AEK Boko 1 Welton Rovers 2

This was Welton’s first ever visit to the home of AEK Boko in

Hanham Bristol and the travelling Green Army were impressed with the ground and facilities of the hosts.

In an eventful game Welton managed to gain the all important three points with a quality late winning goal.

The game started in bright sunshine, but with a gusty cold wind blowing down the pitch – it was the hosts who pressed early doors.

A cross from fullback Harry Madge was met by striker, Josh Jenkins, but his firm header flew over the Welton bar. A long kick from Welton keeper, Joel Manning, was taken by the wind and fell to Will Gould who turned his marker and delivered a quality cross into the mix that was eventually cleared by the under pressure Boko defence.

Welton’s Toby Cole was brought down on the edge of the box and a quality free-kick from Ben Wych saw Boko keeper, Kai Wilson, save low down to deny Welton the opening goal. The breakthrough for Welton came in the twelth minute when good work again by Gould on the right saw him deliver another top drawer cross that flew across the area and fell to Cole on the left and he bravely slid the ball into the net and in doing so collided with the post.

After a period of treatment Cole was able to

continue. A thirty yard free kick from Boko saw Jenkins’ strike fly towards the Welton goal till Manning was on hand to save low down. The game was being played at a frantic pace and both sides were guilty of wayward passes. Just before the halftime whistle, a threaded ball from Wych fell to Gould on a charge through the centre of the Boko defence and as he was about to pull the trigger the ball hit a bobble and ran away from him.

The first action of the second half saw the lively Cole pick up a ball on the left and he drilled his shot goal bound only to see his effort denied by the trailing legs of keeper Wilson. The hosts equalised in the 50th minute when the dangerous Jenkins broke through the static Welton defence, raced goalwards, rounded the advancing Manning and slotted the ball into the empty net.

Lewis Hunt was booked following a tackle and a minute later a fracas occurred when Hunt was unceremoniously bundled over. The result of it all was that referee Pope showed Hunt a second yellow card and he was off. Ben Wych got sin binned, leaving Welton down to nine men for the next ten minutes and a Boko player was booked. The hosts were taking the game to Welton and created chance after chance that were missed and a flicked effort from Fred Taylor-Fox hit the Welton bar as Welton were clinging on at the back.

Welton Manager Tom Smith rung the changes bringing on all three subs, Cameron Allen, Lewis Russell and Courtney Charles. Allen’s first contribution was a stinging shot that brought off a good save from Wilson. The hosts were reduced to ten men when Jenkins was sin binned for ten minutes for something he said to the referee.

With a couple of minutes of normal time remaining, Welton got the crucial second goal. A corner on the right from Allen flew into the area and Charles rose above the defence to launch a thumping header that flew straight into the roof of the net, much to the delight of the travelling Green Army.

In the end this was a hard won three points for Welton but with rivals Sherborne and Warminster both winning, this is just what the doctored ordered.

This Saturday, 5th March Welton entertain Oldland Abbotonians at West Clewes, kick-off 3pm which should be another cracking match.

Bob Allard