By Mark Doig at Park View Road
WELLING United conceded a late equaliser at Park View Lane but ended Billericay Town’s ten-game winning run in both sides’ last game of the regular Isthmian League Premier Division season.
The visitors went into the game aiming to finish runners-up behind Folkestone Invicta and guarantee home advantage throughout the play-offs, but Aveley won 2-0 at Wingate & Finchley to clinch second, two points ahead of Billericay.
Billericay will commence their post-season campaign at their New Lodge stadium against Chatham Town on Wednesday evening.
The Blues and the Wings started the day first and second in the form guide over the last eight games with the visitors’ 100 per cent record against Welling’s six wins, one draw and one defeat.
John Ufuah and Dean Gunner were both off target early on as Welling looked the more threatening despite playing up the slope.
Midway through the first half, Billericay were fortunate to keep eleven men on the bench when Jay Porter pulled back Ade Azeez. Although the referee and his assistant had a conversation, the Blues’ captain escaped with a yellow card.
Billericay’s Teddy Collis hit a first-time shot wide of the near post before they went ahead six minutes before half-time. Jon Benton’s diagonal free-kick caused havoc in the Welling penalty area and two efforts were cleared off the line but not cleared fully, allowing Charlie Ruff to finish from close range.
Azeez headed over and Sam Smith was just wide with a free-kick before half time, with Welling probably unfortunate to be behind.
If that was the case, the hosts rectified it two minutes after the break. Smith played it forward and Ufuah harried the visitors’ defence into making a mistake, and he took full advantage by firing home.
Jamie Reynolds had a shot deflected just past the post for the Wings before their lively midfielder, Ayman El-Mogharbel, headed over.
Referee Callum Peter then pulled up injured and could not continue so one of the assistant referees replaced him and a Welling supporter who had the necessary qualifications ran the line.
Almost immediately, the replacement referee had a straightforward decision to make when Zak O’Keefe was flattened in the Billericay penalty area. Smith stepped up and sent Stefan Lamacq the wrong way.
Substitutes Charlie Panton and Frankie Merrifield were both off-target as Billericay pushed Welling into defending very deeply.
Another two replacements, Jack Evans and Macauley Bonne, then combined for the equaliser with three minutes remaining. After Mackenzie Foley had tipped Bonne’s drive over, Evans delivered the corner and the former Charlton Athletic forward rose to head it home.
Again, Billericay were fortunate to keep eleven men on the pitch. Ufuah broke through and was clattered by Lamacq to deny him a goal-scoring opportunity. Surprisingly, only a yellow card was brandished by the replacement referee.
No further chances were created and the two teams settled on a point apiece, just the third time the Wings have drawn this season.
After struggling against relegation for most of the season, the Wings finished in fifteenth place, six points clear of the drop zone. Ryan Maxwell and his team have achieved the great escape and can now look to the future.
Welling United: Foley; O’Keefe (Paternoster 86) , Majoyegbe, Gunner, Arthur; Thomas (Oluwatimilehin 79); El-Mogharbel; Ufuah (Stewart 90+3), Smith, Reynolds (Reeve 79); Azeez (Akanbi 90+3).
