Welling United 4-1 Tavistock - I believe we can still keep improving, says Welling United boss Mark Goldberg

Welling United 4 – 1 Tavistock
Location	Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY
Kickoff	05/10/2019 15:00

WELLING UNITED  4-1  TAVISTOCK
The Emirates FA Cup Third Qualifying Round
Saturday 5 October 2019
Stephen McCartney reports from Park View Road

WELLING UNITED manager Mark Goldberg says his side can still improve after ending Tavistock’s longest FA Cup run in 65 years.

Stuart Henderson’s side from Devon have beaten Hengrove Athletic (3-0), Frome Town (2-1), Shepton Mallet (2-1 after a 3-3 draw) and Highworth Town (4-0) to emulate their run to The FA Cup Third Qualifying Round back in 1954 and have banked a total of £20,140 in prize money after today’s defeat, only their third in 14 games in all competitions.

The Lambs have only played five league games and went into the game sitting in 13^th place in the Toolstation Western League Premier Division with nine points but this was their ninth cup game of the season and expect to see them in the latter stages of The FA Vase this season.

Welling United have now banked £18,000 in prize money, having thrashed Isthmian South Central Division side Chipstead 7-0 in the Second Qualifying Round.

The Wings went into the game sitting in fourteenth-place in the Vanarama National League South, having picked up 15 points from their 12 league outings.

Striker Bradley Goldberg, 25, scored a first half hat-trick to take his tally to eight goals for the season, before highly-rated left-winger Jack Crago scored a sublime goal to net his 18^th goal of the season to give Tavistock some hope.

However, Tavistock had two players sent-off during the second half as centre-half Ben Cross and left-back Joshua Robins put in two bad challenges and Welling United scored a fourth through substitute striker Joshua Oyinsan.

“We’re delighted that we’re in the hat for the next round,” said Goldberg.

“We didn’t play well in all fairness to a certain extent.  I thought they were the better team at times but we were clinical when we needed to be. We weren’t clinical all of the time but we were clinical when we needed to be and that was the difference between the two sides.”

This was a typical David v Goliath FA Cup clash and Tavistock were a very good side and it didn’t look to be a three league gap between the two sides during the first half  - it was that striker Goldberg was clinical in front of goal during the that was the difference between the two sides.

Welling United started the game in a complacent manner as Tavistock started the game with the threat of pulling off a FA Cup upset.

With only 240 seconds into the game, Robins’ hit the ball over the top of last-defender Ejiro Okosieme, which let in Luke Brown, who stroked his left-footed drive into Dan Wilks gloves from 22-yards.

“It was poor defending from our point of view. We were lucky to get away with that,” admitted Goldberg.

Welling United right-back Connor Dymond played the ball down the line and Robins clipped the ball straight to Welling United winger Anthony Cook, who whipped in a cross towards the far post for Nathan Green to nip in front of right-back Reece Shanley to plant his header just past the near post from inside the six-yard box.

Welling United should have taken the lead in the 13^th minute when centre-half Rob Swaine played the ball to left-back Joe Anderson, who fed Green down the left-channel and he floated in a cross for Goldberg to send his free-header straight at Joshua Oak from 10-yards.

“There was a few openings early on where maybe we could’ve done a bit better,” admitted the manager.

Welling United took the lead with 15 minutes and 51 seconds on the clock.

Green and otherwise quiet striker Adam Coombes linked up down the left and threaded the ball through to Goldberg, who got in behind centre-half Dan Evans and from a tight angle stroked his left-footed angled drive across the diving keeper, the ball nestling sweetly into the bottom far corner from 15-yards.

Goldberg said: “It was very tidy.  That was the only bit of decent football that we put together at that stage and it was a good finish.”

Tavistock done their homework on Welling United and tried to get in behind Swaine on several occasions.  Shanley threaded the ball in behind the Welling skipper but Crago couldn’t latch onto the through ball and Wilks picked the ball up.

Welling United stopped a Tavistock counter-attack close to the halfway line and holding midfielder Theo Widdrington saw Oak was off his line and tried to score with a shot inside the centre-circle but his shot drifted harmlessly wide of the right-hand post from just inside the Lambs’ half.

Tavistock then enjoyed a good five minute spell and should have done better on the half-hour mark.

Cross found himself down the right-channel and he floated in a cross towards the near post where Brown found a pocket of space to stoop to send his header across the keeper and past the far post from 12-yards.

However, Welling United settled their nerves by doubling their lead with 34 minutes and 13 seconds on the clock.

