A Josh Scott brace gave Hayes & Yeading United three points away from Church Road for the first time in more than three months and in doing so kept up the chase for a play off place.

Welling were first to unleash a shot in anger as Tony Sinclair tried his luck from the edge of the area but failed to trouble Delroy Preddie in the Hayes & Yeading goal and just five minutes later it was the visitors who took the lead when Will Hendry hit a perfect throughball from the centre circle that bisected the two centre-backs and Josh Scott advanced ten yards before firing past keeper Charlie Mitten from just inside the area, the ball nestling neatly just inside the near post.

The Wings came flying back with a couple of decent chances of their own. Charlie Sheringham received the ball inside the area but his shot on the turn was just wide of the post and then a minute later Moses Ademola was played in on goal in a fashion similar to that which Scott had scored, his finish though was not as assured because as Preddie came flying from goal and the ball ended up wide of the target.

Chances were being created at either end as the half progressed, Will Hendry saw a corner partially cleared to Dale Binns, he headed back into the mix and Matt Ruby then saw his shot well blocked by Graeme Andrews. At the other end Preddie easily dealt with a Sheringham header before Mitten kept the deficit to one when he dived full stretch to palm away a Binns volley from a perfectly executed Steven Gregory pass.

Still chances came and went. Loui Fazackerley and Ademola combined to set up Jack Parkinson but he shot wide from 20 yards out and this was closely followed by Hendry clipping the ball though to Scott who chipped the ball over Mitten's dive only for Andrews to clear his goalbound effort from inside the six yard box. Binns then put Hendry though but Mitten saved and then Hayes & Yeading had a let off at the other end when a deflected cross saw the ball fall to an unmarked Fazackerley at the far post, his shot came back off the underside of the crossbar and two Welling men got in each others way before it was hacked clear.

As the action packed half drew to a close both Hendry and Binns had efforts from range that went close but did not force Mitten into action.

Not surprisingly the second half did not have the same number of chances as the first, but it had enough to have enhanced the scoreline by more than just the one that Scott netted late on. The Wings started the half well and had a lot of possession without making any inroads until just before the hour mark when the ball was slipped to substitute James Baker who saw his shot deflected wide by Hendry who had tracked back to cover. Baker was also to get his head to the resultant corner but could not keep it down.

Sanchez Ming then latched on to a Baker flick but could only hit his shot into the ground and Preddie gathered comfortably. Still the home side continued to press for the equaliser, Ming fired wide from 20 yards and just a minute later the dangerous Fazackerley's cross was met by Baker who was denied by a diving Preddie save.

With 15 minutes remaining Hayes & Yeading found some forward motion of their own, Gary MacDonald crossed deep from the left, Esmond James headed the ball back into the middle, Staforde Palmer mis-hit his shot but the ball fell to Scott who saw his shot well blocked by Andrews. The corner that resulted was played short to Ram Marwa and he in turn helped it on to Binns who tried his luck with his weaker right foot only for his effort to be deflected wide.

The Wings then moved upfield again, a neat interchange ended with the ball coming to Ming some 35 yards from goal, his powerful drive going just wide of Preddie's upright. With nine minutes remaining Scott finally gave Hayes & Yeading some breathing space. James gained control of a bouncing ball and played it forwards to Palmer, he helped it on to strike partner Scott who once again buried his shot past Mitten's dive.

In the final four minutes both sides could have added to the score. Palmer led a break away and found James Mulley on the right, his cross was just too high for Palmer who then reacted quickly when Ming chested the ball back to him in the area but his volley went over Mitten's goal. At the other end in stoppage time, a corner from the left found Sinclair but his header was wide of the target thus providing Hayes & Yeading with an all too rare clean sheet and more importantly three points.

Report by Kevin Watts. Photos by Ray Peploe.

Match Highlights available at www.fcvideo.co.uk

Website United Man of the Match: Josh Scott.