The Hawks will hope to right the wrongs of their loss to Dartford when Welling United visit Westleigh Park on Wednesday (19:45).
Interim co-manager Ross Betteridge assured fans on Saturday that “it’s not over yet”, and that the players will continue to fight off relegation until it’s mathematically proven.
Hawks’ last time out:
Havant and Waterlooville suffered a demoralising loss to Dartford on their return to Westleigh Park last Saturday.
The Hawks struggled to get on top of the game in the first half. Some super saves by Ross Worner kept them in the game, especially his efforts to deny Alex Wall and Luke Allen from close range. Despite the Darts exerting control over the game, some chances still fell to the Hawks. James Roberts was the main instigator of the attacking play, constantly cutting in and trying to find either Kealy or Seager in the box. He was unable to do this though, and the sides went in level at half-time.
In what has become a trend in the last few games, the Hawks spared no time to get going in the second half. Joe McNerney and Callum Kealy both saw their early efforts fly narrowly wide of the post in the first five minutes. Dartford had their backs against the wall, constantly losing battles and barely getting the ball out of their half. In the 57th minute, a bit of beautiful play between Kealy and Seager found its way to Roberts on the edge of the Darts box. Robbo curled a magnificent shot past Rhys Byrne’s fingertips and into the top corner, firing the Hawks ahead.
The Hawks didn’t have much time to celebrate their advantage. In the 63rd minute, former Hawk Joash Nembhard headed the ball towards goal from a corner, but it was cleared off the line by Brendan Willson. Controversially though the linesman declared that the ball went over the line and awarded a goal, despite the outcry of the Hawks’ players and fans.
Despite the setback, the Hawks seemed hopeful they would be able to find a winner. Their hopes were dashed only five minutes after the equaliser when Luke Colson whizzed the ball across the Hawks box to the feet of Olly Barks, who smashed it into the top corner and put the Darts in the lead.
The Hawks looked completely lost and demoralised after the goal. The Darts capitalised on this, keeping the Hawks in their half. Allen almost added a third in the 77th minute, but his effort rebounded off the post.
Even though Seager and Kai Innocent had chances to score late on, the Hawks looked unlikely to get an equaliser and were by far the worst team. The game ended 2-1 to Dartford.
Words from the touchline:
After the game, interim co-manager Ross Betteridge had this to say: “We weren’t really at it
today, it really wasn’t our game.
“It was like an Under 10’s game with them just pumping it into our half, but we just couldn’t deal with it.
“I’ve gone over to the lino and he’s adamant that the ball went well over the line (for Dartford’s first goal). I don’t see how it can be well over when the nets are only 2 or 3 feet deep. They’re the big calls and they’ve got to get those right, you can’t guess on them.
“If those things go against you, it gets you down. The mental game this season has played a massive part. The players don’t do very well with the mental side of it, we concede one, switch off then concede another.
“The games we need to get something out of we always seem to miss. I don’t know if that’s a mental thing or something else, I don’t know. If we knew the answer, we wouldn’t be in this position.
“We’ll give all we can on Wednesday and hope that it goes our way.”
The opposition:
In their last game, Welling beat Torquay United 1-0 thanks to Jason Adigun’s goal in the 34th minute.
Welling have spent most of this season stuck in and around the relegation zone. However, a big up-turn from February onwards means that the Wings currently sit in 16th, eight points outside the relegation zone.
This uptake in form can be put down to one man, Rod Stringer. Stringer took over the Wings in January, and since then he has overseen a dramatic pickup in performances, re-framing the Wings season from a disappointment to almost a great escape.
Stringer has turned the Wings into a solid attacking side, winning 7 games and only losing 2 in the league.
If the league was based only on home form, the Wings would be sat comfortably in mid-table. However, their performances away have cost them dearly this season, only managing 3 wins when they were the visitors. The Hawks will hope this works in their favour, with their respectable form at Westleigh Park carrying them through this season.
The Wings form:
Welling United 1-0 Torquay United
Maidstone United 1-1 Welling United
Welling United 1-0 Dover
Chippenham Town 4-1 Welling United
Hampton & Richmond Borough 1-1 Welling United
Head-to-head:
When the Hawks travelled to Welling earlier this season, they returned home empty-handed.
Alex MacAllister took the lead for the Wings early on, but Muhammadu Faal was able to equalise for the Hawks. However, Welling stormed away with the win in the second half thanks to goals from Lewis White and David Kamara. Callum Kealy was able to pull one back for the Hawks, but the game still went the way of Welling, ending 3-2.
The Hawks and the Wings first met in 2017, and since then the two sides have faced off 8 times. While Welling has taken three wins, the teams have been evenly matched when they play each other. The Hawks have managed two wins and there have been three draws.
Ticketing:
Tickets can be purchased both online and, on the turnstile, however, we advise that fans purchase online so they don’t miss out! Tickets can be purchased here: https://havantandwaterloovillefc.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/havant__waterlooville_vs_welling_united__wednesday_10_april_2024
Adult: £15
Concession*: £10
Child**: £10
Under 16: Free
*Aged over 65 on the date of the fixture
**Aged between 16-17 on the date of the fixture
Refreshments:
The Westleigh Pub will be open from 11:00 am serving food and drink to supporters of both teams.
Our stands inside the ground will all be open serving a variety of Hot Food, Snacks and Soft Drinks including our famous Hawky Porky.
Where to follow:
Tune into Hawks Radio to listen to live commentary of the game from Josh Verroken and Les Hyson: https://hawks-radio.mixlr.com/
Match Updates will also be available on the Hawks Social Media channels