Green clipped the ball up field and a horrible mistake from Cross – Tavistock’s right-centre-back – let in Goldberg, who was clinical in front of goal during the first half, drawing the keeper off his line before slotting his right-footed shot past Oak and watching the ball roll into the net just close to the bottom left-hand corner.

“He drew the keeper as if he was going to play it to his right and just slipped it inside him,” said Goldberg.

“It should do (kill the nerves), you kind of need a third but their goal unnerved us a little bit at the end.”

Welling United claimed the victory with their third goal, which was timed at 39 minutes and 33 seconds, courtesy of Goldberg’s hat-trick.

Okosieme played the ball into Green, who skipped past Shanley,  before Green played the ball across the penalty area to Coombes, who teed up Cook, who was in a central position rather than on the wing. Cook played the ball on his outside to Goldberg, who shimmied before getting past his man to stroke his right-footed drive underneath the keeper at the near post to find the bottom far corner with precision.

“That made it three, again we were clinical at that stage and tidy play but it was just good timing for us to go 3-0 up,” added the manager.

With the home fans now expecting an avalanche, Tavistock pulled a goal back with 42 minutes and 58 seconds on the clock, courtesy of a sublime finish from Tavistock’s talisman Crago.

Robins was in space in his left-back position and he played the ball into Callum Watson’s feet inside the Welling half and he played the ball over to an unmarked Crago, who spun to stroke a first time right-footed drive across Wilks to plant his shot into the bottom far corner from 25-yards.

Goldberg said: “I thought they played really well. I thought they had confidence.  They had certain players that we looked at and we knew they were dangerous - and they were.

“I think the preparation was very good from our point of view but we didn’t pull the passes together and play the sort of football that we know we can play.”

It was a sublime finish from a player that Goldberg and his coach Hugo Langton targeted as being Tavistock’s main threat.

Goldberg said: “It was exactly what we were told he could do and what a finish! He’s a great player. He could be playing at a higher level that boy!”

Despite going into the break 3-1 up, Welling United were not firing on all cylinders and Tavistock will certainly be challenging for honours in the Western League this season going by their performance here today.

“We were a little bit disappointed how we conceded the goal, a little bit disappointed that we were sitting back a little bit too much and our passing wasn’t tidy enough,” admitted Goldberg.

“We need to move it a bit quicker. We came out second half and we didn’t really improve to be honest.”

Wilks had to rush off his line to use his chest to deny Crago, who got in behind the Welling United defence inside the opening 20 seconds, before Tavistock shot themselves in the foot after only 45 seconds when Cross was sent-off for a centre-circle lunge on Waldren.

“I think the sending’s off made it very difficult for them.  I think it was a sending off. It was a bit of a naughty tackle,” admitted Goldberg.

Tallan Burns went on a driving run with the ball as he cut in from the right wing to slip in Crago, but Wilks rushed off his line to smother the ball at his feet in the 55^th minute.

Tavistock switched off when Cook threw the ball to Dymond, who was given acres of space to put in a cross but Goldberg’s free downward header on the six-yard line was pushed away by Oak, getting down low to his right to make the save.

Cook’s resulting corner from the left was cleared out to the unmarked Widdrington, whose 30-yard drive sailed over the Tavistock crossbar.

Tavistock are a very good team but they do have a nasty streak in them and they were reduced to nine men in the 65^th minute when Dymond was on the receiving end of a lunge from Robins down the right-channel.

Goldberg said: “I have to see them again but I think both of them were sending’s off.

“It didn’t really help us.  We didn’t step it up. We got a little bit too casual and started to try to do too much ourselves.”

Mark Goldberg made a triple substitution in the 68^th minute and Oyinsan thought he had scored with his first touch.

Substitute midfielder Jack Jebb floated in a free-kick from the right but Oyinsan nudged his marker before he hooked his shot into the far corner and the goal was ruled out.

Jebb’s free-kick from 22-yards should have been caught by Oak, instead the Tavistock keeper dived forward to punch the ball away, before Jebb cut the ball onto his left-foot before dragging his shot past the right-hand post from 22-yards in the second phase.

Welling United scored their fourth goal of the game with 30 minutes and 12 seconds on the clock.

Substitute Aaron Cosgrave cut inside Luke Cloke and twisted and turned his way into the Tavistock box.  Oyinsan approached his team-mate and both players had a chance to score but it was Oyinsan who scored his first goal of the season by placing his shot into the bottom left-hand corner from 10-yards.

