WELTON ROVERS 5 DEVIZES TOWN 1

Welton roared to the top of the Toolstation Western League First Division table with an outstanding team performance against high-flying Devizes Town.

The game got underway on a glorious, sunny Autumn afternoon at West Clewes, and within a minute, Welton had gone a goal behind. A corner from the right by Luke Enderby was met by Devizes centre-back, Jamie Wallen, completely unmarked in the Welton area, who headed home from ten yards out.

Welton responded in style, and a few minutes later had drawn level. Good play from Adam Thurston, who was making his home debut for Welton, saw him attack the Devizes defence before setting up Lewes Coleman, whose outstretched leg connected with the ball, which went in off the near post.

Thurston was in the action again, and his shot on the turn went over the Devizes bar. A long-range effort from Jake Waters was saved by Tom Drewitt in the Welton goal, and at the other end, Devizes keeper, Adam Walters, brought off a smart save to deny Thurston.

Chris Pile was then put clean through, one-on-one with Walters, who stood his ground and denied Pile a shot. Welton took the lead in the 35th minute, when Thurston pounced on a loose ball, Walters raced out of his goal and the ball hit the keeper’s leg and flew out to the edge of the area, where Joe Battrick was on-hand to drill the ball into the empty net.

Welton didn’t rest on their laurels, and a free-kick from the right was met by Battrick; his first-time shot going inches-wide. Just before the half-time whistle, Welton had full-back, Alex Wych, to thank for clearing the ball off the goal-line, after Joe Garland and Drewitt had collided in the area.

Within minutes of the restart, Welton had scored the vital third goal. Good work down the right from Pile saw him race to the goal-line and square the ball low down, where Battrick was on-hand to crack the ball into the Devizes net from close range to score his second of the game and give Welton a two-goal cushion.

The visitors kept pressing, but the Welton defence, marshalled by Garland and Will Hunter, were in fine form. Welton Manager, Clive Scott, then rang the changes, bringing on Tom Smith and Aaron Seviour for Thurston and Pile.

Within minutes, these changes brought benefits. A strong attack down the right by Smith saw him fight off several challenges before delivering the ball into the area, where Lewes Hunt was on hand to fire the ball past Walters to score Welton’s fourth. Hunt was in the action minutes later, when his cracking twenty-yard shot brought off a fingertip-save from Walters to deny Welton a fifth goal.

However, they were not to be denied, and as the game was well into added time, Seviour received the ball on the left, raced goalwards and fired in his shot past the near post and into the net, much to the delight of the Green Army, who had witnessed an outstanding Welton performance.

This Saturday, 6th October, Welton are away to Longwell Green Sports – note the kick-off time of 11 a.m.

Bob Allard