Papadopoulos grabs hat-trick as Welling knock Dartford out of the FA Cup

BY MARK DOIG

Antony Papadopoulos scored his first ever hat-trick in senior football as Welling United ended their three-game winless run with an F.A. Cup second qualifying round victory at Dartford.

Princes Park has not been a happy hunting ground for Welling over the years but they twice came from behind in the hotly contested local derby and deserved to progress to the third qualifying round.

Scoring goals has been troublesome for the Wings since the August Bank Holiday weekend and Danny Bloor has brought in free agent Tristan Abrahams to lead the line. Abrahams showed that it’s not just a matter of him scoring goals. He made intelligent runs and held it up well making space for others, particularly Papadopoulos, to utilise.

Both goalkeepers made saves early on, Dartford’s Mitchell Beeney stopped Jephte Tanga’s shot, and Ben Winterbottom kept out Lewis Manor from close range.

In the eighteenth minute, the hosts went ahead. Paul Rooney did well to keep an attack alive and hooked it across for Manor to head home from close range at the far post. Manor had another chance soon after when getting on the end of Charlie Sheringham’s flick on but he fired over from twenty yards.

Abrahams then started to make his presence felt when his diagonal cross took the slightest deflection to take it just beyond Jack Burchell. He then set up Cameron Green whose low shot was kept out by the extended boot of Beeney. He had a shot of his own soon after but the Dartford goalkeeper saved comfortably.

Shortly before half time, Welling levelled. Lewis White was fouled on the edge of the penalty area and Papadopoulos saw the space where he wanted to put his free kick and fired just inside the far post.

Six second-half minutes had passed when the hosts went back ahead, Beeney launched a goal kick forward, it was allowed to bounce, and Manor latched onto it and volleyed home ferociously.

Their second lead lasted for just ten minutes. Green went on a long surging run for Welling and cut in. He tried to thread it through to Tanga but an outstretched leg cut it out. However, it rebounded back across goal and Papadopoulos was alert to the opportunity and finished with aplomb.

Momentum was now with Welling and TJ Bramble was off target shortly after coming on before an Abrahams shot was blocked bravely at the cost of a corner. Green had a great chance but couldn’t keep it down before Welling scored a goal worthy of winning a cup final. Slick, incisive passing pulled the Dartford midfield and defence all over the pitch allowing Abrahams to cross low for Papadopoulos to slot home to complete his treble.

As they had to, Dartford upped the tempo and Welling had to dig deep to ensure that the tie did not go to a replay. Brandon Barzey smashed a shot against the outside of the post before Manor shot over from close range. Winterbottom then did well to save from Manor at point-blank range and was again in action deep into stoppage time when clawing out Rooney’s header.

Danny Bloor, the Welling manager, now has a week to prepare for his team’s next league match, away to his former club Eastbourne Borough.

PICTURES: DAVE BUDDEN