1,466 fans watched on as Nail McManus opened play for the Wanderers on an overcast October afternoon at Meadowbank. 

Despite a quiet start with no shots in the first ten minutes, we controlled possession. Our first chance came from Jack Young, who struck from the edge of the box—a range reminiscent of his brace against Salisbury—but his effort didn’t trouble Welling’s keeper, Rhys Lovett.

Staying on the attack, Alfie Rutherford forced a solid save from Lovett after winning the ball from a corner and firing a half-volley through a crowded box.

Welling responded quickly with a break down the left, setting up Chiori Johnson, who sent a powerful shot skimming the crossbar.

The high-tempo nature of the game continued, and Jason Prior soon capitalised on a defensive lapse, squaring the ball to Rutherford, who slotted it home to put us ahead in the 18th minute. 1-0

Attacking with intent, Welling’s TJ Bramble forced Harrison Foulkes into a sharp, close-range save, diving to his right to palm the ball around the post. The subsequent corner produced another shot, which Foulkes comfortably gathered.

We thought we’d doubled our lead when Lovett collided with Rutherford, and the loose ball fell to McManus, who found the net. However, the referee called a foul on the keeper. The incident consequently forced manager Marc White to substitute Rutherford for Theo Alexandrou, while Welling had to replace goalkeeper Lovett with midfielder TJ Bramble.

Our final chance of the half came as Theo whipped in a great cross to find Prior at the back post, but his shot failed to hit the target.

Half time: Dorking Wanderers 1 – 0 Welling United. 

Now attacking towards The Bank, we had the first chance of the half, forcing Bramble into his debut save. Jimmy Muitt feinted skillfully before firing a shot, which Welling’s makeshift goalkeeper blocked with his left leg. Shortly after, Bramble was called into action again, this time using his leg to deny a powerful, low drive from Josh Brooking at the edge of the area.

Welling struggled to generate chances at the start of the second half, with their first attempt coming from Anointed Chukwu, who blasted the ball over the bar and out of the ground.

Our second and third substitutions came just after the hour mark, with Jordan Norville-Williams and Jimmy Muitt making way for Seb Bowerman and Matthew Briggs.

Compared to the lively first half, the second was relatively uneventful until substitute Theo Alexandrou seized a bouncing ball on the edge of Welling’s area. He deftly lifted it over a defender’s head and volleyed it into the back of the net, marking his first goal for the Wanderers and doubling our lead. 2-0

Welling wasted no time responding, quickly earning an indirect free kick in our penalty area after a back pass. The kick reached Chiori Johnson, who managed to deflect the ball past Foulkes, halving our lead. 2-1

We came close to restoring our two goal cushion at the ninety minute mark as McManus floated in a lofted cross, finding the head of Jason Prior who narrowly missed the target. 

The final kick of the match fell to Chukuwu, who’s powerful strike went straight into the arms of Harrison Foulkes, sealing the win for White’s men. Join us on Tuesday the 5th of November as we look to extend our solid home form, having claimed ten points from a possible twelve in recent weeks.