Welling United slipped to a narrow defeat at Carshalton Athletic at the War Memorial Sports Ground on Saturday afternoon.

Despite Lee Martin’s men enjoying the better of the first period, the home side went into the break ahead thanks to a fortuitous strike, before Logan Dobbs levelled matter for the Wings on the hour mark.

But a 75th minute penalty would condemn the visitors to a frustrating defeat, while an injury-time penalty appeal was turned down at the other end in controversial fashion to deny a shot at a potential point.

The visitors were on the front foot for much of the first 45, with Zac Hambury seeing a shot well blocked in the box on 12 minutes, before Femi Akinwande turned well and forced Robins stopper Matt Kerbey into a good save with a piledriver from 25 yards.

Akinwande, who was making his full Welling debut, fired just over the bar shortly after having shown good strength to win the ball in the box and he tested Kerbey again just two minutes later with a low effort from the edge of the box.

The Wings had undoubtably been the better side throughout the first half, but it would be the home side who would take the lead against the run of play thanks to a huge slice of luck.

Mason Saunders-Henry’s effort from just outside the box took an heavy deflection which completely changed the trajectory of the ball, wrong-footing Freddie Norman in the Welling goal, before settling in the net.

Despite the second half proving to be a more cagey affair, the Wings would get the goal their efforts deserved on the hour mark. Hambury’s excellent cross from the left was flicked on by Akinwande for Dobbs to force in a leveller at the far post.

The goal got the visitors’ tails up and they came close to going ahead moments later when Hambury sped into space on the left-hand side of the penalty area. His dinked effort beat the keeper, but could only Rach the side-netting.

With 15 minutes remaining, however, the hosts were given the chance to regain their lead from the penalty spot. Hambury was adjudged to have tripped Bryan Ifeanyi just inside the right-hand side of the box, leaving Tommy Bradford to step up and slot home his spot-kick.

As the clock ticked over into the 90th minute, Welling were denied what looked like a stonewall penalty of their own when John Ufuah was tripped as he raced through on goal one-on-one, but the referee, much to the surprise of most at the War Memorial Sports Ground, turned down the appeals.

The Wings could certainly consider themselves hard done by, but it’s another defeat for them to lick their wounds over, before preparing for a trip to Hashtag United on Tuesday evening.

Carshalton Athletic: Kerbey, Read, Atewologun, Hamstead, Sankoh, Muirhead, Saunders-Henry, Bradford, Ladapo, Ifeanyi, Smith.

Subs: Nzuzi, Ming, Korboa, Salami, Dyer.

Booked: Hamstead 53 (foul on Hambury), Bradford 82 (foul)

Goals: Saunders-Henry 42, Bradford 76 (pen)

Welling United: Norman, O’Neill (Ufuah 53), Dobbs, Majoyegbe, Adjetey-Brew, Williams-Bushell, Ebuzoeme (Addy 79), Paxman, Hambury (Dyer 83), Shakpoke, Akinwande.

Booked: Majoyegbe 9 (foul on Muirhead), Paxman 41 (foul)

Goal: Dobbs 60

Referee: Simon Finnigan

Att: 512