Les Phillips Cup: Gillingham Town 0, Wellington 3
Wellington made it four wins on the trot as they progressed in the Jewson Western League’s Les Phillips Cup in Dorset last night (Tuesday, October 22nd).
With his injury crisis easing, manager Richard Cherry’s line-up for the tie included returns for experienced keeper Jake Viney and midfielder Sam Pashen.
Gillingham play in the division below Wellington and are currently propping up the table and, although the Tangerines coasted into a three-goal lead, they were given a few scares after the break.
The visitors got off to a flying start with a goal after only three minutes as Nathan Byrne cut in from the left to produce a cool finish.
Gillingham had a couple of early efforts on goal but Wellington were dominant in the first half and added a second after 42 minutes when Pashen’s shot was blocked by the keeper and he followed up to drive home the rebound.
It was a similar story after the break with the Tangerines extending their lead from another rebound on the hour mark. This time, Charlie Wilson’s effort came back to Jake Mawford, who made no mistake.
That was the signal for Gillingham to up their game and they were unfortunate not to make inroads on the deficit, hitting the post and forcing a couple of smart saves from Viney.
Cherry will have been pleased with both the result and the clean sheet ahead of Saturday’s return to league action when they host Oldland Abbotonians.
Wellington: Jake Viney, Ryan Hibbert, Tom Stone, Mark Cornish, Sam Gleeson, Nathan Byrne, Sam Towler, Sam Pashen, Charlie Wilson, Jake Mawford, Jake Quick. Substitutes: Matt Crawley and Josh Lukins (both used).
PHOTO: Defender Sam Gleeson cuts inside as the Tangerines mount a second half attack.