Welling 1 Thurrock 2

A BIZARRE own goal from Ian Wiles denied Welling a share of the spoils against high-flying Thurrock on Saturday.

Wiles stooped low to head away Dave Collis’ innocuous cross but only managed to divert the ball backwards and over stranded keeper Charlie Mitten.

It was rough justice on Welling, who responded well to conceding a goal inside the first minute to dominate the second half of the contest.

Paul Parker’s side were behind after 55 seconds when Mark Goodfellow’s right-wing cross was nodded down by Cliff Akurang for David Lee to turn home.

Thurrock could have sewn the game up as Welling got used to a new 3-5-2 formation. Akurang’s header clipped the bar and then Glenn Poole saw his stinging drive rebound back off the upright.

Welling weathered the storm and it was the neat passing in midfield of Tim Hambley and Jamie Day that paved the way forward. Day saw his shot deflected over and then Tommy Tyne somehow diverted Shaun Hale’s cross off target.

Welling should have equalised on 56 minutes when Paul Booth’s cross was helped on by Hambley and Hale missed an open goal at the far post.

But they were on level terms four minutes later when quick thinking from Hambley saw a short free-kick send Day clear inside the box and he drilled a low shot past Billy McMahon.

Veteran Thurrock captain Jimmy McFarlane was lucky to stay on the pitch when he held Tyne back on the edge of the box and was only shown a yellow card.

Welling’s luck was well and truly out with 14 minutes left when Wiles’ netted at the wrong end.

Parker said: “I thought the new-look defence worked despite the scoreline. We could have been out of the game in the first 20 minutes but then we got back in it and Jamie Day was the best player on the pitch.”

Parker was keen to take the positive out of the game, although the must have his own concerns at the drop in form shown by former Dover pair Tony Browne and Lee Spiller.

Welling: Mitten, Browne (Lay 90), Hale, Smith, Watts, Wiles, Hambley, Spiller, Tyne, Booth, Day. Subs Not Used: Ball, Arojogun, Carter, Bernard.

Att: 480.