Following the change of management structure at Welling, the new first team squad is starting to take shape.

Chairman Mark Goldberg has taken on some of the football team management duties and player recruitment is included.

So far, confirmed as retained from last season are goalkeeper Dan Wilks, Julien Anau, Archie Johnson (who spent last season on dual registration at Cray Wanderers) and Gavin McCallum. Although not announced, it’s expected that Goldberg’s son Bradley will also be part of the squad.

Jay Rich-Baghuelou was the first newcomer to be announced, a nineteen year old centre back from Dulwich Hamlet. Next came another centre half, the experienced Rob Swaine. He has signed from Maidstone United after joining them from Chelmsford City in the middle of the 2018-19 season. Prior to that he played at Billericay Town and under Goldberg at Bromley.

On Tuesday four more new players signed. Joe Anderson has joined from Chelmsford. He was a youth player at Fulham and made a first team League Cup substitute appearance against Manchester City. Having had a spell on loan at Woking, he moved on to Lincoln City where he made forty-five league appearances before being released when they were relegated.

He then played for AFC Hornchurch, Billericay Town, and Cambridge United before signing for Bromley where he stayed for four years. After a season at Maidstone he joined Chelmsford.

Two further players joined from Dulwich Hamlet. Nathan Green was unable to commit to three mornings a week training at Champion Hill and has been snapped up by Goldberg and Sanchez Ming has also signed having finished last season on loan at Park View Road. Green’s former clubs include Lewes, Bromley, Billericay, Tonbridge Angels, Dartford and Margate.

Ming first played for the Wings in 2008 having signed from Fisher Athletic. He then moved to Dulwich for his first spell there, followed by stints at Chipstead, Bishop’s Stortford, Bromley and Staines Town before returning to Bromley.

Also signed is Kudus Oyenuga. He was a Tottenham Hotspur academy player who went on loan  to MyPa in Finland, Bury and St. Johnstone, before signing for Hayes and Yeading United. He then moved on to Dundee United from where he had loan spells with Boreham Wood and Cowdenbeath.

After that he played for Hartlepool United, Greenock Morton and Chelmsford before signing for Dartford at the start of the season that’s just finished. Things didn’t work out for him at Princes Park and he ended the season on loan at Haringey Borough.

Inevitably, many players have departed including Brendan Kiernan (Harrogate Town), Craig Braham-Barrett (Hemel Hempstead Town), Josh Hill (Dartford) and both Danny Mills and Richard Orlu (Dulwich Hamlet).

Picture supplied by Dave Budden.