Welwyn Garden City plundered a point from their only Herts derby in the Southern League Div 1 Central, when a stoppage time goal earned them a 1-1 draw with Berkhamsted on Bank Holiday Monday.
Both sides went into the clash with 100 per cent records from their opening pair of games, but it was visitors Berko who must have been wondering how they hadn’t extended that run, after a game in which they dominated.
Only an outstanding debut in the home goal by new keeper Ryan Schmid and some wasteful finishing didn’t see the Comrades from the west of the county, return home with a maximum reward.
But although out of sorts, WGC staged a late revival to force a succession of corners in the dying moments of the game and on 93 minutes, big central defender Carl Mensah got above everyone to head a George Ironton corner home, to keep his side unbeaten.
That didn’t look like early in the game as Berkhamsted forced the pace, Lewis Toomey stabbing wide after Jonathan Lacey’s run and cross down the left in the opening 10 minutes.
New keeper Schmid then kept WGC on terms with a fine save with his feet to thwart another Toomey effort.
WGC weren’t offering much at this stage, although Toby Cleaver got on the end of a clever swinging free-kick from Ironton, to stab just past the Berko woodwork.
Further good work from Schmid foiled the visitors with a couple of very sharp saves from close quarters, denying Toomey and central defender Ryan Kinnane, before at the other end Berko keeper Leon made a fine tip around save to thwart Eusebio Da Silva, when WGC’s big striker outmuscled Dan Murphy to a through ball,
The half ended in a flurry of action, Schmid making his best stop so far to keep out a Toomey close-in effort at one end, before in the half’s final attack, Cleaver got up on the back post to a Jay Rolfe cross to head inches wide.
After a stern team talk, WGC seemed to enjoy a greater share of the play in the early stages of the second-half.
But their improvement was set back on its heels, when the visitors took a deserved lead on 66 minutes.
A long ball down down the left saw the dangerous Toomey get the better of WGC’s Jon Sexton and cross in low, where his strike partner Lacey was waiting to ram it home on the back post.
Both sides rang the changes after this breakthrough, including WGC making three changes.
These included bringing on youth team striker Brodie Carrington for the final 25 minutes and the teenager had one of the best efforts of the game, hitting a 20 yarder just wide after a loose clearance fell to him.
With time running out, WGC stepped up the pressure to finally find a way through Berko’s defences, with Mensah’s header and earn what t can only be considered a fortunate point.
WGC: Schmid, Rolfe, Ebengo (Smaldone 79), Mensah, Close, Sexton (Carrington 67), Walklin, Ironton, Payne (Antwi 61), Da Silva, Cleaver.
Welwyn Garden City Match Report
