry as far as Ibrahim Jalloh whose shot struck a defender and looped into the net.
Just shy of the half hour mark, the Wings went back ahead when Martin pulled it back to Gene Kennedy, and his shot from the edge of the penalty area flew into the bottom corner.
Berry made a good low save from Jalloh however Welling continued to play good football and Redfearn was thwarted by a last ditch block by Dominic Revan.
After the break Welling started to struggle, and four minutes after Grant departed Hampton levelled. Campbell swung in another corner and Mauro Vilhete, one of the shorter players in the congested penalty area, met it with a header that he guided inside the unguarded near post.
TJ Bramble headed just over for Welling from a Martin corner before captain Dave Winfield did well not to react to an ugly late challenge by Marise Evans on the sideline which earned the Beavers player a yellow card. It wasn’t the first off the ball offence by a Hampton player.
One minute later, the visitors went ahead for the first time. Another punch out by Berry failed to clear the danger and it fell to Vilhete whose first time shot was deflected into the bottom corner.
Deflated Welling might have conceded again when Archy Taylor’s clearance sent Evans clear but he rushed his shot and it flew well wide. Then Vilhete was sent through looking for his hat-trick, however Berry was out quickly and made a good save.
Evans got in behind the Welling defence but Riccardo Di Trolio got back to make a brave block before Welling almost rescued a point in the final minute of stoppage time when substitute Sahid Kamara unleashed a shot that went inches wide.
Stringer will now have to check on his walking wounded before selecting his side for another tough game on Saturday when they host Boreham Wood.
PICTURES: DAVE BUDDEN
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