AN injury-time goal denied Oxford City a hard-earned drawn in a five-goal thriller at Welling United on Saturday.

The hosts triumphed 3-2 in a dramatic Vanarama National League South match which saw City’s Matt Paterson miss a second-half penalty.

After being pinned in their own half, City took the lead after ten minutes.

Kabongo Tshimanga got onto the end of Reece Fleet’s diagonal ball, rounded the keeper and netted from an acute angle.

Welling dominated much of the play and equalised on the half-hour.

Having seen an earlier deflected effort well saved, Brendan Kiernan fired beyond the reach of City keeper Craig King.

The hosts thought taken the lead shortly afterwards, but Danny Mills’s effort was ruled out for offside.

The visitors raised their game in the second half.

Zac McEachran’s minute corner fell kindly for Tshimanga soon after the restart, but the forward’s effort from close range was blocked, while Joe Oastler and Luke Ruddick could do no better with their follow-up efforts.

After Anthony Acheampong had scuffed a close-range shot in to King’s hands, Welling took the lead in the 71st minute, when a whipped cross was touched home by David Ijaha.

City should have equalised immediately, when Udoka Godwin-Malife’s surging run into the area was cut short by foul from Nassim L’Ghoul

The vigorous appeals of the home side left penalty-taker Paterson waiting more than three minutes – and he saw his eventual effort clip the bar.

Fortunately for City, the prolific striker was handed an opportunity to make amends in the 82nd minute.

Substitute Craig Fasanmade switched the play to Ben Jefford. His cross found Paterson, who netted from close range to make it 2-2.

Both sides went for the win, but it was the Kent side who nicked the points in the first minute of injury time.

Goalkeeper Dan Wilks pumped a long free-kick into into the box, where Acheampong was given space to smash a loose ball beyond King.

Oxford City: King, Godwin-Malife, Jefford, Jones, Ruddick, Oastler, McEachran, Fleet, Paterson, Tshimanga, Wiltshire (Fasanmade 80). Subs not used: Atkinson, Grantham, Krasniqi.

Attendance: 466.