Park View Road hosted a friendly between the two tenants, Welling United and Erith and Belvedere, on Tuesday night.
It was the last pre-season friendly for Welling however, Erith and Belvedere came into the evening already two competitive games in. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that both teams used it as an opportunity to give their fringe players an opportunity to make a make a claim for a first team shirt, and for the respective managers to look at a couple of trialists.
Danny Lear had the first shot of the match for Erith, but it lacked power and Slovomir Huk saved easily then Cameron Andrews fired over for the Wings after they moved it around well from a corner.
New Erith signing Tom Borders then bore down on goal only to be thwarted by an outstanding tackle by Eric Wilhelm before the Deres’ goalkeeper Michael Crabbe came out smartly to thwart Tom Leahy who had been put in behind by James Dyer’s clipped through ball.
Midway through the first half, the Wings went ahead. Leahy burst forward and, despite being pulled back, he used his strength to send Andrews through and he made no mistake when slotting home.
Lear came close to levelling with a glancing header from Bobby Dunn’s corner that just missed the far post before a combination of Scott Simmons and Huk kept out Borders. John Ufuah’s dangerous cross was headed over his own bar by Erith’s Tom Fitzgerald then Welling’s recognisable left back trialist crossed, Leahy flicked it on, and Henry Sinai was thwarted by an excellent save by Crabbe.
Sinai was unable to finish when the trialist delivered a deep cross, then Ufuah had a near post shot saved by Crabbe. Leahy twisted and turned and had a shot deflected wide however, it was the Deres who scored the next goal on the stroke of half time. Dunn’s free kick clipped the defensive wall to take it into the top corner.
Both managers made changes at the break and Dunn had the first attempt of the second half. He chanced his arm with another free kick but this time, he was well off target.
Dyer had a shot saved comfortably by Erith’s substitute goalkeeper Danny Alexander before Welling went ahead twelve minutes after the restart. Dyer crossed, Ufuah flicked it on, and Leahy finished from close range.
Alexander did well to smother at the feet of a Welling trialist making his first appearance for the club before Macey Malyon hooked well wide for the Deres. An Erith trialist looked lively, and was twice thwarted by Huk. He then snatched at a shot from twenty-five yards and it flew well wide.
Three minutes remained when Welling added a third. A cross was half cleared and the new trialist fired home from eighteen yards.
Welling United: Huk; Lewis, Simmons, Wilhelm (Majoyegbe 46), Trialist A; J. Leahy (Trialist B 46); Sinai (Evans 58), Andrews (Antonio 58), Ufuah; Dyer; T. Leahy (Cundle 72).
Unused substitute: Norman.
Goals: Andrews (22), T. Leahy (57), Trialist (87)
Erith and Belvedere: Crabbe (Alexander 46); Jarvis (Ford 62), Anderson (Trialist B 79), Fitzgerald, Morrison; Dunn (Whitlock 72), Melconian (Morgan 62); Lear (Trialist A 46), Malyon (Broomes 90), Broomes (Baker 62); Borders.
Unused substitutes: None.
Goals: Dunn (45)