FOREST GREEN 1

WELLING 0

BOSS Ady Pennock laps up 1-0 wins and he got another one as Forest Green made it back-to-back wins in the embryonic stages of the new Vanarama National League season.

Aaron O’Connor’s first goal in a Rovers shirt proved the difference as Pennock and assistant Jamie Day got one over their former club Welling.

Buoyed by an opening day 1-0 victory at Altrincham, Rovers’ boss named an unchanged side.

However, it was Welling who started brightly. Inside the opening three minutes –Tashan Adeyinka fizzed over from a Sahr Kabba assist.

The Kent side continued to hold sway with Xavier Vidal smashing a free-kick wide.

Rovers were struggling to gain a foothold and were indebted to the safe hands of Jonny Maxted, who fell on Zach Fagan’s shot.

It took 15 minutes for Rovers to find their feet, with the ball dropping behind Jon Parkin from an Elliott Frear cross, after a delicious Marcus Kelly long ball.

Rovers enjoyed a brief purple patch with the lively O’Connor off-target.

They nearly pressed the self-destruct button when the otherwise impeccable Sam Wedgbury surrendered possession, but Kabba scuffed wide with just Maxted to beat.

Rovers rallied. David Pipe won a corner and from Rob Sinclair’s set- play, but Aarran Racine’s strike lacked direction.

The tempo rose when Wings’ defender Kevin Lokko saw yellow after handling under pressure from Parkin and his subsequent free-kick kissed the side-netting Rovers continued to be off range as early season rustiness was clearly evident.

Former Welling striker Kurtis Guthrie planted a 30 minute header over from a Pipe cross and two minutes later Kelly watched his free-kick fly over the bar.

Tempers frayed somewhat with Fagan booked on 38 minutes for clipping O’Connor and Guthrie seeing yellow for leaving his foot on Wings’ keeper Tom King.

On the cusp of the interval the deadlock was broken. Parkin’s deft touch teed-up strike partner O’Connor, who drilled home from just outside the box, via a deflection, for his first goal in a Rovers shirt.

Rovers lacked any real width in the opening 45 minutes, but almost got off to the perfect second half start.

Frear scampered down the left, cut the ball back to Rob Sinclair, and his cushioned shot was blocked by King, who reacted quickly to deny the onrushing Guthrie.

Welling had the wings in their sails and responded immediately. The impressive Ricky Wellard forced Maxted to parry with Vidal skewing the rebound wide.

O’Connor was on the money and bent a shot from the corner of the box that was heading for the top corner, but the scampering Ben Jefford got back to head off the line.

That man O’Connor saw another effort blocked as Rovers started to pepper the Wings’ defence O’ Connor was agonisingly close to a second, but somehow contrived to miss the target from a sublime Frear cross.

It was all Rovers. Close control from Guthrie saw the Jersey boy smash fractionally wide from the edge of the box.

Parkin, feeling a slight hamstring twinge, left the action on the hour as Pennock introduced summer marquee signing Keanu Marsh-Brown.

Rovers were hunting a second and Welling were saved by the alert King, who fell at the feet of Guthrie from a Sinclair assist.

Jefford was the Welling hero again as the left-back headed a Frear cross off the line from an O’Connor cross.

Still Rovers created, but failed to find the net as Guthrie arrowed wide on the turn.

It was far from swashbuckling, but Rovers huffed and puffed. Kelly darted down the left to find Marsh-Brown, who took the ball in his stride, but shot across the face of goal.

With 10 minutes to go the assured Maxted gathered well from a Jefford free header following a Wellard assist and Vidal snatched at a chance conjured by lynchpin Wellard.

O’Connor ‘s eye-catching night ended in a late yellow and a fierce Marsh-Brown hit on the angle brought the curtain down on a dogged Rovers’ display.

Forest Green: J. Maxted; D. Pipe, D. Bennett, A. Racine, M. Kelly; K. Guthrie (D. Sam-Yorke 82), R. Sinclair, S. Wedgbury, E. Frear; J. Parkin (K. Marsh-Brown 62), A. O'Connor.

Subs not used: J. Jennings, C. Kamdjo, P. White.

Welling United: T. King; H. Osbourne (N. Nortey 46), M. Chambers, K. Lokko, B. Jefford; R. Wellard, Z. Fagan, X. Vidal, R. Harris; T. Adeyinka (A. Obafemi 77), S. Kabba (G. Porter 64).

Subs not used: M. McEntegart, K. Awotwi.

Referee: M. Pottage (Dorset).

Attendance: 1,076.

Star man: Dale Bennett.