Welling suffer third straight National League South defeat after Boreham Wood loss
BY MARK DOIG
Defeat at home to Boreham Wood consigned Welling United to their third National League South loss in a week.
Manager Rod Stringer made just one change to the Welling team that lost at home to Hampton and Richmond Borough on Tuesday evening. Chiori Johnson replaced Theo Alexandrou as he selected a team designed to contain their full-time visitors while trying to pick them off on the counterattack.
When the two teams met earlier in the season, Boreham Wood hosted and won six-nil, so Stringer was under no illusion that his side had a big challenge ahead.
Playing their fourth game in 11 days, was another challenge for the Wings against a full-time team with a large squad who had only played twice in the month. Although they could not be faulted for their endeavour, the Wings were forced onto the back foot from the opening minutes.
Femi Ilesanmi and Matt Rush were both off-target in the early stages as the visitors tried to make the most of playing down the slope. Ilesanmi again got into a good position, but he could only get a glancing header on a cross, and it went well wide.
Rush then got on the end of a Josh Hare centre with an acrobatic volley that flew over before Appiah was unable to keep his header down from a Rush cross. Ilesanmi then hit the base of the near post from 15 yards out.
Dylan Berry did well to come out and block from Appiah with his legs, and the Welling custodian was again called into action when making an outstanding save from Ilesanmi’s close-range header as a one-sided first half came to a close.
Shortly after half-time, the Wings had a rare chance when Riccardo Di Trolio met Daniel Martin’s free-kick with a firm header that flew just over.
Any hopes that Welling supporters had of seeing a bit more of their team as an attacking force were soon dashed. Tom Whelan sent Rush away, and Berry had his palms stung by the fierce near-post drive.
Eight second-half minutes were on the clock when the visitors broke the deadlock. Berry made an outstanding reaction save from Rush but was powerless to stop Appiah from following up for his seventeenth league goal of the season.
Whelan had a shot pushed away by a diving Berry before Ilesanmi’s effort was tipped over. Substitute Gus Mafuta then fired high and wide.
Although twenty-five minutes still remained, neither side created any further chances and the visitors saw the remaining time out in relative comfort.
Stringer will be happy to have a midweek without a game to allow his players carrying knocks time to recover ahead of another long trip to Weston-super-Mare next Saturday.
PICTURES: DAVE BUDDEN