Despite their injury worries County were able to field a strong starting eleven with injury and sickness victims Jason Bowen, Craig Hughes and Lee Jenkins making up a strong substitutes bench.  

Despite early pressure from second placed Wings who won a series of first half corners County’s well drilled defence held firm. County were the more threatening attacking side and broke from defence with speed and purpose. It was no surprise that County took the lead on 13 minutes. Richard Evans’ 25 yard direct free kick took a heavy deflection off the defensive wall and sailed into the net with home keeper Jamie Turner wrong footed.

Matt Green doubled the lead with a sublime goal 12 minutes later. From Lee Collier’s interception smart work by Sam O'Sullivan fed Julian Alsop whose clever touch set Green racing clear. The young forward opened his body and curled the ball around Turner who could only help the ball on its way inside the far post with his outstretched glove. The Wings continued to win corner after corner but could not create a clear goal scoring opening. Sam O’Sullivan could have settled the game late in the half but Turner made an outstanding save to parry his close range shot.    

Manager Adrian Pennock’s half time talk and double substitution made an immediate impact on the match and within five minutes of the restart The Wings were level. Mark Ovendale inexplicably dropped the ball direct from Matt Bodkin’s corner having made a clean catch, and Steve Perkins hammered in the loose ball off the underside of the bar. With their tails up and County in temporary disarray Wings scored with their next attack to ignite the home crowd. The lively Matt Bodkin beat captain John Brough on the by-line and curled an inswinging shot onto the far post. From the rebound substitute Steve Harper prodded the ball across the line.    

County regrouped and showed great character. With the game evenly balanced a lofted John Brough free kick on 63 minutes fell to Paul Cochlin who crashed the ball home from 10 yards to the delight of the away support. Despite end to end play the fifth goal of the match proved to be the final and decisive one. Matt Green and Sam O’Sullivan both had goal bound shots blocked and Richard Evans, who on the break was running the home defence ragged, came closest to putting the result beyond doubt but Turner was equal to his low driven shot with a save at full stretch.

Ellis Green nearly embarrassed the away defence. Mark Ovendale was forced to rush out to clear the ball with two attackers having beaten the offside trap and Green’s returned lob from 50 yards sailed narrowly wide of the open goal. Jamie Day had a great opportunity to salvage a point for The Wings in injury time but hit the rebound from Ovendale’s mistimed punched clearance wide of goal from 12 yards.      

County were well worth all three points in this enthralling match and closed the points gap between them and the play-off positions with games in hand.  

Line-ups:

County: Ovendale, Hillier, S Jenkins, Davies, Brough (C), Cochlin, O’Sullivan, Collier, Alsop (Hughes 80), Green, Evans Subs Not Used: Bowen, L Jenkins, Edwards, Giles

Welling United: Turner, Goodfellow, Solomon, Perkins (C), Boateng (Green 45), Lewis, Bodkin, Kedwell, Stadhart (Harper 45), Carthy, Day Subs Not Used: Hyde, Moore, Sam

Scorers

County: Richard Evans (13), Matt Green (25) and Paul Cochlin (63)

Welling: Steve Perkins (48) and Steve Harper (50)

Cautions

County: Lee Collier (foul)

Welling: Steve Perkins (foul)

Attendance 750

Officials

Referee: W Norcott (Harlow); Assistant Referees: N Wilde (Rochester) and M Sage (Chatham)

Man of the Match

Reporter’s County Man of the Match: Paul Cochlin

Reporter’s Welling Man of the Match: Jamie Day

Conditions

Dry, sunny, cold

Match Rating