A spate of postponed fixtures means Welton must play ten fixtures in the last 25 days of the Toolstation Western League. On Monday night, a 6-2 win at Bishops Lydeard was to be the club’s biggest away victory since 2013.
It was Welton’s longest journey of the season, and unfortunate that the fixture fell on a Monday night, but despite the 100-mile round-trip after a full day’s work, the Welton players were well up for the fight from the off.
It looked like it was set to be Welton’s night from the very beginning, with Chris Pile opening the scoring within just ninety seconds. He latched on to Jackson Hamilton’s around-the-corner pass and scored with a cute finish off the goalpost to score his tenth goal of the season.
Courtney Charles then scored a brace of well-taken goals, before Jackson Hamilton poked in from point-blank range right on half-time to put Rovers 4-0 ahead at the break. It was a masterful 45 minutes, with Welton playing possibly their best attacking, fluid football of the season to date.
Bishops Lydeard showed more resolve in the second half, but any chance of an unlikely comeback was put to bed within five minutes. Charles was brought down in the box and Aaron Cockerill, who put in a Man of the Match performance in central midfield, converted the penalty kick to score his first ever goal for the club.
Lydeard tightened things up, and chances were fewer in the second half. The hosts got one back ten minutes from the end, but there was still time for one more Welton goal.
Lewis Dixon, grandson of Welton legend Colin Skirton, outmuscled his marker to get through one-on-one, and finished with aplomb to secure his first goal in senior football.
Lydeard would have the last word with a goal in injury time, but that couldn’t dampen the evening for the Green Army, who ensure their intense run-in got off to the best possible start, and puts them in good shape for this Saturday’s visit to West Clewes against Warminster Town; kick-off 3 p.m.
Gareth Paisey