Picture gallery – former loanee Stefan Payne dumps Hawks out of the FA Trophy at Welling United

Former Hawks striker Stefan Payne grabbed a 77th minute winner as Welling United claimed a 3-2 second round victory at Park View Road.

Payne was on hand to head in from close range after Taylor Mahoney’s shot had struck the crossbar.

It was the first time in league or cup action that Hawks had conceded more than two goals in a game.

‘It was obviously a disappointing result,’ said player coach Jamie Collins. ‘It’s a competition we wanted to do well in. With the squad we’ve got, we fancied our chances.’

Hawks had entered the tie on a back of a superb 3-0 NLS win at Chippenham in midweek.

But Collins said the Trophy display was the ‘polar opposite’ of Tuesday’s success that took Hawks joint-top of the NLS alongside Ebbsfleet.

The visitors made a tactical change just after the half hour mark, bringing on striker Jason Prior for midfielder Ethan Burnett.

‘They were going long and we were going long,’ Collins explained. ‘There was no real play in the middle so we thought we’d put an extra man up top.

Welling took a 2-0 lead through an Ade Azeez double before Danny Wright reduced the arrears just before half-time.

Hawks levelled on 66 minutes with a Jamie Sendles-White own goal - the same player having put through his own goal when Hawks drew 2-2 at Welling in a NLS fixture in September.

But Payne, who was on loan to Hawks from Chesterfield for the final few months of last season, spared his colleague with the decider.

Hawks are next in action in the league at Tonbridge next weekend. ‘It’s important we bounce back,’ said Collins. ‘We’ve told the lads we don’t want to lose two in a row.’