Wings ease past Ambers
Game 9
Welling United 2 – 0 Cheshunt
Venue: The Anthony Martin community Stadium (Formerly Park View Road)
Goalscorers: Zak O’Keefe (29), Nahum Melvin-Lambert (58)
Match Day Experience
Welling were at home for the third time in seven days but there was certainly more of a chill in the air tonight with a coffee being the drink of choice rather than a pint. The Wings recent form had attracted a bit of a crowd with long queues outside the stadium with fans eager to watch Maxwell men play again. The make up of the crowd was probably 98% Welling United fans which lead to a lot of support for the home team.
Match Report
As the summer turns to autumn and the leaves begin to change, there is one thing that hasn’t changed over the past few weeks, and that is Welling United’s form, as they won once again at home, turning PVR into something of a fortress this year, having won every game in the league and cup so far.
Just like Shergar (the racehorse), the Wings raced out of the blocks and looked to put themselves into an early lead when Anyadike found himself in behind the Ambers’ back line, but his squared ball for Bennett was deflected off the Cheshunt centre-back and towards the keeper, who had to react multiple times before he managed to grasp the ball with both hands. This wouldn’t be the last excellent save the Ambers keeper would make in this game. Welling continued to pile on the pressure and came close again when Nahum Melvin-Lambert found himself on the end of a cross, but his looping header would only brush the bar.
The game started to become more tightly contested as Welling United became frustrated with the linesman, as they continued to be flagged offside. This led to the game being slowed down and caused the Wings to lose some momentum. Miller-Rodney tried to inject a bit more urgency into the Welling team as he dived into a tackle on the sidelines but was a little late. The Cheshunt bench were convinced Miller-Rodney should have seen red, whilst Welling thought the referee’s yellow was the correct decision.
You could be forgiven for getting Welling United and Arsenal confused these days, as both clubs originated south of the river, both wear red, both have excellent defences, and both love a goal from a set piece. Today, that’s exactly how Welling opened the scoring, as another excellent delivery from Jamie Reynolds was turned into the back of the net by either Zak O’Keefe or an Ambers defender. Zak O’Keefe has been accredited with the goal, but from my angle, it looked very much like the telling touch came off a Cheshunt defender.
Welling continued to pile on the pressure before half-time and created a couple more half-chances, the best of them falling to Miller-Rodney, who had been everywhere in the first half. His chance came from his continued hard work, as he followed up a deflected effort and found himself through on goal at a tight angle. Once again, the Ambers keeper made himself big and produced another save to help keep his team in the game.
Welling were very much value for their lead going into half-time, and Maxwell would have been very happy with his team. He would have told them he wanted to see much of the same from his team in the second half, and that is exactly what he got.
Welling have scored some lovely goals this season, but their second in this game may be their best so far. Welling were popping the ball around beautifully before Zak O’Keefe picked out a ball over the top to Kaan Bennett, who looked up and picked out the perfect delivery for Melvin-Lambert. He found space between the two centre-backs and nodded home expertly past the Ambers keeper, who had made an outrageous number of saves up until this point in the game, but there was nothing he could do about Melvin-Lambert’s header.
Welling continued to control the game and almost scored a third when another wicked delivery was attempted to be claimed by the Cheshunt keeper, who made a little bit of a mess of it. The ball bounced off the bar and back into his arms, but you could easily argue he deserved this after he had made a number of exceptional saves.
The game began to meander as Welling eased up on the pressure and Cheshunt began to play some nice football. They managed to fashion a couple of half-chances, coming close with a couple of efforts from range, but none of these were on target.
Maxwell will be very happy with the Wings’ defence, as they were once again solid at the back. With Foley, Arthur, Bertram-Cooper, Majoyegbe and O’Keefe providing the foundation, there is a lot to like, as Welling have only conceded one goal in the league at home.
Welling United are back in action this weekend as they play Dulwich in the FA Cup, and they will be looking to continue their excellent form. Although this will be a tougher task, there should be a big crowd at Champion Hill, and Dulwich have started well in the league.
Things don’t get any easier for Cheshunt, as they take on a Lewes side who have enjoyed an excellent start to the season.
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