By Matthew Panting

Loick Pires' stunning 89th-minute winner moved Welling up to second in Blue Square Bet South on Tuesday night.

Pires spared Welling's blushes against 10-man Salisbury, who had equalised seconds earlier through substitute Marvin Williams' second goal of the night.

Straight from the kick-off, Joe Healy and Andy Pugh combined to tee up Pires (pictured), whose sweet left-foot goal flew past substitute keeper Michael Neish.

It capped an entertaining evening at Park View Road as the division's top scorers again impressed going forward, but looked vulnerable in defence.

Player/manager Jamie Day conceded a seventh-minute penalty which Jake Reid converted to put the visitors ahead but, after a goalmouth scramble that saw Welling hit the woodwork twice and see an effort cleared off the line, the hosts were back on level terms when Day curled home a trademark 25-yard free-kick just before the half-hour.

Welling continued to press and were ahead 10 minutes before the break when Ben Martin kept alive a free-kick and Pugh's cross was neatly turned in by Jack Parkinson.

The Wings could have easily extended their lead but Pugh, having won the ball from the Salisbury defence, fired wide, then saw his close-range effort superbly blocked and set up strike partner Luis Cumbers, whose 25-yard blockbuster was beaten away at full stretch by keeper Tommy Smith.

The visiting keeper came to his side's rescue again in stoppage time, somehow tipping away Day's 30-yard free-kick that seemed destined for the top corner.

Pires tried his luck from distance early in the second half but Smith was again equal to the effort, tipping it over, before Parkinson headed Jack Oberstellar's corner against the woodwork.

Despite their pressure, Welling struggled to handle Reid at the other end and his neat lay-off sent Williams clear to fire in the equaliser on the hour mark.

Another excellent defensive block denied Cumbers the goal he deserved before the game swung back in Welling's favour with 20 minutes left.

Pires raced clear and was brought down by Smith, with referee Paul Harris pointing to the spot and eventually showing the keeper a red card.

Pugh, watched by a number of Football League scouts, sent substitute keeper Neish the wrong way from the spot for his 14th goal of the season.

Salisbury looked to have snatched a point with two minutes left when a long throw-in was flicked on and Williams expertly hooked the ball home, only for Pires to have the last word.