Welling United 1-1 Dartford - There's no blame on Lee Clarke, says Wings boss Jamie Day

WELLING UNITED  1-1  DARTFORD
Blue Square Bet South
Monday 26^th December 2011
Paul Parkinson reports from Park View Road

Honours even then after a competitive Blue Square Bet South Kent derby at Park View Road, but a game that both sides will believe they should have won.  

Welling came within four minutes of maintaining the gap at the top to Woking after Lee Clarke’s 38th minute penalty saw the hosts go in ahead, in a half where the visitors had dominated for long periods.  

But substitute Lee Noble’s 90th minute equaliser, after Welling had Joe Healy receive a straight red on his birthday and Clarke had missed a second penalty, ensured that both sets of supporters had some late Christmas cheer.

Both managers accepted the point, with Wings’ Jamie Day admitting, “I thought that first 20 minutes they came out livelier than us and started well, without really causing us problems, but they looked busier.”

“But once we got the ball down and started to play, for me, I thought there was only one team who would win the game.  We’re just unlucky that we didn’t.  

“I don’t know whether it was because it’s derby, but we looked a little hesitant.  But we got a bit more calm and showed our quality.”

“We started the second half in control, on the front foot, and played some good stuff.   I thought with 10 men we really looked on top and thought we might win the game.  We had some good opportunities, although they’ve had one off the line, I didn’t seem them causing us any problems.  It felt fairly comfortable.””

Opposite number, Tony Burman concurred saying, “I thought it was a decent game.  Both sides tried to play football and it was a good Boxing Day game.  I felt we were the better side first half, but they’ve had a good ten minutes at the end.  

“To be fair, we’ve still played ok, but we felt we needed a bit more quality in the last third of the field, and we didn’t have that until we scored.  But that’s not down to individuals, that’s just our crosses weren’t what they should be.  

“We’ve done well to get in behind them, but we couldn’t create that into goals.””

Dartford started the game quicker and had the first two efforts, albeit from outside the box.  Jon Wallis mishit a volley, then Tom Champion’s 20-yard drive was well held at his right post by debutant Welling keeper Nick Pope.

While Welling were trying to get a foothold, resorting to hitting hopeful balls over the Dartford back four, Wallis had another effort slide past the right hand post just before the half hour.

The hosts’ first effort came in the 34th minute, with Day curling a free kick into the arms of Louis Wells, but the Welling forwards were starting to find space in the Dartford back line.

Loick Pires latched onto a long ball into the box, turned Matt Jones then, as Pires broke away, he stumbled over the full- back’s outstretched leg and referee Mr Breakspear pointed to the spot.  

Clarke stepped up to fire his penalty beyond the arms of Wells into the top left corner; his 10th goal (and seventh successful spot kick) of the season.

In reply, Tom Bonner met a Ryan Hayes corner, but his goalbound header was cleared off the line by Gillingham loanee, Jack Evans.  

From the clearance, Welling broke quickly, and Evans showed his energy by picking up the ball on the halfway line, driving into the Dartford box, before cutting a low cross back to Luis Cumbers, whose first time effort was skied into Park View Road.

Dartford came close to an equaliser ten minutes into the second half, as Elliot Bradbrook outjumped Pope, who has just signed on loan from Charlton Athletic, but saw his glancing header shave the right hand post.

Pires, in reply, saw a speculative 30-yarder curl away from Wells’ goal, before the major flashpoint of the half.

A full-blooded challenge saw both Tom Champion and Joe Healy slide in together within the Welling half, but the ensuing 16-man melee allowed Mr Breakspear a chance to assess the challenge and issue Healy with a red card; not the birthday present the Welling man would have wanted.  Champion was also cautioned, although more for trying to regain his feet having been felled in the initial challenge, but then going back down after hobbling a few yards.

Both managers understandably had differing views on the challenge; Burman said: “I think he (Healy) has gone for the ball.  I don’t think he’s gone in to hurt Champs, but he is late, there’s no two ways about it.   I can’t tell whether he’s got both feet off the floor or not, but it’s a late challenge and sometimes it’s a yellow, sometimes the ref gives a red.””

