Wellington AFC

Wellington Reserves gave a fine show at home to third placed Sidmouth Town in the Premier Division of the Devon and Exeter League last weekend and although they let slip a two goal half time advantage a draw was about fair based on the whole game’s play.

Wellington went into the game in last place and Sidmouth in third, but based on the action in the first half you would have thought it was roles reversed for Wellington in general and Joe Enticott in particular savaged the visitors as they played as if they were still on the minibus that brought the Devon side and a good number of fans with them.

Sidmouth were limited to playing the route one method when playing up the notorious Wellington Playing Field hill and this was no problem to a Wellington back four of James Garrad, Darren Mace, Mitch Woodgate and Chris McKee who all mopped up the aerial bombardment that came its way and distributed the ball forward well.

Wellington went ahead on twenty minutes when a good ball forward was thumped home by Joe Enticott as he evaded the pedestrian Sidmouth back line and scored well, he repeated the dose just before the break and Wellington entered the break in the ascendancy.

Sidmouth must have received a rocket from their boss as they played much better in the second half when going downhill; they did not let Wellington get forward very much and grabbed two goals when a firmly struck shot was parried by Chris Cherry in the Tangerines goal and it was edged in by a Sidmouth attacker.

A cracking strike from midfield levelled matters up at which point Darren Mace was sent off for bringing down a man and as he was seen as being the last man he was shown red; the baiting from the away dugout and travelling fans for a sending off was not called for and made for a fiery last few minutes – that the game ended level was a fair outcome.

Wellington have no game next weekend and are home to league leaders Seaton Town on Wednesday 16th March from 7.30pm

For the second time this season Wellington Reserves saw their Devon and Exeter League Premier Division match at Topsham Town called off due to a waterlogged pitch, having seen the original date back in November be the start of their trials and tribulations with the weather this season as it was the first match to be postponed due to climatic issues.

Heavy rain through Friday night continued into Saturday morning and this brought about a midday call off; this most testing of seasons is going to go on and on at this rate as this makes for two matches to have to reschedule on top of a series of thirteen matches that are all in close date proximity to each other between next weekend and the end of April.

The team are up against it to get the season completed at home and an away postponement does not help matters at all.

Sidmouth Town visit North Street this Saturday for a 3.00pm KO.

Budleigh Salterton Reserves completed their third successive Devon and Exeter League Premier Division double over Wellington when they took away a 3-1 win from North Street last Wednesday evening in a match that Wellington never really got into and after the pleasing way the side had played against Willand Reserves the previous weekend it was even more disappointing to see.
 
Budleigh – whose 1st XI play in a division that is on a par with the one below where Wellington’s play – raced into a lead pretty much from the off and were 3-0 up by the break as they picked holes in Wellington’s back line which showed several changes in personnel from the Willand match such is the nature of midweek selection patterns due to work and other commitments.
 
Tom Phillips came on as a sub for Wellington and got one back for the Tangerines second string, but it did not signal a comeback of Herculean proportions and the game was played out to a 3-1 win for the visitors.
 
As always it will be interesting to see what sort of result Budleigh return at the weekend as the feeling was this side, whilst having a hold over Wellington with six wins in six matches, was stronger than what will show up on Saturday coming.

WELLINGTON Reserves went down to a disappointing 3-1 defeat by Budleigh Salterton Reserves at the Playing Field last night.

Wellington never recovered from the shock of going a goal down inside the first minute after they lost the ball straight from the kick-off.

Although the home side dominated the next half-hour, some poor defending saw them concede two more goals before half-time to virtually end the game as a contest.

The second half was a scrappy affair although Wellington did pull a goal back after 54 minutes as Tom Phillips shot home after the Budleigh keeper had dropped a corner.

On Saturday, Wellington Reserves are away to Topsham Town while the first team are home to Manor Farm in the Toolstation Premier (3pm).

WELLINGTON and Willand drew for the third time in a row in the Premier Division of  the Devon and Exeter League when they fought out a goalless draw at North Street yesterday.

But this was a game that Wellington could and should have won as they created by far and away the best chances and moves of the game, but they should take heart from that and move into the next game with this same sort of confidence.

Wellington were into their stride early as this saw Ashley Gaines doing good work up the right wing and playing a good ball in for Nathan Thomas to hit one point blank at the keeper and he saved the strike somehow.

Wellington continued to press forward and hit the post twice before the break; Nathan Thomas was first to do so and the ball came back into play and had time to strike the hand of a Willand defender, Wellington’s appeals for a spot kick were denied. Craig Aspin nearly delivered the perfect counter attack as Wellington keeper Chris Cherry delivered a long ball that found Aspin perfectly and the tall winger rampaged forward and beat the keeper from a very narrow angle, but just not enough to tuck the ball inside the far post as it bounced agonisingly wide and to safety.

