Welling United welcome champions Ebbsfleet United to Park View Road in what is the last home Saturday fixture of the season this weekend (3pm).
The Wings face a stern test against the Fleet, who have topped the 100-point mark, but Warren Feeney’s men will want to finish the season on a high with nine points still up for grabs.
Welling will welcome back Amadou Kassarate following his five-match suspension and will hope to have Taylor Maloney available again after a spell on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Sadik Balarabe and Taylor Curran remain doubtful with injuries.
THE OPPOSITION
Dennis Kutrieb’s Ebbsfleet side have romped to the Vanarama National League South title this campaign, amassing 100 points from their 44 games played, so far.
They have won 31, drawn seven and lost six games and hold a 21-point lead on their nearest challengers Dartford in second place.
After a tricky spell at the turn of the year in which they suffered four straight defeats, they have gone on to lose just one game in their last 21 outings and come into the game off the back of a 3-0 victory at home to Cheshunt last weekend.
The Fleet will be without 36-goal striker Dominic Poleon, however, following his dismissal in the 3-2 defeat at Braintree Town on April 10th.
PRE-MATCH CHAT
Warren Feeney: “It’s a great test for us. We’ve had two great games against them this year, and I want to congratulate them for what they’ve done, but we’ve got a job to do over the 90 minutes.”
Ebbsfleet United boss. Dennis Kutrieb: “Not many teams will achieve this in their lives, the club’s history and there’s not even many teams in the history of National League South that have done it. This comes down, as we saw last Saturday, to hard work on a daily basis – be there and don’t be too proud or too arrogant and think you’re something special because you won a few games.
“This was maybe the best example, a remarkable achievement to turn up last Saturday already promoted and we made sure we still wanted to win the game. That’s down to the boys, their hard work and to their good mentality.”
LAST TIME OUT
The Wings and the Fleet have already come up against each other on two occasions this season, including a 3-2 victory for Welling in the Kent Senior Cup at the Kuflink Stadium in March.
The reverse league fixture saw the two sides play out a memorable encounter back in October, with the Wings earning a dramatic point draw with nine men.
Having gone ahead through Yaser Kasim after 20 minutes, the visitors had Stefan Payne and James Dunne sent off before half-time, with Craig Tanner netting a leveller deep into first-half stoppage time.
With their backs up against the wall, the Wings defended excellently until Fleet were awarded a penalty in the ninth minute of injury-time.
But Kai McKenzie-Lyle would prove to be the hero, keeping out Rakish Bingham’s spot-kick at the death to ensure a share of the spoils.
REF WATCH
Farai Hallam will be the man in the middle on Saturday afternoon. He has taken charge of 28 fixtures this term, including some in the National League and last refereed the Wings for a 2-1 defeat at Concord Rangers in May 2022.
Hallam will be assisted by Michael Hayden and Rudin Preca.
OTHER INFO
Get down to the ground early and take in a whole afternoon of football at Park View Road!
Supporters can enjoy the lunchtime kick-off live on BT Sport with Fulham v Leeds United being shown on the screens in the Wings Bar on Saturday afternoon with doors opening at 12pm.
Following Saturday’s match, at approximately 5.30pm, the Player of the Year presentations will be made pitchside. Fans are encouraged to stick around and grab a drink in the bar before watching the presentations and congratulating the winners.
TICKETS
Tickets for the clash with Ebbsfleet United are available to purchase online and in advance and supporters are encouraged to do so to avoid congestion at the turnstiles on matchday.
Tickets are priced £15 adults, £10 concessions and students and £7 for U16s, while U11s go FREE when accompanied by an adult.
Click here to get your tickets for Welling United v Ebbsfleet United
