Manager Garry Haylock was forced to change his winning combination against previously unbeaten Welling United at Church Road on Saturday afternoon as injury and illness robbed him of Delroy Preddie and Esmond James. This led to a home debut for Aaron Howe in goal and a place back in the starting line-up for James Mulley, their places on the bench being taken by Steve Perkins and youth team keeper Simon Grant.

Hayes & Yeading started the game well and created three openings in the opening ten minutes without forcing a save from Wings stopper Jamie Turner. Firstly a Ram Marwa cross was headed over by Will Hendry and just minutes later Hendry won possession from a Welling defender and set up Kieran Knight who was denied by a well timed Matthew McEntegert tackle. On ten minutes James Mulley raced into the Wings area before pulling the ball back to Danny Allen-Page who connected poorly and as the ball headed for Knight a couple of yards from goal a Turner touch took it onto the strikers shin and over the bar.

The next half an hour of play really disappeared into the mists of time as neither side got near to troubling the keepers, the game did however wake up again four minutes from the break as Welling created three chances for themselves in just a few minutes. A perfect throughball saw Charlie Sheringham poke the ball past the on-coming Aaron Howe with a goal looking certain but for the perfect sliding clearance by skipper Tom Cadmore. Sheringham then went close with a diving header from Ryan Martin's free-kick before the same pair combined with Martin firing wide from 18 yards.

The second half was to have a few more chances and three goals, albeit two from the spot. The first effort came from the home side when Steven Gregory set up Allen-Page but his drive from distance was just a little too high to trouble Turner. Eleven minutes had been played when the ever tricky Ellis Green broke past Neil Martin in the area and a trip sent the winger to the ground with referee Mr McCoy correctly pointing to the spot. Sheringham stepped up and despite choosing the right direction Howe could not get a hand to the well placed spot kick.

Two minutes later it could have been curtains for Hayes & Yeading as a neat throughball sent Martin against Howe, he slipped the ball past the keeper only to find his way blocked by the ever tenacious Cadmore who again cleared his lines in superb fashion. We had reached the mid-point of the half and Josh Scott sent Hendry into the area where he was tripped by Lee Blackburn and Mr McCoy again correctly pointed to the spot. As cool as you like, Scott stepped up and bagged his third spot kick in four outings by sending Turner the wrong way.

Just four minutes later Scott was replaced by Staforde Palmer who took his place with relish and six minutes later won the game for the home side. Allen-Page crossed from the right hand side and as the ball sailed over Turner's fingertips the striker was there to net a rare headed goal. Less than 30 seconds later the Wings thought they had levelled, substitute Sol Pinnock held off Cadmore before firing past Howe from the acutest of angles only to be penalised for a push on the defender.

The only chance of note in the final ten minutes saw Welling substitute Dorian Smith almost beat his own keeper as he intercepted an Allen-Page cross but Turner saved well at the foot of his post.

Report by Kevin Watts. Photos by Ray Peploe.

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