Welling United vs Braintree

Welling started at lightning pace. Ryan Blackman opened the scoring inside two minutes, giving the Wings a dream start. But Braintree responded swiftly through Anisius Lewis, who levelled in the 6th minute.

The score stayed 1-1 until the 67th minute, when Hubbard converted from the penalty spot to put Braintree 2-1 ahead. The visitors appeared to have seized control of the friendly.

Kingsford had other ideas. He equalised in the 83rd minute, setting up a grandstand finish. Then, deep into stoppage time, the forward struck again — a powerful strike from range that the club's social media termed "another screamer" — to complete the turnaround and seal a 3-2 victory for the Wings.

Braintree looked comfortable nursing a 2-1 lead after Hubbard's penalty, but the game swung on a 10-minute window late on. Once Kingsford drew Welling level in the 83rd minute, the momentum shifted decisively. Braintree failed to regain their defensive shape, and Kingsford punished them with a second stoppage-time finish. The two quick goals transformed a potential defeat into a statement pre-season result.

Ryan Kingsford (Welling United) — The match-winner. Two goals in the final 10 minutes, the second a long-range screamer in stoppage time. His movement and finishing turned the game on its head.

Ryan Blackman (Welling United) — Opened the scoring inside two minutes with a sharp finish, setting the early tone.

Fletcher Hubbard (Braintree) — Composed from the penalty spot in the 67th minute, briefly putting Braintree in a winning position.

A notable mention for Anisius Lewis, whose quick equaliser in the 6th minute ensured Braintree didn't dwell on the early setback.

The provider payload confirms a 3-2 final scoreline with no half-time score recorded, suggesting a first half that remained locked at 1-1 after the early exchange of goals. All three Welling goals came from open play, while Braintree's second arrived via a penalty — the only dead-ball goal of the match. The fixture's historical data shows 60% of previous meetings between these sides have gone over 2.5 goals and seen both teams score, which this match continued. The 49th goal in the 15-match rivalry was scored in the 90th minute, fitting a fixture that has averaged 3.27 goals per game since 2013.

This was Welling United's third pre-season friendly of the summer. The Wings had lost their previous outing but responded with a confidence-boosting victory. Lee Martin's side will take momentum into their remaining pre-season fixtures ahead of the 2026-27 Isthmian League Premier Division campaign. The identity of their next friendly was not confirmed at the time of writing.

For Braintree, the defeat extends their pre-season winless run in this fixture — they had won the last five meetings between the sides according to the head-to-head record, but could not hold on here.

A pre-season friendly that delivered genuine drama. Welling showed character to recover from a deficit, and Kingsford's late double — particularly the stoppage-time winner — will build belief. Braintree will be frustrated to have let a lead slip so late, but the fitness work of pre-season remains the priority for both National League South and Isthmian League preparations.