Hemel Hempstead Town 1 Welling United 1
Vanarama National League South 23/10/2021
Match report by Allan Mitchell
Hemel will feel this was a case of two points dropped rather than one gained as they totally controlled the first half but went in only one goal to the good.
Welling’s keeper, Jack Sims, kept his side in the game with a number of saves, with the Tudors dominating possession and creating chance after chance.
Cole Kpekawa and Tyrique Hyde both saw headers flash wide, and Sims thwarted JJ Lacey twice in a short space of time, saving a superb diving header and a well-struck drive that he just managed parry wide.
However, when the resulting corner came in, the Welling keeper was a spectator as Gus Scott-Morriss crashed his header onto the top of the bar.
With the home side looking dangerous at every set piece, they finally broke the deadlock in the 41st minute when another corner was met by debutant Joash Nembhard who powered his header home, and it was no more than the Tudors deserved.
Almost inevitably and as has so often been the case this season, the visitors equalised with their first shot on target early in the second period.
It was from the penalty spot after the referee spotted a foul in the box. Hemel had few complaints, and Dan Carr sent Craig King the wrong way to level the scores.
It was harsh on the Tudors, but they had paid for not being clinical in front of goal once again.
After this, the game was a much more even affair, with neither side really threatening too much. Welling manager Peter Taylor made some tactical adjustments which saw them have more of the ball without causing Hemel any real problems.
The Tudors best hope of regaining the lead still came from corners, and Scott-Morriss thought he had won the game for Hemel late on when he met one with a powerful header, but it hit Sims, who knew little about it and deflected away much to the home fans frustration.
That was pretty much it as far as chances went, and both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils, a result that leaves Hemel still rooted to the bottom of the table but only a point behind Braintree with a game in hand.
This was a much-improved performance and one that gave the Tudor Army a lift with a challenging game to come on Tuesday away at Chippenham.
Manager Mark Jones reflected on the result afterwards and agreed that it was a game they should have taken three points from, but it was definitely a step in the right direction as they continue to tweak the squad and bring in the type of players he feels he needs to enable his side to climb the table.
Hemel: King, Scott-Morriss, Wishart, Westbook, Kpekawa, Nembhard; Morgan-Griffiths, Hyde, (Hinds 62), Mantom, Cerulli, (Marsh-Brown 68), Lacey. Subs not used: Simpson, Paul, Castiglione)
Match Attendance 411 Tudors Man of the Match: Gus Scott-Morriss