Welling draw 2-2 with Farnborough to extend unbeaten run

BY MARK DOIG

Despite not being at their fluent best, Danny Bloor’s Welling United’s claimed a well deserved point against a direct Farnborough team.

It extended the Wings’ unbeaten league and cup run to five matches even though they have conceded twice in all of them.

It was an untidy match with the visitors looking to utilise Ollie Robinson’s long throws at every opportunity and Welling allowed themselves to be sucked in to playing more long ball than is their normal style.

Both teams took time to settle into what was a bitty game and Ollie Pendlebury had the first chance for the visitors when placing wide from close range with his instep.

While down to 10 man as Jephte Tanga had a blood injury cleaned up, and had to change his shirt, the Wings went ahead, shy of the half hour mark. Lewis White did well to keep an attack alive and crossed to Crossley Lema. He headed it back into the penalty area to Dominic Odusanya, who brought it down well and fired home his first goal in Welling colours.

It might have been two shortly after when Antony Papadopoulos sent Tanga through however Reggie Young timed his tackle to perfection to stop the Orient loanee. Jack Burchell had a great opportunity but fired over from close range when meeting James Vaughan’s free kick.

Farnborough levelled in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Pendlebury didn’t appear to strike his free-kick cleanly but it found its way through the Welling wall and into the bottom corner.

Vaughan was taken off as a precautionary measure and replaced by TJ Bramble at the interval.

Early in the second half Papadopoulos had a free-kick from a similar position and the Farnborough defensive wall didn’t do much better than Welling’s. His strike hit one of the defenders, and fortunately for the visitors, it flew just wide of the post with Jack Turner a mere onlooker.

Taylor Maloney and Jack Ball were both off target for Farnborough before Welling again went close. Papadopoulos delivered a corner, Burchell headed back and Tristan Abrahams rose to head over via the crossbar.

Robinson, taking a break from launching long throws, hooked a shot inches wide for the visitors before Welling again hit the woodwork when Lema’s long-range drive crashed against the bar and over.

Papadopoulos had a shot saved by Turner before Farnborough should have been reduced to 10 men. Substitute Jayden Davis had already been cautioned for a foul in the first half and committed another blatant yellow card offence with just over 10 minutes remaining. Referee George Warren showed incredible lenience and although, shortly after, he suffered that embarrassment of being a substituted substitute, the visitors were allowed to continue with their full quota of 11.

Three minutes remained when Welling regained the lead. Cameron Green located Bramble in the penalty area and he wasted no time in firing home his first Welling goal.

Hopes that Welling had of taking the three points were dashed two minutes later when former Charlton Athletic, Bromley and Welling man Maloney sent in a glorious diagonal cross to Dan Gifford and he glanced it inside the post,

In injury time, Welling came close to grabbing the winner when Tanga pulled back to Abrahams and he was left shaking his head as Turner made an unbelievable one handed save from the well struck volley.

As a result, Welling remain in the bottom three ahead of their FA Cup fourth qualifying round game at Boreham Wood.

PICTURES: DAVE BUDDEN

Main Pic: Teammates congratulate TJ Bramble