Football | Kent Sports News

Defeat at Billericay Town confined Welling United to a second successive defeat

Having pulled level after going behind, Welling were sucker-punched when Billericay scored an injury time penalty despite being down to ten men.

It was tough on Welling who had put in a much better performance than they had in their previous outing.

On debut, Anthony Cook had the first sighter of the night with a shot that was saved comfortably after Gavin McCallum and Bradley Goldberg had combined well.

Charlie Wassmer missed the target with a free header for Billericay before they went ahead after eighteen minutes. There didn’t seem much danger when former Ebbsfleet player Jordan Parkes found some space but his twenty five yard shot arrowed into the top corner giving Dan Wilks no chance.

He then came close again when letting fly from fully forty-five yards but his effort went just over.

Wilks made a great save from Moses Emmanuel before the former Bromley player again went close but shot just wide.

McCallum had a low drive well saved by Alan Julian before Alfie Potter shot wide at the other end.

Making his first start since a long injury lay off, McCallum curled an effort just wide before the Canadian levelled six minutes before the break. Adam Coombes went on a run and picked him out of the right wing and he cut in before firing powerfully into the top corner.

Potter and Matt Rhead both fired over before the interval but the goal appeared to give the Wings a confidence boost and they came out for the second half looking determined.

Goldberg had a header claimed comfortably before Cook worked his way into a good position but could not get his foot around the ball to pick out anyone with his cross.

Rob Swaine headed wide from McCallum’s cross before Emmanuel broke through and dinked it beyond Wilks. However, it had no power and Jay Rich-Baghuelou got back to dribble off the goal line before clearing up field.

Joe Anderson’s cross was half cleared as far as Luke Rooney but his shot was deflected wide.

Parkes and Callum Kennedy both had shots saved comfortably by Wilks before Goldberg dragged a shot just wide after good work by Nathan Green.

Green fired just wide for Welling before Billericay were reduced to ten men when Wassmer was sent off for going over the top and leaving Aaron Cosgrave in a heap.

Strangely, it seemed to boost Billericay rather than hamper them and substitute Jake Robinson had two good chances, first firing over then shooting straight at Wilks.

Just as it appeared that the two teams were going to settle for a point apiece, Emmanuel broke through and was felled on the edge of the penalty area. The referee spoke to his assistant before awarding a penalty which Robinson tucked away to ensure the hosts claimed all three points.

Billericay Town: Julian, Robson, Kennedy, Wassmer, Henry, Potter, Emmanuel (90+), Loft (Waldren 78), Ramsay (Robinson 68), Parkes, Rhead.

Subs not used: Eyong, Tamplin.

Goalscorers: Parkes (18), Robinson pen (90+)

Yellow cards: None

Red cards: Wassmer

Welling United: Wilks, Ming, Anderson, Copeland, Swaine, Rich-Baghuelou, Cook, Rooney, Goldberg (Cosgrave 77), Coombes (Oyinsan 74), McCallum (Green 61).

Subs not used: Okosieme, Agyemang.

Goalscorers: McCallum (39)

Yellow cards: Copeland

Red cards: None

Referee: Steven Hughes

Assistants: Christopher Horsman and Jack Wilmore

Attendance: 890

An 89th minute header from the unlikeliest of sources secured Tonbridge Angels first points of the season, sending the majority of the 476 attendance home with a smile on their faces.

Sonny Miles, free from suspension, returned to the side with a man of the match performance and it was no coincidence that the first clean sheet of the campaign was attained.

Steve McKimm also restored Tommy Brewer to the side after missing Saturday’s game at Dorking through injury.

Joel Nouble had the first opportunity of the game but fired over before the Angels tested Concord goalkeeper Chris Haigh to the full when Joe Turner’s header from Tommie Hession-Harris was turned past the post diving low to his left.

The game tightened up through the first half but Jared Small’s pace was causing the visitor’s back line concern and a cross across the face of goal after 31 minutes just begged a touch.

A lack of the rub of the green has become a recurring theme of the opening games and it seemed the luck wasn’t with Tonbridge once more as Hession-Harris’ shot crashed against the crossbar after 38 minutes.

A fantastic run by D’Sean Theobalds, reminiscent of his super play-off goal, was only brought to an end with a saving block and the mere reward this time of a corner.

Concord started the second period on the front foot forcing a corner from which David Olufemi shot well wide.

Tonbridge quickly found their first half rhythm with Small continuing to concern the Concord defence flashing another cross that evaded everyone and followed this with a cross to the head of Tom Derry on the back post that drifted wide.

Decarrey Sheriff, who had been fleet of foot all evening, fired in a shot that was comfortably dealt with by Myles Roberts whose confidence has grown game by game since his arrival.

