Wellington AFC

Toolstation League first division: Wellington 0, Clyst Rovers 2

WELLINGTON endured another frustrating afternoon as they went down to defeat by lowly Clyst Rovers at the Playing Field last Saturday.

Admitedly Clyst are on a revival at present, having thumped Bradford Town 6-0 in their previous game, but Wellington should still have won a game which saw them pay dearly for poor finishing and sheer bad luck in front of goal.

The home side had a let-off after only eight minutes as Peter Darke got in behind their defence and lobbed keeper Shaun Locke only for the ball to bounce back off the bar.

But, after that, Wellington bossed the first half and should have gone in at the break comfortably ahead after creating a string of chances.

Clyst keeper Dan Barker pulled off good saves from Shaun Anthony, Simon Ingram and Nick Woon, who also chipped just over from a good position.

And they were made to pay for the misses on the stroke of half-time as a long ball saw Locke slice his clearance straight into the path of Tim Cridland, who gratefully capitalised on the mistake.

In the second half, Wellington launched attack after attack on the Clyst goal but it was just not to be their day.

They seemed certain to equalise only two minutes after the break as Jon Crowford’s cross was headed down by Woon to Shaun Anthony, whose fierce shot cannoned against the inside of the post and out again, eventually spinning wildly out for a goal kick.

And they suffered a similar fate 30 minutes later as, this time, Ingram’s cross was turned against the upright by central defender Dan Short.

Again, Wellington were made to suffer as a goal out of nothing with ten minutes remaining clinched the points for Clyst.

This time, Joe Dakwa was robbed of the ball in midfield – with Wellington appealing in vain for a foul – and Aaron Carpenter sent a stunning 35-yard shot sailing over Locke and into the net.

Wellington staged a late rally to claw their way back into the game but they were again left to ponder what might have been.

Wellington: Locke, Elsley, Holland, Short, Markham, Crowford, Butler, Ingram, Dakwa, Woon, Anthony. Substitutes, Herrod, Nott and Bryant (all used).