Welling United manager Ryan Maxwell reveals there’s a formal agreement preventing Femi Akinwande facing his old club with Potters Bar this weekend

Ryan Maxwell has revealed that former Welling striker Femi Akinwande won’t be able to face his old club this weekend.

Akinwande left the Wings to join Potters Bar at the end of last week and the sides meet at Park View Road on Saturday.

It’s a big game at the foot of the Isthmian Premier, with Welling six points from safety after their first back-to-back league wins in more than a year, while the visitors are bottom of the table with only 11 points.

Strikers have a habit of haunting ex-clubs but Welling guarded against that when they allowed the Akinwande deal to go through.

“He’s not allowed to play,” said Wings manager Maxwell. “It’s formal. It’s been stated and agreed that he doesn’t play against us.”

On the game itself, Maxwell added: “They’re fighting for their lives as well so we know it’s going to be a very difficult game and we’re preparing for that.

“We’re at home, we have to make sure we play like we’re at home, but we play the game and not the occasion and make sure we’re absolutely at it.”

Akinwande scored on his final Welling appearance, a 3-1 win over Cheshunt, but Maxwell decided to go in a different direction, signing prolific striker Brad Sach from Hashtag United.

Maxwell said: “I’ve had Femi before at Braintree, I know exactly what he can do.

“I just felt we needed something different.

“An opportunity came about where Potters Bar showed interest and I made a decision to accept their offer. I felt it was right to make the change.”

Sach scored three minutes into his Wings debut, getting across his man at the near post from Troy Howard’s cross to set Welling on their way to a 2-1 win at Whitehawk.

Fellow debutant Lewis Chambers - he’s signed on loan from Chatham - doubled the lead late on with a fine