Damage in the Box!: WELLING UNITED (Park View Road)

This one has to be filed under "I must be effing mad" :D

Another Sunday in November, another day teeming with rain, another chance to chip away at the Conference South. The only problem is the game is in Welling! Will it be on? The game has a two o'clock kick off, so with an early start to get to Kent it meant we'd be well past Birmingham by the time the referee inspects the pitch. Fortune favours the brave.

The one thing in our favour is that the Park View Road ground is shared by Welling United and Erith & Belvedere FC, and the Erith game went ahead on the Saturday. Couple this with the fact that the game is a "big" Kent derby against Isthmian Premier Tonbridge Angels, where a bumper crowd is expected, the omens had to be good.

The first thing you notice on arrival at the ground is that the ground is a genuine groundshare, split 50/50. Welling have one half, with their rickety, but fantastic, old stand and Erith have the other the half, a modern brand new stand. Both have separate entrances and each have their own social club. The second thing you notice is the slope on the pitch.

The other thing that was noticeable today was the rain. Conditions gradually got worse until we arrived at the ground, then conditions became monsoon like...this had to put the game under threat. It was a case of heading to a local cafe to take shelter (and have an all day breakfast) and hope the rain would relent. Eventually it stopped and gave way to a sunny (but cold) winters afternoon, but the heart sank when approaching the ground the steward was brushing away litres of rain. However, there were absolutely no problems with the pitch and it actually looked in fantastic nick considering the deluge, and a game being played on it less than 24 hours ago. The biggest problem facing the groundsman wasn't but falling leaves on the pitch covering up the markings! He must have spent the 20 minutes prior to kick off raking them up.

The game was a very entertaining cup tie, for the 510 people in attendance, but definitely a match of two halves. Tonbridge, playing down the slope, started the brighter and had Welling on the back foot for the opening ten minutes or so, and it had the vibes of an upset. Welling though soon found their feet and began to take control and took the lead on 22 minutes when Andy Pugh (on loan from Gillingham) got his foot in front of the defender to fire home a great strike. The game was all Welling and it was no surprise when the homesters doubled their lead when Tom Whittall latched onto a long ball out of defence and lobbed the onrushing 'keeper Lee Worgan. This appeared to be game over, but four minutes before the interval a handball in the penalty area gave Angels a lifeline and Carl Rook dispatched the spot kick.

The second half was a lacklustre affair as Tonbridge tried to find themselves an equaliser but never had the guile to break down a well organised Welling back four. The wings meanwhile seemed content to sit back and defend their lead. The game was sealed on 76 minutes when Whitnall bagged his second. Another routine long ball out of defence looked like it was going to be easily dealt with by Angels centre half Marc Cumberbatch, but he "kicked air" and the ball run through to Whitnall who fired home with only the 'keeper to beat. Rook got his second with virtually the last kick of the game, but it was just consolation. Maybe because it was the last kick of the game is the reason it stood, because it was a dubious goal to say the least. A cross came over and Rook jumped into Welling 'keeper Charlie Mitton, causing him to drop the ball upon which Rook turned and fired home from two yards.

It was another long journey, but it was well worth it for a decent game and a belting ground.

The Welling United side....

The Erith and Belvedere side....

If you look closely at the wall in front of the stand you can see the slope.
Also in the stand you can see the rements of the old floodlights, these blew down a few years ago