Kentish Football 
Welling United 4-2 Eastleigh - Lee Clarke is a fantastic asset, says Wings boss Jamie Day
Tuesday 29th March 2011
WELLING UNITED 4-2 EASTLEIGH
Blue Square Bet South
Tuesday 29th March 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Park View Road
WELLING UNITED kept the pressure up on the two sides above them thanks to central midfielder Lee Clarke scoring all four goals against physical Eastleigh.
Eastleigh opened the scoring through a controversial penalty after Clarke was adjudged to have handled inside the penalty box - although the ball hit him in the face with his left arm raised above his head - before Clarke levelled with a 25th minute header and he gave Welling the lead on the stroke of half-time with a right-footed penalty, which saw Eastleigh reduced to ten-men when right-back Warren Goodhind was red-carded for pulling back Andy Pugh inside the box.
Clark scored the complete hat-trick with a left-footed chip early in the second half, before Eastleigh grabbed a second with fourteen minutes remaining, before Clarke wrapped up a fine evening with a late right-footed penalty.
Eastleigh were smarting, having lost 4-1 at home to the Wings only ten days earlier, but they were no match for the Kent side once again.
Welling United have certainly scored goals for fun in March with 19 goals coming from seven games and this rich reign of form has now consolidated their place in the top three in the Blue Square Bet South table, with only six games left to play.
Eastleigh arrived at Park View Road in eighth place - just four points behind the Wings - thanks to a run of six wins from their last eleven league games - but all they seemed to do was kick anything that moved in a red shirt and referee Christopher O’Donnell only dished out two cards - one yellow, one red - when punishments should have been handed out to Jamie Brown, Ian Herring and Danny Smith on challenges on Day and Cumbers (twice) respectively.
“The thing is with teams like Eastleigh,” said Wings player-manager Jamie Day, “You know what you’re going to get. They’re going to be strong, they’re going to be physical, they’re going to put the ball in the right areas and I felt over the last two months we’ve probably dealt better with those type of teams than we have done in the past.
“I think maybe three or four months ago, we may have caved in a little bit but the boys have been excellent and have showed a good spirit and dealt with what’s been thrown at them.”
Thankfully, the side that wanted to play decent football won in the end, and heap pressure on leaders Braintree Town, as Welling United are now only six points behind the Essex side, who do have a game in hand.
Eastleigh were big and strong and the game was played at a high tempo, but Welling - who were playing a 4-3-3 formation - should have broken the deadlock inside thirteen minutes.
The impressive Loick Pires flicked a header into Pugh’s path and his low angled drive was blocked by visiting keeper Jason Matthews and Cumbers (who got up after being flattened by Goodhind) smashed the follow up over the crossbar.
Welling goalkeeper John Whitehouse comfortably picked up a rolling shot from Shaun McAuley, who struck an ambitious right-footed drive from 30-yards, before the Hampshire side grabbed the lead in controversial fashion in the 20th minute.
Wings skipper Jack Parkinson’s poor back pass released Tony Taggart down the left and he looped a cross towards the far post and Brown’s header smacked Clarke - who raised his left arm above his head - but made contact with the ball with the side of his face.
But the referee pointed to the spot and booked the Welling number 8 - and Taggart stepped up and beat Whitehouse to his left, although the keeper guessed the right way, to score his tenth goal of the season.
“Clarkey said it hit him in the face and I believe it hit him in the face,” said Day.
“Luckily it hasn’t caused us any problems and we’ve got away with it. I’m not going to harp on about it now but I didn’t think it was (a penalty).
Welling United assistant manager, Barry Ashby, told his players to “settle down, let’s get it down,” as there was a sense of injustice in the manner of how the opening goal was scored.
But there was a sense of justice when the Wings swiftly levelled in the 25th minute.
Jack Obersteller whipped in an excellent curling free-kick with his left-foot which only needed a glancing touch off Clarke’s head at the near post, which sailed into the net from five-yards.
Day felt it was a trademark Clarke goal, saying, “Typically, a Clarkey goal. He arrives in the box just on time and he’s scored a number of goals like that this year and hopefully he can continue to do that.”
McAuley and Smith cracked volley’s from outside of the Welling penalty box, but the first effort was saved by Whitehouse, the other screamed over.
Eastleigh squandered an excellent chance to regain the lead when the ball found it’s way to Goodhind, who floated a cross into the penalty area, which was headed back across goal by Taggart but the unmarked Tom Jordan (a central defender) headed wide.
Eastleigh were made to pay for that miss as Welling took the lead on the stroke of half-time and the visitors’ were reduced to ten-men, from which they never recovered.
