The first of four successive fixtures on the road begins on Saturday, as Aaron Downes’ United side heads to Kent to face Welling.
After overcoming the same opponents 5-1 at Plainmoor earlier in the season, United will be hoping for more of the same as they head to Kent on Saturday. However, since the appointment of Rod Stringer in January, The Wings form has picked up and they will be looking to take the points at Park View Road when the two teams meet.
Who’s the Boss?
Following the departure of Danny Bloor, Rod Stringer was appointed as The Wings First-Team Manager back in January. A vastly experienced manager in the non-league circuit, Stringer’s arrival saw the 56-year-old bring with him a track record of success in non-league.
Stringer’s first managerial position was with Essex club Aveley, where he went on to guide The Millers to the Isthmian Division One North title in 2009. In 2011, he made the switch to Braintree Town where he went on to enjoy further success, this time guiding The Iron to the National League South title, his second promotion as a manager.
A five year stint at Bishop’s Stortford followed before in 2016 he moved onto Chelmsford City. Stringer guided City to three play-off campaigns before departing in 2020. Following the pandemic, in October 2021, he was appointed manager at Brentwood Town and led the side to the Isthmian Division One North play-off final, prior to his departure in February last year.
Stringer was appointed at Welling with the aim of guiding The Wings away from the bottom four of the National League South, and is assisted by former Tottenham Hotspur, Rotherham United and Colchester United midfielder Kevin Watson. Stringer and Watson’s impact was immediate, as the side ran out 2-1 winners against Hemel Hempstead Town in their first fixture in the dugout, which marked the beginning of a seven game unbeaten run in the league.
How have they been doing?
The Wings currently sit in 17th place, three points above United but having played one game more. With 42 fixtures completed, Welling’s points tally is made up from 11 wins, 15 draws and 16 defeats. With a mixture of results in recent weeks, since the arrival of Rod Stringer at the end of January, The Wings have only tasted defeat twice in their last fifteen league outings. In recent months the side have also enjoyed victory over league leaders Yeovil Town (1-0), and a draw against play-off chasers Braintree Town (2-2). Meanwhile their latest result saw them hold fourth placed Maidstone United to a 1-1 draw at the Gallagher Stadium on Monday.
Played for Both
Tyrone Marsh spent time on loan at Park View Road where he scored ten goals in twenty appearances for The Wings in a temporary switch from Oxford United during the 2014/15 season. It was in the summer of 2015 Marsh then made the move to Plainmoor where he scored seven goals in 19 appearances for United.
Having began his career at Oxford United, the forward was a graduate of the U’s academy and Tyrone made his first-team debut in August 2012 in the Football League Cup. After tallying 14 senior appearances for Oxford, Marsh went on to feature for Ebbsfleet and Dover, as well as United, before signing on at Macclesfield Town in the summer of 2017, where he enjoyed two years, as the Silkmen won the National League title in 2017/18, during which the now 30-year-old made 44 appearances in all competitions and scored ten goals.
After one season in the Football League with Macclesfield, following the termination of his contract at Moss Rose, Marsh signed on at Boreham Wood in the summer of 2019. A successful season followed as during the covid-19 curtailed season, Marsh scored 15 goals in 40 appearances. However, the following season he opted to move back into the EFL with Stevenage, but a lack of game time saw Marsh return to Meadow Park in February 2021.
Marsh was part of the Boreham Wood Emirates FA Cup side that reached the Fifth Round, and also scored the winner against AFC Wimbledon. A firm fan favourite at Meadow Park, there was delight for Boreham Wood supporters when it was announced that the striker had extended his contract at the Hertfordshire side for another two years back in April 2022, seeing Marsh spend his fifth season with The Wood.
Player to Watch
Defender Jack Burchell progressed through the youth ranks at Watford, before moving onto Eastbourne Borough in October 2022. Described as a right-footed centre-back, Jack went on to feature 26 times for The Boro in the National League South last season, under former Wings boss Danny Bloor. It was under Bloor during his tenure as Welling boss that Jack was initially brought to Park View Road on a pre-season trial last summer and after impressing in the trial, signed on with The Wings.
So far this season the 21-year-old has made 28 appearances and scored three goals for the Kent outfit, including the opener against Braintree last month in which The Wings secured a draw, and more recently, scored Welling’s only goal in their 4-1 defeat at Chippenham in March.
Previous Encounter
Torquay United 5 – 1 Welling United, Saturday 21st October 2023, National League South
Things didn’t start well, as it was Kain Adom who opened the scoring for The Wings, however, The Gulls responded in style with penalty-specialist Aaron Jarvis levelling things up from the spot, before Brett McGavin produced another show-stopper to extend United’s advantage at the change of ends. The second period saw Torquay further extend their lead, with Shaun Donnellan, Jarvis via another penalty, and Jack Stobbs sealing a handsome victory.
| Welling United v Torquay United | Saturday 6th April 2024, 3pm KO | Park View Road, Welling, DA16 1SF | Official TUFC Radio | Tickets |