Whereas Day thought it was harsh, adding, “Everyone’s got different opinions, but in mine, I felt Joe got the ball first, but followed through onto (Champion).  Their player has gone in the same way, but ours gets a red.  I can’t understand how ours get a red and theirs gets a yellow.  For me it’s a poor decision, but all credit to the boys, they’ve put in a good performance and kept pushing with ten men.””

Although reduced to 10 men, you wouldn’t have known it from the Welling response.  From a long Pope dropkick, Andy Pugh found room to turn Connor Eassam, but curled his effort from the edge of the box into the crowd.

A Wallis cross gave Tony Garrod the chance to level, but his header was straight at Pope, whose clearance set Jack Obersteller away on the left.  The full back drove deep into the Dartford defence before releasing Cumbers inside the area.  Cumbers pulled the ball back to Pugh, whose shot took a deflection off the recovering Jones and crashed back off the face of the bar with Wells beaten.

The Darts keeper had to be alert to tip another Day free kick over the bar, and Cumbers fired a shot over from a tight angle with men in support.

With a minute of normal time remaining, it looked as though Welling would seal the points, as Cumbers’ cross from the right was deflected behind by Bonner, only to see Mr Bakalarz put his flag across his chest, indicating for a penalty.  

Burman defended Bonner when asked about the incident saying, “Tom has said it hit him in the belly – he would say that - but the assistant’s given it, and sometimes it goes against you.  Two-nil would have been very harsh.””

With Clarke looking to double his tally, up stepped Wells, who had been at fault for a recent goal in the 3-2 defeat to Woking, to save the day.  

Clarke’s well struck spot-kick was heading towards the right corner, when Wells made a full length save to keep his side in the game.

And within 35 seconds, Dartford were level, as Hayes found himself with time on the left wing, swung a curling right foot cross into the danger area, where the smallest man on the pitch, Noble, rose to glance the ball into the left corner to rescue the point.

Day was disappointed to have missed out on the points, having held out for over half an hour, but wouldn’t blame his penalty taker.  

He said: “I don’t normally watch the penalties, but I know Clarkey is disappointed and in the end we’ve got a point instead of three.  

“At Two-up it would have sewn the game up, but it happens.  Lee’s scored and missed other penalties during the season and although it’s disappointing, but there’s no blame on Clarkey.”

Day added:  “It’s probably their first quality ball into the box.  Sometimes you have to hold your hands up, say it’s a decent ball undefendable and the lad has got in & headed it.  We’re disappointed because it’s the only decent delivery of the second half, and with the size of all their players, the littlest one nods it in.””

Even Burman seemed amazed that it had been Noble on the end of the cross, but praised his midfielder, by saying, “We’ve got a goal from the littlest player on the field.  He’s come on, he’s a bundle of energy, just coming back from an ankle injury and he’s probably unlucky not to have started today.”

“With Champs (Tom Champion) and Jon Wallis both having yellow cards, something could have happened and the referee might have evened it up, we took them off and it’s worked for us.   We’ve come here and I thought we thoroughly deserved to get something from the game.”

Welling United:  Nick Pope, Jack Evans, Jack Obersteller (Jordan Johnson 87), Jamie Day, Jack Parkinson , Ben Martin, Joe Healy, Lee Clarke, Luis Cumbers, Andy Pugh, Loick Pires.
Subs: Andy Sambrook, Anthony Acheampong, Ryan Dolby, Tamer Tuna.

Goal: Lee Clarke 38 (pen)

Booked: Jack Parkinson 54, Jamie Day 69, Lee Clarke 72

Sent Off: Joe Healy 58

Dartford: Louis Wells, Matt Jones, Adam Green, Tom Bonner, Connor Essam, Tom Champion (Richard Graham 72), Ryan Hayes, Jon Wallis (Lee Noble 77), Tony Garrod (Jacob Erskine 72), Elliot Bradbrook, Danny Harris.
Subs: James Rogers, Deren Ibrahim

Goal: Lee Noble 90

Booked:  Jon Wallis 49, Tom Champion 58, Tom Bonner 89

Attendance: 1,815
Referee: Mr Charles Breakspear (Walton-on-Thames, Surrey)
Assistants: Mr Adam Bakalarz (Bromley) & Mr Thomas Ellams (Tadworth, Surrey)