On Saturday afternoon, Welling United and Cray Wanderers contest an Isthmian League Premier Division derby.

It has been a strange period for the Wings as this will be their third home match in a row after nine consecutive league and cup away games.

Hopes that their homecoming would bring some joy as they were beaten three-nil at home and then two-one at home to Burgess Hill Town. That leaves them in penultimate place in the league table.

Tom O’Shea’s Wands have been having a better season and are in seventh place in the table on twenty-four points from seventeen matches.

However, their most recent outing was on Tuesday when they had something of a horror show when crashing eight-one at high flying Folkestone Invicta. They were four down after twenty-six minutes with Jake Hutchinson, Ben Mason (twice) and Joe Pigott on the score-sheet. Quade Taylor pulled one back before Mason completed his hat-trick before half time.

Pigott scored again early in the second period before Hutchinson scored twice more to also claim a hat-trick match ball.

At home, Welling have only won once and lost six (they are yet to draw a match home or away, league or cup) while the Wands’ record on the road is one win once, six draws, and just one defeat. 

This will probably be Rod Stringer’s last match as Welling interim manager and he will be hoping to sign off with a win. However, O’Shea will want a reaction from the Folkestone defeat, and with both teams in the lower reaches of the form guide, it could be a tight encounter.