On the Terrace: Game Day 3

Anyadike stars as Welling hit Stanway Rovers for 4

Game 3

Welling United 4 – 0 Stanway Rovers

Venue: The Anthony Martin community Stadium (Formerly Park View Road)

Goalscorers: Demaray Anyadike (37, 58), Nahum Melvin-Lambert (54), Ade Azeez (88)

Match Day Experience

Back home again today at PVR for the visit of Stanway Rovers, with the EFL kicking off again today and local clubs Millwall and Charlton both in action, attendance numbers were slightly down from last week but those who did make it through turnstiles were treated to a brilliant bounce back performance from the Wings.

Match Report

Bouncing back after Tuesday’s 4-1 defeat to Leatherhead would have been top of Welling’s wish list this week and, come Saturday afternoon, they more than got what they were after. Demaray Anyadike was the star of the show, scoring two and assisting one. The Rovers full-backs will certainly be glad to see the back of him.

There was a tense feel around PVR today, as much of the feel-good vibe from last Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Whitehawk had been knocked out by Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to Leatherhead. Wings boss Ryan Maxwell had made a host of changes to the squad from Tuesday’s defeat, with Blackman, Shomotun, Bennett and Melvin-Lambert coming into the side to change the attacking and midfield dynamic, and it certainly paid dividends.

The first half an hour passed by without too much action, with Welling certainly the brighter of the two teams and having more control of the game. However, the best they could muster was a shot from the edge of the box after some good attacking play down the right-hand side.

The first real chance of the game fell to Stanway Rovers, as a long throw once again proved a difficult test for the Wings’ defence, with Welling relying on a smart stop from keeper Foley to keep the scores level.

However, this save seemed to spark the game into life, as moments later some quite special work from winger Fumnaya Shomotun saw him manage to wiggle away from two Rovers defenders in the tightest of spaces before delivering a delicious ball into the box. The ball wasn’t cleared fully and was recycled well by the Wings, with Bennett finding Anyadike on the edge of the box. He then rifled a low, powerful shot past the keeper, who could do nothing about it.

Unlike the first half, the second half didn’t take any time to get going, as both teams came out of the dressing rooms fired up by whatever had been said to them at half-time.

Once the game had settled down a little, it was the Kent-based outfit who once again found themselves on top. Moments later, Anyadike turned provider with some great work down the right wing, terrorising the full-back before whipping in a dangerous low ball which Melvin-Lambert found himself on the end of, tapping in from three yards out and making it two in two home games for the new striker. It could have been three in two moments later, as he showed excellent strength to hold off the Stanway centre-half before dragging his effort just wide.

Although the Wings wouldn’t have to wait long for their third of the game, as from the resulting goal kick, the Rovers keeper scuffed his kick, which Demaray Anyadike was sharpest to react to, robbing the ball off the full-back, racing through and finishing expertly. That made it two goals in four minutes and surely put the game beyond the reach of the Essex-based team.

Maxwell used this moment to start making changes, as Reynolds, Ufuah, Kingsford, Azeez and Smith all made their way onto the pitch.

The next flashpoint came when a superb long pass was played through to Anyadike, who was in a footrace with the Rovers keeper. The keeper made it to the ball first but was judged to have handled it outside the box, despite his protest to the linesman, who was standing mere feet away.

After a short discussion between the linesman and the referee, they decided a yellow card was fair and, on the basis of everything and the context of the game, it was probably the smart decision.

For any Wings fans feeling aggrieved by the referee’s decision, they would have forgiven him moments later when he pointed to the spot after Ade Azeez was brought down in the box.

There was a discussion over who would take the penalty, as it looked like Sam Smith was the designated penalty taker. However, with the scoreline and time left to play, it appeared they had let Anyadike step up to take the penalty for a chance at his hat-trick.

Unfortunately, for the first time in the game, what Anyadike had touched hadn’t turned to gold, as his penalty crashed off the post and was scrambled clear.

The scoring wasn’t finished, though, as moments later the Welling keeper rushed out of his box, winning the ball just in front of the Rovers striker before delivering an unbelievable long ball up to centre-back Nathan Cooper. He nodded the ball down to Ade Azeez, who beat the onrushing keeper to the ball and slid it past him.

It was a goal reminiscent of an old-school big-man knockdown to a little man; however, in this case, it was big man to big man.

Welling will be pleased to have put the Leatherhead result behind them and start to build some real confidence going into the derby with Dartford next week, who have won three from three.

Stanway Rovers have had two successive promotions in the last two years and have found life in the Isthmian Premier Division a little trickier, only picking up one point from a possible nine.

It’s hard to know after three games how the table will look come April, but it’s my feeling that this year Welling will be looking up the table and chasing the play-offs, whereas Stanway will be looking over their shoulders, hoping they can escape the drop.