East Thurrock 4-1 Welling United
With the play offs confirmed and Manager Steve King finally having a full squad to choose from King decided to give several of his squad players vital game time as he made six changes to the side that beat Chelmsford City on Good Friday. However these changes did not pay off and Welling suffered their heaviest defeat of the season perhaps making the all important team selection for the play off game that little bit easier.
On a very dry pitch, Mo Bettamer went close early on as he headed a Caden Genovesi cross at Jack Giddens.
However East Thurrock went ahead with their first attack. A corner was not cleared and the ball fell kindly to Sam Higgins who poked the ball home into the roof of the net.
Welling tried to rally and Arnaud Mendy put a deep cross into the penalty area that Josh Hill headed back across goal. The ball fell kindly to Bradley Goldberg but Giddens saved.
Welling were huffing and puffing and Bettamer saw another header saved from a Newton cross.
East Thurrock almost doubled the lead when Higgins crossed for Dobson but he fired wide at the back post.
Bettamer did well to trick his way into the area but his effort was crowded out.
Zac Newton saw a pile driver well saved by Giddens after a corner kick came out to him on the edge of the area.
However in the 37th minute Sam Higgins who terrorised the Welling defence all afternoon doubled the home side lead. Osborn squaring the ball to East Thurrock’s main man and he fired past Dan Wilks.
Needing a bit of a spark Welling got a life line deep into first half-injury time. Goldberg fired a cross-come shot across the face of goal which Bettamer poked home at the 2nd attempt to give Welling hope going into the 2nd half.
However these hopes were dashed just two minutes into the second half. Jon Nzengo picked up a stray pass from Wilks and played a neat one-two with Sheehan before calmly stroking the ball past Wilks from twenty yards via the post.
Former Wings man and now TOWIE star Harry Lee, hit an audacious effort that took a deflection for a corner.
A good move from Welling saw Goldberg head a Sanchez Ming cross straight at Giddens. Ming was soon defending again though as he managed to clear a dangerous Higgins cross from Danny Harris who was closing in.
Osborn was unable to finish for the hosts from a long ball forward before Newton’s fierce drive went wide for Welling.
Dan Wilks did well to save a Ryan Scott a shot as East Thurrock looked dangerous coming forward. Newton had two chances in quick succession first driving wide from an acute angle before having a close range effort blocked by brave East Thurrock defending.
However The Wings missed a chance which perhaps summed up their day in the 83rd minute. From a corner the ball fell kindly to Caden Genovesi and with the goal at his mercy he side footed the ball over the bar and out of the ground.
To compound the Wings miserable day The Rocks’ added a 4th in injury time. Former Welling man Rickie Hayles was on hand to tap home a Sam Higgins cross.
It was a bitterly disappointed afternoon from The Wings but results elsewhere meant Welling will finish the season in 3rd and they will look bounce back from this result on Saturday at home to Hampton and finish the season strongly going into the play offs.
