Welling United won a bruising encounter against 10-man Fleet as this second meeting of the clubs this season repeated some of the elements of the first, with a red card and a penalty two of the incidents across the 90 minutes.
Elliott Romain was issued with a first-half sending-off as Fleet fought back from a goal down to take a lead into the break – but Welling fired a rapid couple after that to sneak into the semi-finals.
Academy player Hayden Bullas started once more alongside some Fleet first-teamers in need of minutes, amongst those Jack Paxman, Alex Finney, Chris Haigh and Romain. Welling’s lineup was a similar story and they announced another new signing in the lead-up to kick-off.
After Fleet had forced an early corner, Abel Vendrells-Parcerisa broke for the Wings but tailed by Luke Dreher in the Fleet midfield, he couldn’t break free to threaten Haigh.
After 10 minutes of even exchanges following that opening, Welling took the lead – Kyrell Lisbie was sent into space by a searching ball past the halfway line and he had time to advance and direct a precise shot away from Haigh and in.
Welling were ahead for only three minutes as Fleet won their second penalty of the season against the Wings after Franklin Domi was dumped on the ground by Antony Papadopoulos from Jack Paxman’s pass. Sido Jombati was the man tasked with the job and he struck home from the spot.
Fleet’s rapid response continued on 21 minutes and it was Darren McQueen with his second Kent Senior Cup goal of the season as he caught a pass across midfield perfectly and drove into the corner from just outside the box.
A busy first-half then transferred to the other end when new Welling signing Sadik Balarabe broke past Haigh and was brought down by the Fleet keeper a few yards from the area. The Welling bench howled for a red card but Haigh took a yellow and then watched Chi Ezennolim balloon the free-kick into the Plough End.
As in the league game, a red card was produced but this time for the Fleet and it was Elliott Romain who received his marching orders on 36 minutes after tangling with a poleaxed Lisbie and Sam Cox in midfield.
Down to 10, Fleet still looked the stronger side, with Shaq Coulthirst unfortunate to see a good dipping shot narrowly clear the crossbar.
Fleet sought a bit of parity from the referee in time added on when Cameron Andrews bundled into Ben Chapman but it was only a yellow for the Wings Academy youngster despite the Fleet supporters in the Main Stand being up in arms about it.
For all the strong finish to the first half, the 10 men saw their lead whittled away within four minutes of the second-half whistle. An initial shot from Vendrells-Parcerisa was beaten away but dropped for Balarabe who took a touch away from the nearest Fleet defender and snapped off a shot into the open net.
Bullas tried to renew Fleet’s lead with a low shot that McKenzie-Lyle gathered but it was Welling who nosed in front on 54 minutes, a good individual run and even better strike from Ezennolim spinning away into the corner and giving Haigh no chance.
The Fleet had to get through a lot of work with the numerical disadvantage but nobody could accuse any player in red of being workshy as they kept Welling limited to possession football and enjoyed plenty of their own in the search for another equaliser.
Haigh had a couple of excursions out of his box to make but the best chance fell to the Fleet on 76 minutes, great work by Domi and Paxman seeing a ball threaded back through the box where the onrushing Chapman planted a solid effort on target, McKenzie-Lyle having to stretch for it to prevent it going in.
Welling missed an absolute sitter three minutes later when Haigh did well to fend off a break down the right and shot from Papadopoulos, the ball landing for Lisbie practically on the line and he somehow lifted it high and wide off the bar.
Fleet worked hard for an equaliser once more in the final 10 minutes, Coulthirst with three chances and he was unlucky not to see one converted. On 84 minutes his turn in the box and shot flew just over and a minute later he slid into the six-yard box to direct another just wide. Substitute Luke Reid’s cross was cut out by the goalkeeper with red shirts piling in towards the goalline before Coulthirst then saw a diving header fly narrowly past the post.
There were a number of robust challenges flying in which made for a tempestuous encounter at times for a county-up tie but it was Welling who advanced to take on Chatham, while Fleet will focus on bigger fish to fry with the visit of Dulwich on Saturday.
EUFC: Haigh, Jombati, Chapman, Finney, Domi, Dreher (Shoolbred 46), Paxman (Manktelow 88), McQueen, Bullas (Reid 73), Coulthirst, Romain. Subs: Firth, Lock
WUFC: McKenzie-Lyle, Ezennolim, Curran, Parry, Cox (Kassarate 40), Lisbie, Papadopoulos, Vendrells-Parcerisa (Maloney 62), Andrews (Dunne 78), Balarabe, Barnes. Subs: Payne, Maloney, Sendles-White
Attendance: 402
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