Welling United 1 Baker Att 511
1. Jamie Turner
2. Connor McLaren
3. Jack Obersteller
4. Andy Sambrook
5. Anthony Acheampong
6. Jack Parkinson
7. Ben Greenhalgh
8. Scott Kinch
9. Harry Baker
10. Joe Healy
11. Loick Pires

12. Ben Martin
14. Ryan Flack (Greenhalgh) 56
15. Dean Cracknell (Kinch) 56
16. Lee Clarke (Pires) 84
17. Loui Fazakerley

Thurrock 0
1. David Hughes
2. Luke L’Anson
3. Nathan Ashton YC4
4. Rob Gillman
5. James White
6. Stuart Thurgood
7. Paul Terry ©
8. Sam Cutler
9. Teddy Nesbit
10. David Knight
11. Jonathan O’Donnell

12. Ross Gilfedder (Knight) 74
14. Jake Woodward (Ashton) 84
15. James Smith (Nesbit) 81
16. Ahmed Deen
17. Ross Kitteridee

Referee: Carl Brook

Day had hinted of changes after the Eastbourne game on Saturday and made four in total with Sambrook, Greenhalgh, Acheampong and McLaren coming in – the latter making his first start in a Wings shirt.

Nathan Ashton cynically brought down Baker just as he was about to go clean through down the right wing earning him a booking after just four minutes but Jamie Turner saw a lot of the ball in the opening 10 minutes due to a combination of wasteful Thurrock play and the Wings’ defence content to go backwards most of the time.

Welling showed the Fleet how to efficiently attack as with virtually their first proper attack of the game they took the lead from a Loick Pires’ cross which was flicked on by Kinch to find Baker at the far post who smashed the ball past Hughes at the near for his third goal of the season.

Despite the goal, Thurrock had the majority of possession through their constant closing down and Parkinson and Kinch continuous long balls but they showed why they will be playing in the Southern Premier next season as they kept giving the ball away in good situations.

But the Wings did their best to let them back into the match as indecision from Acheampong nearly let Cutler steel the ball from Turner’s feet in front of goal.

Parkinson hit a free kick just wide and Kinch saw his shot blocked by Gillman but these were the only chances in a half where both sides lacked any intensity.

Six minutes after half time, Thurrock had their first shot of the game from Sam Cutler which flew harmlessly over the bar and the away fans then appealed for a handball in the box by Kinch although the ball clearly came off his chest.

Ben Greenhalgh had a disappointing game and was replaced by Ryan Flack on 56 minutes with Dean Cracknell also coming on for workhorse Scott Kinch.

It took another quarter of an hour for either side to get a shot away as Hughes tipped over a Parkinson header from a corner and then the impressive Baker found space on the left and tried to emulate his goal against Maidenhead with a curling shot which hit the inside the post.

On 70 minutes, substitute Flack produced a lovely flighted ball into the box which somehow found its way into the corner of the net but the linesman adjudged Pires to have got a touch to the ball in an offside position and disallowed the goal.

Although not firing on all cylinders, Welling did look more of a threat especially Baker who powered past the booked Ashton to cross the ball to Healy who was denied thanks to good pressure for L’Anson.

A rare passing move from Welling saw Pires denied one on one by Hughes on 77 minutes and a minute later Baker produced some great skill to find space for his shot but on his weaker foot it dragged well wide.

What little energy the Wings injected into the game quickly dissipated as the game drew to a close but the visitors could only muster one shot on target with Turner easily collecting an O’Donnell free kick.