The Angels hearts went slightly in their mouths just past the hour when Nouble went down in the box but the referee decided it was simulation and duly showed the yellow card.

Successive corners eventually saw Miles steer a header wide followed by McKimm ringing the changes with Small making way for Khale Da Costa and Chinedu McKenzie on for Tom Derry

The Angels support, magnificent throughout, were once more cursing their luck when, after 79 minutes, Theobalds beat three players but saw his shot hit the bar and bounce away off the line.

Just when minds were edging towards accepting a point and getting something on the board, after concerted pressure, Turner swung a ball into the box and there was Jack Parter, left back and not exactly the tallest, to rise and glance a header past Haigh for an 89th minute winner.

A naturally delighted Steve McKimm was nonetheless pragmatic emphasising how important it was to get something out of this game with three difficult games to follow. “We are delighted that we got all three” he said “they haven’t won their first three games for nothing, we knew how good they are, but we kept going.”

A solitary Jack Holland goal was enough to seal the three points for Bromley and maintain their unbeaten start to the season, however Aldershot will feel somewhat aggrieved with the result after a second half siege on the Bromley goal.

Having been forced into a change from his side that drew 3-3 with Torquay United on Saturday, Bromley manager Neil Smith handed a first team start to Adam Mekki in place of the injured Reeco Hackett-Fairchild.

Mekki was making his first start for Bromley following his seven month injury lay-off and could have had a dream start to his return inside the opening five minutes.

Joe Kizzi did well to work space down the right wing and his cross found Mekki unmarked at the backpost but he shanked his effort wide.

With Aldershot taking a while to get into the game, Billy Bingham tested Mitch Walker from distance but his effort fizzed past the former Dover goalkeeper’s left hand post.

When going forward the Shots were most threatening from the wings, whether through the wing play of Aaron Eyoma or Harry Panayiotou and it was the latter who came close to giving the Shots the lead on the quarter hour mark.

A loose ball fell to him in the penalty area and his smart swivel and shot looked to be heading for the far corner of the net but for the fingertips of Mark Cousins in the Bromley goal.

Aldershot were to rue that miss as Bromley took the lead from their next meaningful attack. Having set up two and scored one on Saturday, Bromley midfielder Frankie Raymond was at it again as his corner was headed home by Jack Holland.

Mekki missed another golden opportunity five minutes later to stretch the lead. Luke Coulson ran unto Chris Bush’s long ball and set up Mekki inside the 18 yard box but with Michael Cheek screaming for the pass Mekki opted to shoot, curling his effort hopelessly wide.

Aldershot should have punished Bromley for that as from the resulting goal-kick, Robbie Tinkler’s right wing cross found Panayiotou unmarked six yards out but the St Kitts & Nevis international headed wide with only Cousins to beat.

With Bromley working more opportunities over the course of the first 45 minutes they would have felt they narrowly deserved a first half lead.

However the same could not be said for the second 45 as Bromley failed to create any shot on or off target handing the initiative to Aldershot for a glorified attack vs defence session.

Making all three substitutions by the 62nd minute, Smith changed shape to a 5-3-2 to counter the attacking four man Aldershot midfield but rather than give Bromley control it led to the Ravens dropping deeper and deeper.

With a monopoly on possession Aldershot went in search of an equaliser. Shamir Mullings saw his effort from the edge of the area deflected behind for a corner shy of the hour mark but the best opportunities were to arrive in quick succession 15 minutes from the end.

Firstly Cousins did very well to parry away Mullings header at the backpost before he had to do even better to tip Eyoma’s cross-cum-shot over the crossbar.

That was to be as good as it got for Aldershot as Bromley made the game scrappy and largely restricted Aldershot to shots from distance amidst increasingly tetchy scenes on and off the pitch.

Incensed by a highly erratic referring performance coupled with perceived Bromley gamesmanship, passions ran high resulting in Aldershot manager Danny Searle receiving a yellow card and a member of his coaching staff receiving his marching orders.

Despite late Aldershot pressure, Bromley held on to the win and the three points which sends them to 5th place in the fledgling National League table.

They next make the long trip to Hartlepool United on Saturday looking to preserve their unbeaten start to the season.

Aldershot Town (4-1-4-1): Walker; Tinkler, Fowler, Finney, Kinsella; Rance; Eyoma, Santos (Whittingham 73), Chislett, Panayiotou (Shields 64); Mullings

Subs not used: Hall, Rowe, Kudyiwa

Bromley (4-4-2): Cousins; Kizzi, Holland, Bush, Wood; Coulson (Okoye 60), Bingham, Raymond, Mekki (Higgs 54); Porter (Clifton 62), Cheek

Subs not used: Klass, Dunne

Goal: Holland 28

Referee: Mr Richard Hulme

Attendance: 1,774

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