Chances going astray cost Welling United as their three month unbeaten home run ended at the hands of a physical Eastbourne Borough.
Danny Bloor’s team created a string of good chances but found Eastbourne goalkeeper Harrison Foulkes in inspired form.
Decarrey Sheriff headed wide for the visitors early on when getting on the end of a deep cross but once Welling had settled, it was they who started to ask the questions.
Antony Papadopoulos hit a shot that took a deflection and dipped just over before his clever through ball sent Tristan Abrahams through. He finished well but his celebration was cut short by an offside flag.
Papadopoulos was again in the thick of it with a shot that Foulkes beat out as far as Jephte Tanga, and Foulkes recovered quickly to make another excellent save.
Kain Adom then had a shot beaten out by Foulkes and Tanga was again first to the rebound, this time seeing his shot blocked by Freddie Carter.
Cameron Green fizzed a free kick across the face of goal that nobody was able to touch home before a well worked corner almost brought about the opener.
Papadopoulos delivered a low corner that TJ Bramble knocked back and Lachlan Byrd’s shot looked destined for the top corner until Foulkes got across to make a stunning one handed save.
That proved to be costly for the Wings who went behind three minutes before the break. Brad Barry headed a corner back across the penalty area and Carter’s towering header flew beyond a helpless Reice Charles-Cook.
Immediately after the interval a Green corner flicked the head of Papadopoulos at the far post and went wide before Eastbourne struck again. Callum Kealy burst through down the left hand side and shot early and accurately to beat Charles-Cook.
Tanga missed the target when well placed after Foulkes beat Green’s fiercely driven cross out before Welling were again thwarted by Foulkes. Tristan Abrahams hit a low free kick sweetly but the Eastbourne goalkeeper got down well to make another good save.
Byrd met a low Tanga cross with a first time shot that flew just wide before a rare Eastbourne attack ended with Sheriff shooting wide of the near post. Adom cut in from the left only to shoot well over then substitute Enoch Muwonge couldn’t keep his shot down after Foulkes had blocked his initial effort.
Green was next to go close when his initial effort from a free kick came back out to him off the Eastbourne defensive wall and his follow up shot whistled the wrong side of the post. Dominic Odusanya drew another great save out of Foulkes, then his next shot flew well wide.
As the game moved into stoppage time, Byrd had a header saved and Foulkes made one more brilliant save at the expense of Adom.
Welling United: Charles-Cook, Orji, Green, Grant, Bramble, Byrd, Tanga (Muwonge 77), Odusanya, Abrahams, Papadopoulos (Roscrow 67), Adom.
Subs not used: Winterbottom, Sekajja, Papadopoulos, Howard, Kassarate, Kamara.
Goalscorers: None
Yellow card: Odusanya, Orji, Arnold (coach), Abrahams.
Eastbourne Borough: Foulkes, Seasay (Gbadebo 26, Gravata 45+7)), Beard, Vigar, Barry, Carter, Sheriff, Clarke (Brown 79), Collins, Kealy, Paxman.
Subs not used: Procter, Holman.
Goalscorers: Carter (42), Kealy (53)
Yellow cards: Barry, Paxman, Kealy, Carter, Gravata, Beard.
Referee: George Laflin
Assistants: Imran Khan and David Payne
Attendance: 909
Pictures supplied by Dave Budden.