Steve Blunn
By Mark Doig at Flamingo Park
THREE late goals ensured that hosts Cray Wanderers beat Welling United 4-1 in an incident-packed Isthmian League Premier Division local derby as both sides ended the game with ten men on Bank Holiday Monday.
Both teams played their preferred shapes with Tim O’Shea’s Wands side playing three at the back, with two holding midfielders, two wing-backs and Alex Hernandez just behind the front two.
Welling manager, Ryan Maxwell, brought Zuriel Otseh-Taiwo and slotted him in at left-back in a 4-2-3-1 shape.
There was little to suggest what lay ahead in the first half an hour, after Ade Yusuff came close for the hosts when his header was nodded off the line by Jamie Reynolds. Tyrell Miller-Rodney was well off target at the other end then Reynolds headed an Ade Azeez cross wide.
Ten minutes before half-time Sammy McLeod had a shot well saved by Welling goalkeeper Mackenzie Foley and Soul Kader was unable to turn in the rebound.
Two minutes later, the Wings went ahead. Sam Smith delivered a free-kick, Lekan Majoyegbe headed it back across goal, and Ade Azeez forced it home from close range.
Buoyed by their breakthrough, Welling went on the hunt for a second and when the hosts equalised on the stroke of half-time it was slightly against the run of play. Hernandez delivered a corner and it was not cut out allowing Rob Strachan to crouch in front of his man to head home.
Eight minutes into the second half, Welling’s Lekan Majoyegbe was cautioned for a foul, then two minutes later he clattered into Henry Molyneux. The Wands’ goalkeeper reacted with aggression and both were shown yellow cards. For the Welling centre-back it was the second yellow and he was sent off. Smith dropped back to cover, and Kaan Bennett moved back to defensive midfield as Welling reverted to a four-two-three formation.
Despite being short-handed, Welling had the next chance when Ryan Blackman’s drilled shot was saved by Molyneux.
Molyneux became the second player to be sent off when he failed to release the ball before leaving his area and the referee had no option other than to show him a second yellow card.
Fortunately for O’Shea, he had a goalkeeper on the bench and seventeen-year-old Oscar Johnson came on for his first appearance in senior football with an unhappy Kader sacrificed as the Wanderers went to one up front.
Ten-a-side stretched the game and that probably worked in Cray’s favour. They went ahead with twelve minutes remaining when Foley brought down Hernandez and Yusuff blasted it high into the top corner.
Ola Ogunwamide capped off his excellent display when adding a third from 20 yards after another Hernandez corner was knocked out to him.
Hernandez rounded off the scoring when Yusuff got to the bye-line and pulled it back.
Welling’s nest league game is at home to Wingate & Finchley on September 12.
Cray Wanderers: Molyneux; Lema, Strachan, Morgan; McLeod, Raymond; Ogunwamide, Hernandez, Adaja (Payne 46); Kader (Johnson 75), Yusuff (Chapman 90+6).
Substitutes not used: Haftom.
Welling United: Foley; O’Keefe, Bertram-Cooper, Majoyegbe, Otseh-Taiwo (Kingsford 83); Miller-Rodney (Blackman 39), Smith; Ufuah (Anyadike 59), Bennett, Reynolds (Shomotun 46); Azeez (Melvin-Lambert (62).
Substitutes not used: None.
