10-man Welling United suffered a first home league defeat since January as Chesham United ran out 3-1 winners at Park View Road on Saturday afternoon.
Chesham took a one-goal lead into the break, before Martell Taylor-Crossdale was given his marching orders for a second-bookable offence.
And the newly-promoted away side took full advantage, adding a second a third goal to punctuate a frustrating afternoon, prior to Daniel Martin’s injury-time consolation.
The visitors made a strong start and probably should have taken an early lead, coming close on three occasions before the 15th minute.
Rhys Lovett made a big save on eight minutes when he rushed out to stop Omar Rowe one-on-one – the Chesham forward had run half the length of the pitch with the goalkeeper the only line of defence as he broke from a Welling corner.
Four minutes later, a looping Callum Adebiyi header was nodded off the line by Anthony Grant, while Mitchell Weiss sent a low shot whistling narrowly past the right-hand upright shortly after.
Chesham would, eventually, get the goal that their first-half play had deserved on 26 minutes.
A bouncing ball into the left-hand side of the box was not dealt with by the Wings’ defence and Weiss arrowed his effort into the bottom right-hand corner.
It wasn’t until the four minute of first-half injury time that Welling really threatened – Daniel Martin did well to fight his way into the box from the right and forced visiting stopper Benjamin Goode into a smart save at his near post.
A frustrating second half ensued with Chesham’s gamesmanship breaking up play with plenty of stoppages preventing play.
The frustration was compounded just after the hour mark when the Wings were reduced to 10 men. Taylor-Crossdale, who was already on a booking for an earlier foul, looked to take a touch past the keeper, but went down a little too easily, leaving the referee to reach for his pocket and a second yellow card.
Lovett made a pair of good saves to keep out Weiss and Ashley Lodge at the other end, but the 10 men would succumb to a second Chesham strike on 78 minutes as Omar Rowe found the bottom corner with a crisp strike.
And with five minutes remaining, Weiss added a final nail in the coffin, lobbing into an empty net with Lovett stranded having made a good initial save on the edge of the box.
The Wings did manage to pull one back in the eighth minute of injury-time when Martin nodded in a consolation, but it proved to be a footnote to a forgettable afternoon in DA16.
Welling will now have to dust themselves off with an immediate opportunity to bounce back on Monday evening as they head to Hemel Hempstead Town.
Welling United: Lovett, Johnson (Borg 40 (Mensah 79)), Burchell, Winfield, Wells, Martin, A Grant (Cornish 79), Kennedy, Bramble (Long 46), Chukwu (R Grant 79), Taylor-Crossdale.
Booked: Chukwu 57 (foul)
Sent off: Taylor-Crossdale 62 (second-bookable offence)
Goal: Martin 90+8
Chesham United: Goode, Rolfe, Brown (Cawley 90), Stevens, Gallimore (Connors 87), Weiss, Grant (Roberts 90), Adebiyi, Lodge, Jones (Casey 90), Rowe (Clayton 83).
Booked: Gallimore 64 (foul), Rowe 72 (foul on Kennedy)
Goals: Weiss 26, 85 Rowe 78.
Referee: Ayrton Hursey
Att: 597
