Welling United away

After the depression of last season, it was definitely a change to wake earlier than wanted on a Saturday and actually head out of the house with a mild sense of hope about the upcoming fixture. The fact that it was short sleeves weather at 8am definitely did help to the sense of optimism.

At Bath Spa station, I went to buy the group four saver to Welling, and stumbled across one of the few friendly people at the station, who asked about City's prospects for the season, how he was sad to see us relegated and hoped we had a good season. The four of us alighted and very quickly were disembarking at Paddington, showing that when trains journeys work they can be amazingly good!

The temperature was starting to rise as we got on the tube for the short journey to Charing Cross where we were to change, however, knowing Welling isn't great we got off there and went to The Harp (http://www.harpcoventgarden.com/) which is a quality pub I already knew of and a previous winner of pub of the year.

Great hanging basket, random pram

The pub was pretty full despite the early hour, and on quick inspection we realised it was full of Wrexham fans enroute to Ebbsfleet United. What we hadn't spotted and was about to give me a heart attack was the fact Barrow fans (heading to Woking) were also in the pub, I am standing pint in hand chatting and minding my own business when suddenly a man points at me walks over and states "I know you." My mind races to try and work out how I knew this man and desperately trying to work out if I would have upset him! However, it transpired that I had met him in Barrow two season previously when a few stripes had made a weekend of it. Barrow fans bemoaned the lack of travelling to Twerton as it was an away day they enjoyed and one I will quote as "It was great Bath, you could tell her indoors that we were going to a weekend in Bath, then on the Saturday slip in that a match was going on" Quality bit of deception there!

Beery delight

After a few pints were sunk in the glorious sunshine, leaning against the bizarre outside bar/window part of The Harp, before a BOA exile arrive, before the 5 of us got on the train to Welling. We arrived to heat that is unheard of in this summer, and quickly scurried to a pub where other City fans who had travelled on the coach were sitting. Pleasantries were exchanged before we made the short walk to Park View Road, and paid the £12 entrance fee.

Park View Road is a tidy little ground, with two uncovered ends, but has one of the weirdest little parts I have seen in a ground. Park View Road is shared between Welling United and Erith & Belvedere FC, which means that three quarters of the ground is coloured in Welling's red, and one stand is blue and contains the headquarters of Erith & Belvedere.

Note Erith & Belvedere's blue

City lined up in the 5-3-2 or 3-5-2 (depending on your preference) with 5 (or 6 if you include Adie Harris making his 4th debut) debutants in Danny Ball, Josh Low, Charlie Griffin, Kerry Morgan and Aaron Brown. However, it was left to one of last years new signings Glyn Garner to stop City conceding within a minute, a fierce strike brought the custodian diving to his right and getting a strong hand to it, before getting up and blocking the following shot.

Then on 20 minutes City played a few neat passes in the middle before Aaron Brown collected the ball just inside the City half before driving forward with no Welling defender closing him down, Brown got within 25 yards, and with no City players around him hit a speculative shot towards goal, Welling debutant keeper Tom Mott, had a mare as he went up for it and seemed caught in two minds as to whether catch or punch the shot, instead he did neither and allowed the ball to squirm through his hands and drop into the net. A soft goal but we will take it!

It was bloody hot

The heat was unbelievable and definitely contributed to a slower game than expected. However, after the break Welling crossed the ball and it was nodded back across and the ball fell a few yards out and a sprawling Lafayette prodded the ball home. Welling definitely had the best of the second half, but City stayed resilient and didn't buckle, new signing Kurtis Guthrie came on and looked ok, while youth team player Noah Keats also came on (that's right City actually have a youth player from their development squad!!)

In the dying seconds it was almost all over, when a header meant Garner once again hand to fling himself to his left and pulled off a brilliant save. The game finished 1-1 and for such a newly brought together team, away at last years play off final losers the result was a positive, although City have a lot to thank Garner for.

All in all it was a good first game, and matched the score of Mansfield away last year, however, let's hope for a better season and preferably a few degrees lower!