Welton made the journey into Hampshire where they met Wessex League Premier Division side, Whitchurch Utd.

The game started in conditions more akin to high summer, with members of the Green Army, who made the journey, in shirt sleeves. They were rewarded for their efforts when Welton took the lead after only three minutes. Good play down the right from Chris Pile and Welton Captain, Chris Peck, who was back from his three match suspension, saw the ball delivered into the six-yard area, when Anthony Conradi was on hand to fire the ball past Brad Snelling in the Whitchurch goal and into the net. The home side responded and a long range effort from Mark Austin was easily gathered by Ryan Perry in the Welton goal.

However, Whitchurch equalised on seventeen minutes when Danny Phillips was found on the edge of the Welton penalty area, he turned and hit a low shot, Perry didn’t move, thinking the ball was going wide, however, it crept in the far corner of the Welton goal. Conradi was causing problems for the Whitchurch defence with his pacey runs and only a last ditch clearance denied him a second goal after he broke through two defenders and raced at goal. Welton were dominating the half and were rewarded just after the half hour mark, when Conradi chased a ball to the goal line, delivered a great cross into the mix where Ben Horan was on hand to drill the ball into the net to score his first ever goal for Welton. Just before the halftime whistle, Perry saved well to deny Taurean Manders.

Straight from the restart, Steve Bridges, who was having a very good game for Welton, whipped round the Whitchurch defence and fired in a cracking shot that thumped against the Whitchurch bar, dropped down and was eventually cleared. Welton continued to press and Peck and Pile combined again to set up Lewis Dunn, but his shot was off target. A minute later, Dunn was found again, but this time, his effort went inches over the Whitchurch bar. It was all Welton and Conradi broke through and was one on one with the keeper, but his shot was saved by the trailing leg of Snelling. Whitchurch suddenly woke up as the second half progressed. Welton dropped back and Jack McCarthy saw his effort saved by Perry. Jamie Gregory was then in the right place to hook the ball off the Welton goal line. With ten minutes remaining, Welton were reduced to ten men when central defender, Andy Criddle, was spotted retaliating by the Assistant Referee, following a coming together in the penalty area with a Whitchurch player.

Referee Rutter had no hesitation in producing a red card and awarding the home side a penalty. Upstepped Phillips, who made no mistake with his spot kick to equalise for Whitchurch and send the game into extra time.

The deadlock couldn’t be broken, however Welton suffered a further setback when they were reduced to nine men when Peck was shown a straight red card by referee Rutter for a hard challenge on Manders in the second period of extra time.

Bob Allard