Woking have won the league, admits Welling United boss Jamie Day

WELLING UNITED player-manager Jamie Day says his side must win half their remaining games to secure a play-off place.

The Wings play their first game of February on Tuesday night when sixth-from-bottom side Havant & Waterlooville visit Park View Road.

The original game five weeks ago was postponed within an hour of kick-off due to a frozen pitch and with his side in fourth-place in the Blue Square Bet (Conference) South table with 51 points from 27 games, Day wants to get back to winning ways.

“It’s been a long time.  I think it’s been three weeks so we’ve kept the boys’ ticking over and we’re looking forward to the game tomorrow night,” said Day.

Speaking about the Hampshire side, Day said: “I think they’ve done alright.  I know they’ve got beat but they’re not a bad side. I think perhaps they’re in a false league position and if we’re not at it and we don’t start fully focused and ready to go then we could come unstuck so we need to make sure that we go out there and start with the right tempo, hopefully set the pace and score an early goal.

Welling then travel to Dover Athletic next Saturday, followed by a trip to struggling Staines Town on 27 February.

Nicky Forster’s Dover climbed up to sixth-place in the table following their 3-1 home win over Truro City at the weekend and have collected 44 points from their 27 league outings.

The Crabble outfit are presently seven points adrift of the Wings, while Staines are presently third-from-bottom, five points adrift of fifth-bottom Bromley.

Day, 32, who enjoyed a spell with Dover Athletic earlier in his playing career, is expecting a tough Kent derby.

“It’s going to be a tough game away from home,” he said.

“They’ve picked up and done well in the last two or three months so they still believe they can get a play-off place.

“We just got to hopefully get a result on Tuesday, go there with confidence and see if we can get a result at the Crabble.”

Day added: “I look at the league and I think Dover, possibly Weston-super-Mare, are the only two at the minute, maybe Eastleigh, that can really mount a serious challenge.  As long as we can pick up points along the way, I think there’s fifteen games left, if we win half of them that should be enough.

“We’ll go there trying to win the game and if we can it keeps us that distance (away from Dover).  Hopefully we can get a win on Saturday and take it onto Monday’s game.”

League leaders Woking moved fourteen points clear of second placed Dartford following their 1-0 home win over Tony Burman’s side at the weekend.

The Surrey outfit are seventeen points clear of the Wings, who have two games in hand.

Day admitted: “I said a good month ago, I think Woking are going to be hard to catch. I think it’s done now.  I think they’ve won the league and I think the rest of the teams are now competing for a play-off place and the teams in there now want to wrap it up as quickly as possible.”

Last week Day sent goalkeeper John Whitehouse out to Ryman League Division One South play-off chasers Maidstone United, a dual-registration deal, to get his match fitness back following a lengthy injury.

“I felt John needed games,” explained Day.  “It’s been difficult with the weather and stuff and we felt he was still carrying a knock, that’s why he’s gone to Maidstone so we wanted him to get match fit.  He played the full 90 minutes (keeping a clean sheet in a goal-less draw at Dulwich Hamlet) on Saturday and said he felt ok so we’ll review it in a month, see where we are and see how Craig Holloway’s doing.

“If we need to bring John back and fight for the goalkeeper jersey then we’ll do that.  If John’s enjoying it and he feels ok then we’ll leave it like that.”

Visit Welling United’s website: www.wellingunited.com  

Welling United  v  Havant & Waterlooville
Blue Square Bet South
Tuesday 21^st February 2012
Kick Off 7:45pm
At Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY