Welling United finish their season by hosting Southport on Saturday at Park View Road, kicking off at the unfamiliar, and rather unnecessary, time of 17:30.
Although results have tailed off in the last month, the Wings have exceeded their pre-season target by guaranteeing safety in March. They will be looking to go out with a flourish against a Southport team that only ensured they would also be competing in the Conference Premier again with victory over AFC Halifax on Easter Monday.
When the teams met earlier in the season, the game coincided with the Southport Air Show and after a half time fly-past by World War II fighter jets, the two teams put on their own display.
Lee Clarke put Welling ahead three minutes into the second period but Chris Almond soon equalised. The Sandgrounders went ahead through Danny Hattersley but Ross Lafayette restored parity with fourteen minutes remaining.
Two games in three days over the long weekend was tough for the small Welling squad so Jamie Day used the opportunity to give Coskun Ekim a league debut and Malik Ouani further first team experience on Easter Monday.
A mad spell between the 15th and 20th minute, in which Welling conceded three times, ensured that the Wings would return home from Salisbury empty handed but they were without the injured Lee Clarke, Kurtis Guthrie, Vasilious Karagiannis, Connor McLaren, Alfie Mawson and Quade Taylor with others carrying knocks.
It has been an excellent first season back at the top level in non league football for Welling, combined with the furthest they have reached in the F.A, cup for several years, so Day and his team deserve a good turnout to celebrate their achievements.
Picture supplied by Dave Budden.