Wellington were the better side into the second half and had it not been for Paul Pocock in the Willand midfield they would have offered even less than they actually did.

Nigel Letten played a whole game despite picking up a second half injury, but he will be out for this evening’s game and Mitch Woodgate was a tower of strength at the back as he played a MoM performance.

Luke Perry and Oli Nott were both used as second half substitutes, but Wellington just could not find the killer touch to wrap up three points; although they stay fourteenth Wellington moved closer to the mid table pack.

Wellington entertain Budleigh Salterton Reserves on Wednesday (7.30pm) and need to take this level of performance in to a game against a side going for their third successive double over the Tangerines second string.

Rain ruined the first of Wellington Reserves midweek matches in the Premier Division of the Devon and Exeter League when this evening’s visit of Clyst Valley was called off at 5.30pm due to a waterlogged pitch.

Yet another postponement has befallen the team in a season that has been ruined by snow, ice, wind and rain and still leaves them with a dozen home matches to play.

Wellington Reserves could not make it three wins in a row when they found Devon and Exeter Premier Division leaders Seaton Town in formidable second half mood when they visited the Devon coast last weekend.

After a very solid and robust first half when the Wellington back line of James Garrad, Mitch Woodgate, Tom Phillips and Darren Mace let nothing get through so as to get to half time at 0-0 all that hard work was undone by three goals in six crazy second half minutes as Seaton secured the points with an element of aid from the Tangerines second string.

All three subs were tried, but to no avail.

There is no game next Saturday due to a home game being displaced by a rearranged first team match, but the game in question – Clyst Valley – is up four days later under lights on Wednesday 16th February from 7.30pm

The backlog of home games that the Reserves have is going to ease now that the Devon and Exeter League has issued a set of dates that brings forward a number of such matches.

The backlog will start to ease with the visit of Clyst Valley on Wednesday 16th February for a 7.30pm KO.

A frozen pitch scuppered Wellington Reserves in their attempt to go for a third Devon and Exeter League Premier Division win in a row – at home to bottom side Exmouth Amateurs last weekend; a frosted pitch with a mottled appearance was never going to thaw in time for the match to start on time and sadly the decision had to be taken to postpone.

Wellington Reserves are now really battling against time to get a dozen home games in between now and and the Easter weekend which is the cut off point before the cricket season starts.

A robust and highly pleasing result and performance by Wellington Reserves in deepest, darkest Devon saw them beat current Devon and Exeter League champions Thorverton on their own patch last weekend; that the home side scored three goals does rather flatter them as they were awarded one of the most dreadful penalty decisions you will ever see, were gifted an equaliser and they found Wellington static at the back to give them a third – really Thorverton had the look of fallen champions.

Wellington delivered a fine defensive response in the first half and they could have been out of sight as early as the break as Craig Aspin was well saved on several occasions by the home keeper – Aspin tried to chip the ball over the keeper when he was on the deck and somehow was foiled, but he kept going and unleashed a couple of a stinging shots later in the half.

The breakthrough came when Danny Thomas rose to head home a well delivered Wellington corner and this was reward for good all round play by the Tangerines second string.

A thunderbolt of a shot from midfielder Chris McKee doubled Wellington’s lead; he had a fine game for Wellington in the middle of the park and his tough tackling style earned excellent possession all game long.

Then came Wellington’s dodgy spell as the referee made a penalty award that was just plain wrong for hand ball against Tangerines skipper Steve Luxon who went into the book for his protests and when Chris Cherry came out of his goal to clear the ball he missed and presented an open goal to Thorverton to get back on level terms with; they did not deserve to be so.

Wellington had to regroup and come up with a response and it came in the form of a second thunderbolt of the game – this time Nathan Thomas rifled one in off the post and left the Thorverton keeper beaten by a rocket for the second time; for one who had a lot to say he certainly zipped up thereafter!

Thomas complimented his all round play with this goal and is was great to have his elder brother Danny back in the team following a bad broken wrist and even John Norman made a comeback as he played the last thirty minutes or so at centre back following a torn hamstring that he had suffered at Thorverton in a Cup match last August.

Ashley Gaines made it four for Wellington with a near post goal and that had surely sealed the game and the points for Dave Thomas’ side, but Thorverton had time to loop one in and make it three for them and actually had the ball in the back of the net for a fourth time, but they were well off side by the time the ball had been hit.

Wellington took three valuable points home with them and have a home game at last next weekend and it is a most important one as bottom side Exmouth Amateurs visit North Street for a 2.15pm KO.

Wellington are now 13th on 13 points and will hope to be three more points better off by 4.30pm next Saturday and well into mid table by then, but there is such a jam in the middle of the division that one result sends you high and a loss sends you way back down again.

This game will be the last early KO for this season – there is no game on Saturday 29th January and then it is back to 3.00pm when the team go to league leaders Seaton on Saturday 5th February.