Uxbridge turned the formbook upside down and ripped it into pieces at Parkview Road. George Talbot’s side arrived in Kent for this FA Trophy tie lying fourth from bottom in the Ryman Division One table, having not won away from home since the opening day of the season and having only kept two clean sheets since August. Welling meanwhile have only just been relegated from the Conference and were only two points off third place in the Dr Martens Premier Division. On paper then this was the home banker of the day and that was the way the match began. Tony Dolby and Russell Edwards both hit long-range efforts narrowly wide for Welling in the opening ten minutes and it took the Reds until the eighteenth minute to mount their first serious threat to the home sides goal when Lee Tunnell headed a Gavin Bamford cross wide. Although Welling enjoyed plenty of possession in the first half they found it hard to penetrate the Uxbridge defence, with new signing Alan Hamlet slotting in well along side Kevin Cleary. In fact Reds goalkeeper Sean Dawson wasn’t called upon to make a save until three minutes before the interval, pushing away Dean Canoville’s header, but Uxbridge gave an indication of what was to come in first half injury time when Tunnell’s volley from another Gavin Bamford cross was well saved by Glen Knight in the home goal. Welling came out strongly after the break and Zeke Rowe, heading wide, and Paul Whitmarsh, shooting wide after Mark Weedon had lost his footing, both went close before Dawson saved a twenty-yard effort from Mike Rutherford. Rutherford also went close on two other occasions but just as the home side looked to be taking control they were stunned by an Uxbridge goal on sixty-two minutes. The Reds were awarded a free kick on the corner of the penalty area, Dean Clarke curled a perfectly flighted ball into the six-yard box and Stuart Bamford lost his marker to head past Knight. Having been sent off the previous Saturday it was the perfect way for the young defender to atone. Referee Mr Creighton unfortunately didn’t agree though and a few minutes later he booked the Reds goalscorer for the crime of throwing a corner flag to the ground, though unbelievably the corner flag didn’t even get a talking to! With the home crowd beginning to get restless, Welling sought out an equaliser but were continually frustrated. John Budden blasted a twenty-five yard free kick well wide and then substitute Sam Saunders powerful shot was well blocked by Cleary seven minutes from time. However, with gaps opening at the other end Reds substitute Chris Moore forced a decent save from Knight after Gavin Bamford had carved out an opening. In the final minute midfield general Clark played a short corner into the path of Gavin Bamford and his shot took a wicked deflection off a Welling defender to give Knight no chance and make the victory certain. It was a piece of good fortune which just might point towards this result being the one which could turn Uxbridge’s season around.

WELLING UNITED: Knight, Rowe, Dolby (Farley 73), Hone, Edwards, Budden, Riviere, Rutherford, Canoville (Saunders 78), Whitmarsh, Glover.

Subs not used: Chapman, Connelly, Watts

UXBRIDGE: Dawson, Mills (Granville 90), Hamlet, K.Cleary, Weedon, Walters (Moore 83), G.Bamford, Gill, Tunnell, S.Bamford, Clark.

Sub not used; Harrison