We lost to a better team, admits Pennock - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Thursday 05th April 2007

Welling United manager Adrian Pennock held his hands up today and admitted they lost to a good Salisbury City side last night, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Wiltshire side climbed into second place in the Nationwide Conference South table following their deserved 2-1 win at Dartford’s Princes Park Stadium.

Luke Prince sealed the win with a stunning left-footed volley from 30-yards that screamed into the bottom right hand corner, after lively striker Robbie Matthews had cancelled out Martin Carthy’s 24^th minute opener – which was totally against the run of play.

“Over the ninety minutes, they were the better team,” Pennock said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“They’ve got some very good players but I thought we was unlucky.”

Wings almost stole a point when Danny Kedwell’s last-gasp header was ruled out for offside following a cross from substitute Ellis Green.

“We had a dubious decision at the end,” bemoaned the Wings boss. ” A lot of people said it was on-side but from the angle I was, I couldn’t really see.

“I thought Ellis pulled it back but I couldn’t really see but not all the fans were wrong.

“A lot of people said it was a good goal but over the ninety minutes I thought they were the better team.”

Last night’s set-back keeps the Wings in sixth place but only three points outside the play-off’s.

Jamie Day and Chris Moore said last night that they miss playing at Park View Road – and so does Pennock.

“It was an away fixture for us,” he said. “No-one likes coming to Park View Road, the boys like playing there.

“It’s no fault of anybody’s, we have to get on with it but we do miss it.

“We had lost the advantage really of losing a home tie.

“It is a key, everybody likes to play at home, the players like playing at Park View Road.

“When you play at Dartford and Gravesend its different surroundings and a different pitch.”

But Pennock praised the Wings fans that made the 14-mile round trip to Dartford’s stunning £6.5m home.

“I thought our fans were brilliant last night,” he said. “They did what I asked them to do and really got behind the boys last night.

“It’s not good for them either as they want to play their home games at Park View Road – I thought the fans were great for us.”

But playing away from home has financially hit the club as only 364 watched last night’s showdown and just 192 watched the game against Thurrock at Gravesend & Northfleet’s Stonebridge Road ground last week.

“I feel sorry for Barry (Hobbins) because financially it doesn’t help us at all,” said Pennock.

“It affects everything and at home we would have got close to 700 fans and we’re paying out for stewards and rent.

“There’s no point blaming anybody, we just have to crack on with it and see where it takes us.

With seven games remaining to qualify for the two-legged Nationwide Conference South play-off’s, Pennock has challenged his side to win every game.

They travel to midtable Yeading – a soul-less place in west London - on Saturday before welcoming Farnborough Town to Park View Road on Easter Monday before Cambridge City travel to Stonebridge Road next Wednesday.

“We’ve got to win and get three points Saturday, nothing less will do,” said Pennock.

“Other teams will drop points but we need three points for us.

“I’ve been saying they’re massive games for us for the past two months and a draw is no good unless results go our way.”

Farnborough Town would have been sitting in seventh place on 55 points had they not been deducted ten points by the league.

Pennock added: “If you put ten points on their total they will be up there challenging as well – it’s a difficult game.”

Nationwide Conference South Table – Top Seven

P	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	PTS
1	Histon	35	24	4	7	71	37	76
2	Salisbury City	34	18	9	7	53	29	63
3	*Havant & Waterlooville*	35	18	9	8	61	38	63
4	*Bishop’s Stortford*	35	18	8	9	60	52	61
5	*Braintree Town*	35	17	10	8	42	34	61
6	Welling United	35	18	4	13	57	45	58
7	Lewes	37	13	15	9	62	47	54

Visit Welling United's website: www.wellingunited.com

Yeading v Welling United
Nationwide Conference South
Saturday 7^th April 2007
Kick Off 3:00pm
At The Warren, Beaconsfield Road, off Springfield Road, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 0SL