Welling United host Aveley in their first game on home turf in 2024 at the J Hearnden Skip Hire Community Stadium on Saturday (3pm).
The Wings will be looking to secure their first three points of the new year in DA16 as they fight to drag themselves out of the bottom four.
They currently find themselves eight points adrift from safety and will need to get points on the board if they are going to preserve their place in Vanarama National League South for next season.
THE OPPOSITION
Aveley have enjoyed a hugely successful couple of seasons having enjoyed back-to-back promotions to earn their place in the National League South for the first time.
Their progression has continued into this campaign with the Millers surprising many by hitting the ground running in 2023/24 with an impressive start to the campaign, but have slipped down the table in recent weeks an out of the play-off places.
They sit in eighth position with 11 wins, five draws and 10 defeats from their 26 games, so far.
Aveley come into the game off the back of a 2-1 home victory over Dover Athletic last weekend – their first league victory in 10 outings.
PRE-MATCH CHAT
Wings Assistant Manager, Ben Austin “We have to turn some of our performances into results. We can confidently say that, in the first half of the season, we chucked away 10-15 points just through a lack of quality in both boxes.
“We’ve been asking the same players to churn it out over the last few games, so the boys will value the rest over the last week with no midweek game. we have to make sure everyone is fit and raring and we’ll go into it looking to be positive and looking to get a result.”
LAST TIME OUT
10-man Welling United earned a hard-fought point from a 2-2 draw with Aveley at Parkside Stadium last month.
After taking the lead through Tristan Abrahams’ penalty, the Wings were pegged back, reduced to 10 when Reice Charles-Cook was giving his marching orders and fell behind before the break, with the prospect of fighting on for the majority of the match with an outfield player, Antony Papadopoulos, in goal.
But a spirited second-half performance, punctuated by Kain Adom’s equaliser, ensured that Welling would take a deserved point back home over the Dartford crossing.
TICKETS
Tickets for the clash against Aveley are available to purchase online in advance and will also be available for cash and card at the turnstiles on the day of the match priced £15 adults, £10 concessions and students and £7 U16s, while U11s go free with an accompanying adult.
Click here to get your tickets for the Wings v Aveley
OTHER INFO
Turnstiles will open at 1.30pm with the Wings Bar and upstairs bar open for all supporters.
Hot food will be available from the burger outlet on the right-hand side as you enter the ground. Meanwhile, the Travis Perkins bar will be open for teas, coffees, cold drinks, snacks and pies.
Post-match, a Man of the Match presentation and interview will be take place in the marquee at approximately 5.45pm.
The club’s official matchday programme, ‘The Wings’, will be available to purchase inside the ground for £3.
LIVE COVERAGE
Supporters can watch the game via a live stream on National League TV.
This season, for the first time, all National League South games not subject to UEFA Article 48 regulation will be streamed exclusively live on National League TV – this means all midweek and any other non-Saturday 3pm games will be permitted on the platform.
In addition, a relaxation of restrictions over the festive and new year period will mean that all games played between Sunday, December 24th and Friday, January 12th will be streamed on National League TV both domestically and internationally.
Instructions for how to sign up and purchase a pass for the game against Aveley, which costs £9.50 for a one-off pass, can be found by clicking here.