Pires’ chipped pass released Pugh, who was pulled back by Goodhind inside the penalty box and referee Mr O’Donnell produced a straight red-card for Goodhind and Clarke stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way with a left-footed penalty, which nestled into the bottom left-hand corner.
Clarke scored his “complete hat-trick” in the 51st minute.
Pires was released down the inside right channel and centred for Clarke, who under pressure, sent a looping left-footed chip over the outstretched arms of the stranded Matthews and in underneath the crossbar of an empty goal, from 22-yards.
Day added: “Complete hat-trick. I’m really pleased for him. He’s done really well this year and to get four goals is a massive achievement and hopefully we can get a few more goals out of him in the last six games.”
Despite being a man short for the entire second half, Eastleigh adopted some attacking tactics and striker Brown had a couple of decent chances just after the hour-mark.
Firstly, Taggart whipped in a left-footed free-kick close to the right-hand side corner flag, and Brown directed a near post header, which sailed wide and within a minute he was denied by Whitehouse’s legs after he slid an angled driven shot towards goal.
Clarke felt he had scored goal number four in the 65th minute when a flick from Pires released Cumbers down the right and his cut back was hooked across Matthews and back where it came.
A game of head-tennis in and around the Welling box finally saw the home side break with Pugh, who ignored the run of his skipper Parkinson to his left, and cracked a low right-footed drive, which was turned around the post by the diving Eastleigh keeper.
Although Welling were in cruise control, Eastleigh grabbed a second in the 76th minute.
A ball over the top down from the keeper down the inside left channel released substitute Richard Gillespie, who shrugged off the attentions of Graeme Andrews (who ended up on the deck) and the number 16 drilled a low drive across Whitehouse and the ball nestled inside the bottom far corner of the net.
“Again, we said to the boys at the end, we’re comfortable at 3-1 and we can’t afford to give silly mistakes away because at some stage from now and the end of the season we’re going to get caught out and it could be three-all and a point instead of three,” bemoaned Day.
“So we need to keep mentally switched on and we need to keep focused, otherwise we could get caught out. It wouldn’t be deserved it they did get one (point).”
Day curled a right-footed free-kick over the near post before Welling scored repeated their four goal haul at Eastleigh just ten days ago, when Clarke scored his fourth goal of the night and his fourteenth goal of the season in the 86th minute.
Day played the ball over the top of the Eastleigh defence to release the unstoppable Pires, who cut in to the penalty box and was brought down by Jordan, and Clarke sent the keeper the wrong way with another clinically struck penalty, again, with his right foot.
Clarke “fully deserved” his standing ovation when he was substituted near the end and Day paid tribute to the midfielder, who hails from Peterborough.
Day said: “For a central midfielder to get fourteen goals is a fantastic achievement - so far. I want him to get more. He’s scored a lot of goals this year and hopefully he can keep scoring.
“You know with Clarkey, he can nick you a goal. Technically, he’s a very good player. We keep saying to him he needs to work on (things) defensively but if he’s going to get fourteen goals a season you can allow him to be a little bit sloppy defensively at times. Going forward he’s a fantastic asset.
“He travels a long way and credit to him. He’s here for training Tuesday and Wednesday nights, fairly rarely misses training. He was late tonight actually, but we’ll let him off as he scored four!”
Reflecting on the game, Day added, “Pleasing night. We said to the lads before hand that it’s going to be a very difficult game. Obviously they were going to have a go and be up for it as we beat them ten days ago.
“I thought they started well and put us under a bit of pressure, but I’m pleased to get the three points.”
Welling United: John Whitehouse, Andy Sambrook, Jack Obersteller, Anthony Acheampong, Graeme Andrews, Jack Parkinson, Jamie Day, Lee Clarke (Ryan Dolby 89), Luis Cumbers, Andy Pugh (Loui Fazakerley 81), Loick Pires.
Subs: Louis Dennis, Liam Bellamy, Jamie Coyle
Goals: Lee Clarke 25, 45 (pen), 51, 86 (pen)
Booked: Lee Clarke 19
Eastleigh: Jason Matthews, Warren Goodhind, Luke Byles, Ian Herring (Ross Bottomley 46), Tom Jordan, Chris Holland, Shaun McAuley (Richard Gillespie 71), Danny Smith, Jamie Brown, Tony Taggart, Richard Graham (Anthony Riviere 57).
Subs: Peter Adeniyi, Gareth Barfoot
Goals: Tony Taggart 20 (pen), Richard Gillespie 76
Booked: Luke Byles 84
Sent Off: Warren Goodhind 45
Attendance: 479
Referee: Mr Christopher O’Donnell (Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire)
Assistants: Mr Isaac Jempeji (Alperton, Middlesex) & Mr Daniel Dodd (Walton-on-Thames, Surrey)
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd