Goals at the start of each half enabled City to take a giant step nearer to safety, but the result will live longer in the memory than the performance after this ill-tempered affair at a rain-lashed Milton Road.

With Steve Holden picking up an injury at Chippenham on Saturday new signing Dave Theobald stepped straight in at the centre of City’s defence, the fit again Adie Hayes returning in midfield at the expense of Rob Sturgess as the Lilywhites went in search of back to back home wins for the first time this season.

City settled quickly and showed an eagerness to get on with the job. With barely two minutes on the clock Stuart Niven launched a left wing throw into the penalty area. Kevin Wilkin rose unchallenged to nod the ball to an unmarked Danny Bloomfield who slotted home from six yards, from Welling’s point of view an extremely poor goal to concede so early on, for City a dream start.

With the visitors rocking there seemed every chance of City doubling their advantage. An Adie Hayes corner on 7 minutes picked out Simpson who laid the ball back invitingly for Bloomfield who saw his goal bound effort headed off the line and behind by Tim O’Shea. Five minutes later a quick Wignall throw in on City’s right found Wilkin who turned the ball forward for Simpson, despite looking second favourite Simpson’s persistence paid off and he got the better of Mark Hone by the corner flag before being dispossessed by Knight diving at his feet. The danger was only partially cleared and the attack switched to the left of the box where Kevin Wilkin set up an advancing Shane Wardley whose fierce strike dipped narrowly over the bar.

Welling’s inability to defend set plays was exposed again after 20 minutes, this time a Niven throw from the right hand side reached Wilkin who nodded back into the path of Bloomfield but the ball reared up awkwardly off the greasy surface allowing Knight to claim.

Having weathered the early storm The Wings began to force their way back into the game. Midway through the half Theobald tried to hook the ball away from Paul Booth, but in doing so conceded a free kick on the edge of the area. Anthony Hogg crashed his place kick into the wall and the ball ran loose on the right hand side of the City box. Colin Vowden and Kevin Seabury each threw themselves into a fully committed challenge, the resultant coming together audible all around Milton Road. Vowden seemed to have got to the ball a fraction ahead of the visiting skipper and was in fact awarded a free kick by referee Beevor, but it was obvious that the ex-Shrewsbury player had come off the worse of the two and after a lengthy delay was stretchered off in obvious pain to be replaced by Ray Aboagye.

The disruption seemed to affect City as Welling enjoyed a fifteen minute spell where they were well on top. First a loose clearance from Nightingale was seized upon by Russell Edwards who advanced down the right and fired a dangerous low ball into the six yard box where the alert Theobald, making an accomplished debut, was on hand to clear. A couple of minutes later Adie Hayes was pulled up for a foul on the left. Hogg floated his free kick towards the far post forcing City to concede a corner on their right. Hogg’s first place kick was partially cleared, but given a second opportunity to deliver he picked out Abbott with pinpoint accuracy allowing The Wings striker to glance a neat header beyond Davies and into the corner of the net. Now it was Welling who looked good for a second, on 35 minutes an incisive break, switching play from left to right freed the skilful Anthony Riviere who cut inside from the wing and played a dangerous ball into the goalmouth forcing Wignall into a desperate clearance.

As City looked to clear their lines Aboagye was late on Nightingale and earned himself a yellow card at the start of what was to prove to be an explosive few minutes between the pair.

With five minutes of the half remaining Nightingale himself was pushed on the edge of the box allowing Stuart Niven the opportunity to steer his free kick low around the wall but not beyond Knight who was well positioned to gather.

As a protracted opening half drew to a close the ongoing feud between Nightingale and Aboagye came to a head. Shortly after a coming together which had seen the Wings midfielder sent crashing into the advertising boards the pair challenged again in centre field. As the two chased a loose ball, only yards from the referee, there appeared to be a raised arm which caught Nightingale in the face. Whilst it was difficult to spot, Mr Beevor produced a red card and Aboagye was led from the pitch leaving Welling with the prospect of facing the whole second half a man short.

City wasted little time in making the most of their numerical advantage. With less than a minute gone in the second period Simpson raced onto a Niven through ball on the right flank. With conditions difficult for turning defenders Simpson skated away from O’Shea leaving Welling’s central defensive pairing back peddling. Biding his time Simpson looked up and delivered an inch perfect cross onto the forehead of Kevin Wilkin who crashed his header back across Knight and into the corner of the net.

Moments later Booth had half a chance to bring Welling back on terms. Chasing a through ball which picked up pace off the greasy surface he got half a yard on Vowden, but the City centre back stuck well to his task forcing the former Gravesend striker to fire over.

There then followed a double blow for City, within a minute both Adie Hayes and Shane Wardley were forced to withdraw from the action through injury, replaced by Rob Sturgess and Tim Wooding respectively. This double change severely disrupted the balance of the team and with the transfer listed Richard Skelly currently suspended the Lilywhites all of a sudden looked to be very short of left sided players.

As a result the second half became somewhat disjointed and untidy. City generally failed to retain possession well enough to make full use of their man advantage, however when the ball was worked into wide positions, stretching the Welling defence, there was always the chance of a decisive third goal.

On 58 minutes the hard working Kevin Wilkin latched on to a Niven through ball, out paced the defence and looked like he might round Knight before the ‘keeper stretched out a hand to knock the ball away from the City striker.

Welling were never out of the game however and at 2-1 City looked anything but comfortable. An hour in Nightingale conceded a free kick some 15 yards into the City half. Hogg drifted the ball from right to left where Abbott rose highest to head the ball back across the box, Booth in turn planting a firm header just under the bar which Davies was grateful to claim.

At the other end, Wilkin, a constant thorn in the side of the Welling rearguard jinked into space on the edge of the box before being upended by Hone. A challenge which earned the acting skipper a yellow card. Tim Wooding’s resultant place kick was accurate but lacking in sufficient power to trouble Knight. Lewis Watts was the next to fell Wilkin in dangerous territory this time Wooding touched the dead ball for Simpson to strike but his effort was charged down by the wall.

Simpson and Bloomfield showed a neat touch of class in an otherwise fairly attritional battle as the game entered its final 15 minutes. The persistence of the City no. 11 kept the ball alive on the right hand side and his neat lay-off to Bloomfield allowed the former Bournemouth man to fire across Knight who got down well to his right to make the save, but frustratingly for City there was no-one on hand to capitalise on the loose ball which sat up invitingly some 12 yards from goal.

Jack Wignall became the only City player to pick up a caution, his tackle on Hogg produced an incident which seemed to unsettle the City right back as moments later he elected to head across the box when seemingly well placed to clear his lines allowing Abbott a presentable opening on goal but the visitors’ striker fired over.

That was the last meaningful goalmouth action of the match. Welling continued to chase for an equaliser, introducing both Sodje and Standen at the expense of Abbott and Hogg respectively but despite conceding a number of free kicks City elected to defend on the edge of their 18 yard area and managed to keep The Wings attack at arm’s length. For their part City successfully ran down the clock introducing Leon Gutzmore for Robbie Simpson. A late yellow for Watts after a strong challenge on Wignall a perfect illustration of the scrappy ending to the game.

This win sees the Lilywhites leapfrog tonight’s opponents into what would appear to be the comfort zone of mid-table. What, if nothing else, suggests that City are capable of collecting the remaining points needed to be absolutely sure of survival is their current form of 9 points from the last 12.

When, in December, the club decided that a change of management was necessary, City had played 18 league games collecting 16 points. Since then they have played 18 more which have yielded 30 points, how different this season could have been.