Welton were far below their recent best on Saturday, but their fine run of form continued with a 92nd minute winner from Malick Jammeh, who netted his ninth goal in nine games since signing for the club. Jammeh was largely silenced by the visiting Oldland Abbotonians, but right at the depth he steered in a close range shot to leave West Clewes in raptures.
Whether it was complacency or not, a subdued Welton started the game slowly, and the first thirty minutes of the game happened with barely any incident as the Greens seemed to be sizing up their opposition, who had lost their previous seven matches coming into the fixture. Oldland had very little to offer, being caught offside time and time again when making their way into the Welton third, and Welton had the best of the early chances. Oldland goalkeeper, Beavis, misplaced a pass directly to Aaron Seviour, who unselfishly squared the ball to Shakeil Green. Green, with the goal at his mercy, over-compensated on placing his shot into the opposite side to the onrushing Beavis, however, his golden opportunity was sliced wide.
After a tentative start, Welton became rampant in the ten minutes before the half-time whistle. Jammeh, and in particular Seviour, were giving the Abbots’ backline a torrid time, and Welton could have had four or five before the break. Green made amends for his earlier miss, tapping in a rebound after Beavis made an outstanding save from Babb to give Welton the lead, and then Seviour side-footed the goal he deserved after a quick free-kick from Pile put Jammeh free on the right hand side to deliver a pin-point cross to the far post.
Unfortunately, Welton did not continue this momentum in the second half and reverted to the lacklustre play of the opening half hour. There was little in the way of chances until the 73rd minute, when an otherwise solid Grantley Price’s misjudged header back to Welton keeper, Knight, was seized upon and crossed to David Stone to finish from close range. This buoyed the Os and they were far the better team for the remaining twenty minutes. Welton could have no complaints on 88 minutes when following a great save from Knight and a goalmouth scramble, Stone was the most alert to drill his shot from six yards’ height into the roof of the Welton net.
It was Welton that would have the last word though, and despite looking more likely to concede than score, Shakeil Green provided the moment of magic. Found out wide on the right with seemingly no players in support, he bode his time before skinning two Oldland players to get to the touch-line, running it like a tight rope to cut in on goal. At the perfect moment, Jammeh’s acceleration saw him break through the middle, spotted by Green, who cut the ball back perfectly for Welton’s top scorer to smartly finish into the bottom corner, sparking scenes of delirium on the touchlines and on the terraces.
Saturday’s victory means Welton have won thirteen of their last fifteen possible points, and are elevated to fifteenth in the table, and top of the form league.
Gareth Paisey