Hopes of staying in the National League South for Welling United took a massive blow when they were defeated at Tonbridge Angels.

Two further new signings came in and made their debuts, but it made little difference as the Wings looked disjointed.

Harvey Bradbury was introduced in at centre forward with leading scorer Dipo Akinyemi again playing out wide and experienced Zeki Fryers made his debut at left back.

Tommy Wood had the first shooting opportunity of the match but shot wide of the far post, but it was he who opened the scoring in the fourteenth minute. Influential Joe Turner got through, but Coniah Boyce-Clarke might have felt that he could have done better when he pushed it onto the post. Wood was first to the loose ball and scrambled it over the line.

Although Welling won six corners in the first half, they struggled to make anything of them, the closest they came was when Taylor Curran headed one back across the goal, but Ade Shokunbi was unable to garner sufficient power with his header to bother goalkeeper Jonathan Henly.

Marcus Sablier delivered a cross that was only half cleared into the path of fellow Bromley loanee Ben Margetson; however, his shot flew well wide. Then, Welling won a free kick in a good area, but Alfie Matthews’ free kick was saved comfortably by Henly, making his two hundredth appearance for the hosts.

Tom Beere skied a long range shot well over and another effort from distance, this time by Turner, was saved easily by Boyce-Clarke.

After the half time interval, Turner again tried his luck from a long way out, again with the same result as the two teams continued to cancel each other out and there was not another goal attempt until after an hour had been played. Fryers tried his luck from wide on the left, but his shot flew over.

Bradbury could not apply the final touch for a debut goal when Dipo Akinyemi fired across the face of goal and that was as near as Welling came to equalising.

Adam Coombes had a shot deflected wide against his former club then Tom Parkinson met a deep corner but headed straight into the arms of Boyce-Clarke.

Turner drew a good save out of Boyce-Clarke before Teddy Perkins fired over from a half cleared corner. The Welling goalkeeper was again called into action when coming out quickly to save from Wood. It came out to Coombes, but Boyce-Clarke recovered quickly to block his shot.

With time running out, Akinyemi stretched to reach a Ben Allen cross but could not divert it on target and Fryers had one last effort, but his shot went past the far post with Henly rooted to the spot.

Seven games remain for Welling to find sufficient points to pull away from relegation but with a tough run in, the new players will have to gel very quickly.

Welling United: Boyce-Clarke, Statham, Fryers, Sendles-White, Curran, Margetson (Allen 78), Sablier (Stevenson 57), Shokunbi, Bradbury, Matthews, Akinyemi. Subs not used: Burnett, Pearce, Ezennolim.