Welling 1
(Adigun 34′)
United 0
Ten-man United suffered defeat on the road on Saturday, as Welling ran out single-goal winners at Park View Road.
After Ross Marshall received his marching orders midway through the first half, it was Welling’s Jason Adigun that eventually settled matters, with his first half strike proving to be the difference between the two sides.
United Interim Manager Aaron Downes decided to make two amendments to the side that drew 3-3 at home to Weston-super-Mare on Monday, as Kevin Dawson and Duane Ofori-Acheampong replaced Brett McGavin and Brad Ash, who both dropped down to the bench.
The Gulls started the match well by launching a number of raids into the home half, with a number of dangerous crosses into the box just lacking the final touch.
Although The Wings were also looking a threat down the flanks, Downes’ men appeared to be managing the threat until the match took a decisive turn in the 24th minute.
As Reece Grant looked to launch a swift counter, Marshall was forced to act, and after mistiming his challenge on the Wings attacker, the referee wasted little time in producing a straight red card and giving The Gulls’ centre back his marching orders.
Things soon went from bad to worse.
After cushioning the blow of Marshall’s absence by introducing Ollie Tomlinson immediately after the dismissal, United were hamstrung further just moments later, as the returning Dawson pulled up chasing a ball forward.
McGavin took his place, but by now, Torquay’s best laid plans has well and truly gone out the window.
To round off a nightmare ten-minute spell, the hosts took full advantage by getting their noses in front on 34 minutes.
After finding himself in space on the left-hand side of the box, Adigun fired a diagonal shot at goal that caught Gulls goalkeeper Mark Halstead out, and put his side 1-0 up.
The home side hadn’t created too many fully-fledged goalscoring opportunities up until that breakthrough, and they didn’t do again for the remainder of the first period.
With the remaining ten players left with no option but to tackle the hand they had been dealt, it was to their credit that they so nearly restored parity during the first fifteen minutes of the second half.
In the 52nd minute, a packed goalmouth was freed up after Ofori-Acheampong won his flick-on to head his near-post into the path of the rising tom Lapslie behind, but although the midfielder was just eight yards out, he was unable to get over the ball enough to steer the ball under the crossbar, rather than over it.
The pressure didn’t let up there.
After McGavin saw his shot from the edge of the box deflected wide of stranded glovesman Riece Charles-Cook three minutes later, The Gulls went close again soon after.
This time the invitation came from the opposite flank, as Arkell Jude-Boyd sent in a teasing cross to the far post, and although Ofori-Acheampong was afforded the space to connect six yards out, the imposing frontman couldn’t get a clean contact on the ball, as his scuffed effort missed the target.
Sensing that the game was now well and truly in the balance, the hosts eventually heeded the warnings.
Although they were largely reduced to creating chances on the counter attack rather than though spells of sustained pressure, they did produce a couple of opportunities to put the game to bed, however on both occasions shots failed to hit the target, with Reece Grant blazed over, before substitute Gene Kenedy fired wide.
The Gulls continued to give as good as they got, although a string of corners ended up somewhat betraying them, as they failed to seriously trouble Charles-Cook in the dying stages.
All is certainly not lost, but the games continued to get more important – beginning with Truro at Gloucester in just 48 hours time.
WELLING: 13. Reice Charles-Cook, 2. Crosley Lema, 3. Cameron Green (4. Joe Ellul, 58′), 8. Reece Grant, 10. Anthony Grant (c), 11. David Amoo (23. Gene Kennedy, 62′), 14. Antony Papadopoulos, 18. Jack Birchill, 19. Riccardo Di Trolio, 20. Jason Adigun, 24. Lachlan Byrd.
SUBS NOT USED: 9. Adam Roscrow, 12. Chiori Johnson, 22. Jack Munns.
Yellow Card: Adigun 78′, Papadopoulos 90′
UNITED: 1. Mark Halstead, 2. Arkell Jude-Boyd, 4. Tom Lapslie (11. Brad Ash, 77′), 6. Ross Marshall, 8. Asa Hall, 18. Will Jenkins Davies, 19. Duane Ofori-Acheampong, 21. Dean Moxey, 27. Jack Stobbs, 28. Kevin Dawson (14. Brett McGavin, 29′), 30. Ethon Archer (23. Ollie Tomlinson, 25′).
SUBS NOT USED: 22. Rhys Lovett, 10. Lewis Collins.
Yellow Card: Jenkins Davies 45+3′
Red Card: Marshall 24′