“It was nice to get Joshua on the scoresheet. I’m pleased with him. It was a good finish,” said Goldberg, who was then asked about Cosgrave’s late withdrawal.

“It was his hamstring unfortunately. He came back a little bit too early from an injury.”

Tavistock keeper Oak proved why he is captain of the side as he made a string of good saves during the final 10 minutes.

Jebb played the ball out to Cook, who was lurking on the edge of the Tavistock penalty area on the left and he lofted a cross over towards the far post for Jebb to hit his volley straight into Oak’s legs at his near post.

Despite being clinical in the first half, Goldberg missed a sitter when Cosgrave put in a deep cross from the right, the ball was knocked down by Oyinsan at the far post and Goldberg smashed his volley over the crossbar from eight-yards.

Tavistock kept two men up front and they created a chance in the 85^th minute when Dave Hallett’s right-footed free-kick from 30-yards went over the wall and was saved by Wilks in his midriff.

Now down to 10 men through Cosgrave’s injury, Welling United continued their dominance going into the closing stages of the game.

Jebb released Goldberg, who easily skipped past Evans, but poked his shot towards Oyinsan but the keeper easily stepped forward to pick up the ball.

Goldberg was then to be denied by a fine double save from Oak.

Waldren and Oyinsan linked up and Goldberg’s low shot was blocked by Oak’s right-leg before Oyinsan latched onto the loose ball inside the penalty area and teed up Goldberg, whose next attempt was saved.

“We finished a little bit stronger and really we should’ve scored one more at least,” said Goldberg.

“Bradley had three (more chances to score). I don’t think we can be too critical of him today, can we?”

Goldberg skipped past Hallett and drilled his shot straight at the busy keeper, who palmed the ball away as he stepped to his right.

Jebb played a one-two with Waldren outside the box and Cox saved the shot in his midriff, before Warren Daw drew a comfortable save out of Wilks from 22-yards at the other end.

Welling United are just one more win away from reaching The FA Cup First Round for the first time since losing 5-0 at home to Carlisle United in the Second Round in 2015.

It must be written in the starts that Goldberg will come across his former club Bromley in the Fourth Qualifying Round in 14 days’ time.  The draw will be made live on Talksport Radio at 13:30 on Monday lunchtime.

“It’s great to be in the hat.  We’ll take any team at home, hopefully not a team in the National League,” said Goldberg, who was asked about banking a total of £18,000 in prize money.

“Yes, we needed that today. Unfortunately, we rely on today’s win financially so it's a really important win and now we’ve got to see how far we can go, we’ll try to get to the First Round.

“I don’t want to tempt fate by saying anything but I definitely want to get to that First Round again,” added Goldberg, who guided Bromley to that stage on five occasions.

Welling United return to league action when second-from-bottom side Hampton & Richmond Borough visit Park View Road next Saturday, 12 October (15:00).

The Beavers were knocked out of The FA Cup by losing 2-0 at Oxford City today and have lost five of their last seven games.

“It’s going to be good for them to get back on track in the league but we’ll be ready for it,” insisted Goldberg.

“We need to go on a run in the league ourselves and we’re not going to relax. We’re going to get better, certainly better than what we were.  I believe we can still keep improving, that’s what we need.”

Welling United: Dan Wilks, Connor Dymond, Joe Anderson, Theo Widdrington (Jack Jebb 68), Rob Swaine, Ejiro Okosieme, Anthony Cook, Danny Waldren, Bradley Goldberg, Adam Coombes (Joshua Oyinsan 68), Nathan Green (Aaron Cosgrave 68).
Subs: Dquame Copeland, Montel Agyemang, Jay Rich-Baghuelou

Goals: Bradley Goldberg 16, 35, 40, Joshua Oyinsan 76

Booked: Rob Swaine 32, Joshua Oyinsan 90

Tavistock: Joshua Oak, Reece Shanley, Joshua Robins, Callum Watson, Dan Evans, Ben Cross, Tallan Burns (Dave Hallett 82), Warren Daw, Liam Prynn (Alex Cairo 74), Luke Brown (Luke Cloke 44), Jack Crago.
Subs: Tom Watson, Hayden Greening, Brannon Roberts, Shane Hawes

Goal: Jack Crago 43

Sent Off:  Ben Cross 46, Joshua Robins 65

Attendance: 491
Referee: Mr Callum Walchester  (Lowestoft, Suffolk)
Assistants: Mr Jordan Sandwell (Lowestoft Suffolk) & Andrew Gray (Ipswich, Suffolk)