Steely Wings refuse to fold (29.10.05)

A THRILLING second half at York Road saw promotion-chasing Welling preserve their unbeaten away record, but not before Maidenhead had given them plenty to think about.
In the opening period the Wings allowed United to play their slick passing game, but a thick red line of defence on the edge of the penalty area denied the hosts any goalscoring opportunities.
In response Welling broke with ever greater frequency and were well worth their half-time lead.
A taste of things to come came on 22 minutes, when a Che Stadhart pass put Rob Owen through, only for Paul McCarthy to save bravely at his feet.
Welling took the lead on 28 minutes, when an Adrian Clarke corner from the right was inadvertently flicked to the back post by the Abdul Saeed Osman, where Stadhart was waiting to nod the ball over the line.
Welling came close to extending their lead on 37 minutes, but Owen could not quite get on the end of a great cross which flew across the face of the Maidenhead goal.
The second half opened in a similar fashion, with the move of the match doubling the Wings’ lead.
A Clarke cross from the left was laid back by Stadhart into the path of Owen outside the penalty area, who drilled a great shot inside the far post.
At this stage most of the spectators thought it was game over, but Carl Taylor’s team showed their strength of character by levelling the scores by the hour mark.
Captain Matt Glynn led the charge and served notice that the Welling lead was under threat on 49 minutes with a pass to Stephen Hughes, whose shot was well saved by Jamie Turner.
Two minutes later a Glynn free-kick was dropped by Turner under pressure from Hughes, but Dominic White’s shot was deflected wide.
It was third time lucky for Glynn and the Magpies on 54 minutes, when his long shot was parried by Turner to Ryan Ashe.
His effort was again stopped by Turner, only for Lee Newman to pick up the loose ball and fire it into the empty net.
On 60 minutes it was 2-2 when an enterprising ball forward by Chris Elsegood was helped on by Newman, who then picked out Hughes on the left wing, who hit a sweet shot past Turner from the tightest of angles.
The Magpies rampaging was then brought to a halt when Ashe had to leave the pitch with a head injury.
This disrupted United’s rhythm and momentum, allowing the Wings to reclaim their supremacy.
Switching to 4-3-3 formation, the Magpies pressed hard for a winner but Welling held firm and then won the game from the spot on 82 minutes.
A swift break was ended when McCarthy brought Stadhart down in the corner of the penalty area, and Danny Kedwell made no mistake with the spot-kick.
Kedwell then rubbed salt in the wound in injury-time, when he picked up a loose ball and raced clear, giving McCarthy no chance with his shot.

UNMISSABLE: Lee Newman taps in United’s opening goal against Welling United on Saturday. Ref: 90591/10.