The first official game of Spring brought me on a very wintery night, to the Bauvill Stadium, to watch a Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division fixture between two sides battling to stay clear of the relegation places.

Welling Town sit in eighteenth place just above the relegation zone, with thirty points from thirty one games. Sam Bailey, Welling’ stop scorer with eight goals, will need to add to this tally, as his side attempt to climb the table in the final seven games of the season. Player Manager Ryan King-Elliott gave way on the bench to new signing, Zak Ansah, ex of Herne Bay.

Bearsted have two games in hand on Welling Town, but already have three points more on the board, with thirty three points from twenty nine games. Bearsted’s goals have come largely from Oliver Freeman, who had ten to his name, coming into the fixture. Kevin Stevens is the manager at Bearsted and would have prepared his team for how crucial this fixture would be.

With Bearsted’s first real attack of the game, they went ahead, when an error at the back allowed Omotunmisi Akanni through on goal, to make it 0-1, in the ninth minute.

Welling Town then had chance after chance to equalise. With the Bearsted keeper making two or three great individual saves, plus a penalty shout being denied by the referee, when Welling Town’s Junior Aikhionbare was apparently felled in the box.

On 38 minutes Bearsted made Welling Town pay for their failure to convert chances, when they broke forward, after some extensive Welling Town pressure, with Jordan Ababio finishing a beat team move from the right, to score from close range, making the score 0-2.

In the 58th minute Bearsted extended their lead and put the fixture beyond doubt, at 0-3. Welling Town had competed well in midfield but lacked any real punch in the final third tonight.

At the final whistle it was the away side who left with all three points, leaving Welling Town to stay looking over their shoulder at K Sports and Canterbury City in the relegation places. Both sides had been competitive but it was Bearsted who applied the clinical approach required to secure the victory.