Hamlet saw off National South rivals Welling with something to spare despite conceding the first goal of the evening.

AJ Harris-Sealy, seen only fleetingly during Hamlet’s rise to 4th place in the league table in recent weeks, was the star of the show with three goal assists. The wiry left footed winger was as slippery as a greased eel on the right wing, repeatedly sliding through narrow gaps with quicksilver footwork to set up teammates for shots at goal.

It was that man Harris-Sealy who provided the first memorable moment of the match in just the second minute, gliding inside from the right like an ice-skater and lashing an unstoppable shot against the underside of the crossbar that rebounded to safety. Within sixty seconds Harris-Sealy was at it again, crossing low from the right after opening up the Welling defence, but James Dayton’s goal bound shot was blocked by a defender on the line. In the 6th minute Harris-Sealy’s through pass released Gio McGregor through the middle but Welling keeper Jack Sims was off his line quickly to snuff out the danger. Welling’s first attack came after 9 minutes with Hamlet’s Jazzi Barnum-Bobb impatiently waiting to be allowed back into play following a minor facial injury. Referee Michael Chard ordered him to wait on the touchline as Chi Ezennolim surged through the vacant channel on the right of the Hamlet defence and played Stefan Ilic into the box with only Charlie Grainger to beat, but the Hamlet custodian produced a vital save with his feet. Still inside the first ten minutes, Hamlet’s Deon Moore had a shot saved by Sims at the end of a powerful run with McGregor’s follow up deflected over for a corner.

Welling steadied their ship as the mid-point of the first half approached and in the 24th minute they took the lead against the run of play. Bradley Stevenson received a pass from Essendam to the left corner of the penalty box, cut inside, and unleashed a sweet curling shot from 18 yards that beat Grainger low inside the far post. Hamlet suddenly looked deflated as the visitors threatened to increase their lead. Arthur Penney lofted a high inswinging cross from the left that was headed just wide by Ilic at the far post.

Hamlet suddenly came to life five minutes before half time when Harris-Sealy was unceremoniously barged off the ball on the right flank by the much larger figure of Penney. With players hesitating in anticipation of a free kick that was never awarded, Harris-Sealy sprung from the floor to cross low into the centre for Chike Kandi to shoot into the net via a deflection from a defender’s outstretched leg. Welling almost regained the lead two minutes later as Joe Muscatt made a dazzling run into the box, had a shot blocked, then saw Ezennolim shoot wastefully wide.

The first ten minutes of the second half were uneventful until Hamlet took a firm grip with two goals in four minutes. A sublime flighted pass from Dayton released Harris-Sealy down the left and his low cross-shot flew almost along the goal line before it was turned in from beyond the far post by Chike Kandi to give Hamlet the lead. Three minutes later Moore was played clear through the middle only to be upended ten yards outside the penalty area by a crazy challenge from Sims. The proximity of two covering defenders spared the goalkeeper a red card but full punishment was exacted from the free kick. Harris-Sealy’s venomous dead ball strike was spilled by Sims and, with most players on both sides slow to react, it was debutant defender Jamal Abubakari who pounced like a big cat to smash the rebound into the net before wheeling away in celebration to the delight of his academy teammates in the main stand.

Welling did their best to regroup during the middle phase of the second half. Stevenson tested Grainger with a direct free kick from 30 yards that was blocked and cleared. Former Hamlet favourite Danny Carr curled a shot wide of the top corner from 20 yards. Hamlet were close to snatching a fourth goal, and Kandi a hat-trick. The centre forward chested down a long pass over the top from Dayton, taking the ball past Sims on the outside, and shot goalward from a tight angle only to see the ball cleared to safety. Former Hamlet full back Aaron Barnes, on as a substitute, almost unlocked Hamlet’s defence with an inswinging cross from the right which Carr volleyed over the bar from close range. Within a minute Stevenson broke clear through the middle for Welling and offloaded to Barnes, who shot wide at the near post. Barnes was still keen to make an impression against his former club in the 77th minute, cutting inside from the right and slipping the ball wide to Oshane Stewart to fire a cross-shot that rebounded from the base of the far post. That was Welling’s last hurrah. A Hamlet penalty shout came to nothing when the referee adjudged that the defender had won the ball to concede a corner, then in the final minute another great piece of approach work from Harris-Sealy, smuggling the ball past two defenders inside the box, led to shots from himself and Barnum-Bobb being blocked in the goalmouth.

Richard Taylor, who was an unused substitute at Oxford City on Saturday, has joined Dagenham & Redbridge. Hamlet now travel to meet the winners of the Hendon v Balham 2nd Round tie (which has yet to be scheduled) in the next round of the competition.

Team (4-3-3): Grainger - Barnum-Bobb, Abubakari, Sterling©, Blackman - Diallo, Splatt, Dayton - Harris-Sealy, Kandi, Moore. Subs: Bowker (for Diallo), McQueen (for Kandi), Atewologun, McGregor (not used).

Attendance: 719