Welling United F.C.

Football club infobox
clubname = Welling United


fullname = Welling United Football Club
nickname = The Wings
founded = 1963
ground = Park View Road,
Welling
capacity = 4,500 (1000+ seated)
chairman = flagicon|England Paul Websdale
manager = Andy Ford
league = Conference South
season = 2007-08
position = Conference South, 16th
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Welling United Football Club are an English football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley. They currently play in the Conference South. Steve Finnan of Liverpool, a Champions League winner, started his career with the club.

History

Welling United Football Club was founded in 1963, by Sydney Hobbins a former goalkeeper with Charlton Athletic for his sons Barrie and Graham.They began as a youth team playing in local league football on a park pitch, they gradually expanded and began playing Saturday football in the London Spartan League. In 1977 they moved to the Park View Road ground, which had previously belonged to the defunct Bexley United F.C. (historically called Bexleyheath & Welling). They joined the Athenian League in 1978. In 1981 they progressed to the Southern Football League Southern Division.

After just one season at this level the club found itself in the Southern League Premier Division after the league was re-organised. In 1985-86 they won the league title by 23 points and were promoted to the Football Conference

Although they struggled in the Conference, only twice finishing above 11th place in 14 seasons, they did enjoy cup success during this period, reaching the first round proper of the FA Cup in six successive seasons, on one occasion memorably knocking out Kent’s only Football League side, Gillingham. They also made one third round appearance, losing 0-1 to Blackburn Rovers.

The Wings dropped out of the Conference when they were relegated on the last day of the season in 1999/2000 and returned to the Southern League.

In the 2003-04 season, under the management of former England World Cup player Paul Parker, the club finished in the top half of the Southern League Premier Division and were therefore able to claim a place in the newly formed Conference South. The first season at this level proved a struggle, and with the Wings rooted to the foot of the table for the first three months of the season Parker left the club by mutual consent.

Former Coventry City and Republic of Ireland player Liam Daish took charge of the team on a caretaker basis before the permanent position was handed to former Norwich City and Gillingham defender Adrian Pennock, who narrowly missed out on taking the club into the promotion play-offs. Pennock left the club at the end of the 2006–07 season. His last game managing the Wings finished in a 1-1 draw at home to Hayes. Pennock joined Stoke City in a coaching position under his former Gillingham manager, Tony Pulis.

On May 16, 2007, Welling United appointed Neil Smith as the new first team manager. However after only seven months in charge Smith parted company with the club on January 7 2008. It was mutually agreed between the club and Smith that his reign as Wings boss would end. [ [http://www.wellingunited.com/newsitems.php?subaction=showfull&id=1199719844&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6& Welling United] ]
Andy Ford was appointed the new manager of the Wings on January 31 2008. Despite losing 6-2 to Cambridge City in his first game in charge, Ford guided the Wings to safety and they eventually finished 16th.

Ground

Welling United play their home matches at Park View Road, which has been their ground since 1977 when they took over the ground which had been vacated by the defunct Bexley United. Prior to that date the club had played at a community sports ground in Butterfly Lane, Eltham. Having been unoccupied for some time, the new ground was almost derelict.

Erith & Belvedere have been ground sharing since the 1999 season. Improvements were made to the Park View Road ground in 2004, which included a new covered stand.

As a result of severe storms and gale force winds in December 2006, the floodlights at Park View Road were damaged. Due to safety reasons all the floodlight pylons on the Welling side of the ground were removed. The floodlights were put in place during the month of June 2007 and are fully functional, one pylon positioned in each corner.

Current squad

Notable former players

Famous past players include:
* Steve Finnan
* Andy Townsend
* Daniele Dichio
* Paul Barron
* Terry Skiverton

ources

*fchd|name=Welling United|id=WELLINGU

References

External links

* [http://www.wellingunited.com Welling United F.C. Official Website]
* [http://www.winningisnteverything.net Winning Isn't Everything - The Welling United Fanzine]