Wings edge Leatherhead in tight affair
Game 15
Welling United 1 – 0 Leatherhead
Venue: The Anthony Martin community Stadium (Formerly Park View Road)
Goalscorers: Chris Harris (9)
Match Day Experience
It has been about a month since I have been down to Park View Road and in that month the weather has taken a turn for the colder switching the summer evening pints for a coffee from the hut. Welling has been on fine form at home this season having won every home league game, which has helped keep the attendance numbers high, with fans knowing they are almost guaranteed a win.
Match Report
Even though we are only in the month of October, this is the second time these two teams have faced off this season, with Leatherhead winning the reverse fixture 4-1 all the way back on matchday two. Tuesday’s meeting was a clash of two very impressive runs of form, with the Wings having won every home league game and Leatherhead not having lost an away league game since April 2025.
Welling United raced out of the traps and mounted a lot of early pressure on the Tanners’ goal. They came close from an early corner when Leatherhead keeper Wheeler came for a cross but was beaten to the ball by a Wings attacker in a crowded penalty area. Thankfully for Wheeler, there was a Tanners defender on the line to bail him out.
The scoring was opened in the ninth minute by new Wings attacker Chris Harris, who recently signed from Aveley. A Welling long throw was only half-cleared by the Leatherhead defence before Chris Arthur picked up the ball on the left-hand side and whipped in a dangerous cross into the Tanners’ box. Harris rose highest and headed the ball into the ground and past the despairing Wheeler, who didn’t really have a chance.
Having scored, Welling looked to double their lead when Kaan Bennett struck well from the edge of the box through a horde of bodies, but Wheeler was equal to his attempt, tipping the ball out for a corner. Welling United have been dangerous from corners all season, and they once again came close from a set piece when Sam Smith delivered a perfect ball into the box. However, the Majoyegbe header was cleared off the line, the second time the Wings had seen an attempt cleared off the line in the opening exchanges of the game.
All of the early battles were being won by the Welling players, as Leatherhead were struggling to get up the pitch. At times, the Tanners were overplaying when they could have gone long to help relieve the onslaught they were receiving from the Wings.
Leatherhead did start to grow into the game and managed to get further up the pitch. Their midfielders started to get on the ball and knock it around quite well, as well as getting the wingers involved a bit more, but the Wings’ full-backs were up to the task.
The Tanners came close midway through the half when they had a free kick in position A1. The ball was struck well and cleared the wall, but thankfully for Wings keeper Foley, it also cleared the bar.
As the game began to even out, more space was opening up for both teams, and Wings midfielder Sam Smith looked to capitalise on this when he struck from just outside the box. His strike was clean and true and deserved a goal, but he was denied by an excellent save from Wheeler, who managed to get a fingertip to the ball. It rattled off the post before falling to in-form striker Melvin-Lambert on the penalty spot. You would have bet all your money on him scoring from there, with half the goal to aim for, but to the amazement of everyone in the ground, the ball ended up wide of the post.
Ryan Maxwell would have had plenty of positives to say at half-time to his Welling players, as they were executing his game plan to perfection. His only complaint would have been that it was only 1-0. Tanners boss Ian Selley would have been worried by the way the game had started, but he would have taken heart from the way his players had fought their way back into the game and turned it into a contest.
You couldn’t exactly say that the second half really burst into life, with a real lack of goalmouth action. Leatherhead had taken more control of the game and were playing really well in the middle third, but were just lacking a bit of cutting edge in the final third.
Despite all of the Tanners’ pressure on the Welling goal, the first big chance of the second half fell to Anyadike, the Welling winger, who was put through on goal by keeper Foley after he claimed a cross and immediately played Anyadike in on the counter-attack. As the Welling winger bore down on the Leatherhead goal, he was being chased by the defenders, and the angle was becoming tighter. However, Wheeler managed to pull off another phenomenal save.
The game started to become very stop-start, with the referee giving free kicks both ways. Neither team was really able to grab the game and take control. You would say that Leatherhead were in the ascendancy, but they were still yet to create a gilt-edged chance.
As the game was coming to a close, Leatherhead really ramped up the pressure and, in stoppage time, created three chances which, on another day, would have earned them a point.
The first chance came when Welling only managed to half-clear a cross, and the ball fell to an attacker on the edge of the box, but he dragged his shot wide.
Moments later, the best chance of the game fell to Leatherhead when a deep ball caused chaos in the Welling box. Two Wings defenders went for the same ball, leaving a Tanners attacker eight yards out with the ball at his feet. His shot was low and hard, but Welling United keeper Foley got down well to pull off what was a game-winning save.
Although the drama wasn’t over, as from the ensuing corner, the ball was whipped in towards the back post and the Leatherhead keeper, who had been sent up for the corner, found himself free in the box. However, he proved why he was a keeper and not a centre-forward as he nodded the ball over the bar, before the referee blew the final whistle to calm the hearts of the Wings faithful.
Welling United have now won all eight of their home league games this season, which has been a real catalyst for their title charge, as they find themselves second in the league after fourteen games. Welling United are back in action this Saturday against Carshalton Athletic.
Leatherhead fell to 14th after this result. However, due to some cup runs, they do have three games in hand and will be looking to climb back up the table. Leatherhead take on Stanway Rovers and will be looking to bounce back and start building some momentum in their season.
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