Welwyn Garden City gave a tremendous team performance to take three crucial Southern League Div 1 Central points off pre-season promotion favourites Halesowen Town, despite finishing the game with nine men!
The Citizens played all the second-half with 10 after wide midfielder Jay Rolfe – scorer of their opening goal – was sent off by referee Jamie Conde for two yellow cards.
But after an outstanding second-half rearguard action, that thwarted all that Halesowen could throw at them, WGC lost a second player two minutes from the end of normal time, when Carl Mensah was given a straight red, pulling down the Yeltz’s substitute Luke Yates, when he got clean through.
The WGC nine further repelled the West Midlanders for the remaining two minutes plus seven minutes stoppage time, to retain their unbeaten start to the season and take Halesowen’s previous unblemished record.
In the first meeting of the clubs in front of a 500 strong crowd at The Grove, Halesowen attacked from the off and in the opening minute, full-back Jamie Ashmore attacked down the right to put over a high cross that Montel Gibson headed just past the far post.
WGC keeper Ryan Schmid smothered well at the feet of Gibson in five minutes, but a minute later WGC were ahead in their first attack.
Good work by skipper Dave Keenleyside kept the ball in play. He found Jesse Walklin, whose excellent lofted pass to the right found Rolfe coming in to keep calm and slide the ball past Brendan Bunn in the home goal.
Halesowen responded with Reece Hewitt racing through, only to thrash his effort wide of goal.
There was a chance of a WGC second, when Keenleyside broke clear, but lost out in a block tackle with keeper Bunn, who emerged with the ball to clear.
But a WGC second wasn’t long in coming. On 28 minutes, debutant Jack Bradshaw, signed from Biggleswade Town last week, raced through to finish his run with a fierce 20 yard drive.
Keeper Bunn parried it away, but only to George Ironton, who checked inside before lofting a fine finish into the top corner beyond the keeper.
Goalscorer Rolfe was booked for bringing down fast-raiding full-back James Bowen moments later and then three minutes from the break, the midfielder received a red when he pulled down the same player outside the box to receive his marching orders.
It made for a difficult second-half for the Citizens, who changed to a back four, in which Bradshaw and Will McClelland, particularly took the eye.
The cautions began to pile up for WGC, as Jon Sexton, Lee Close and Ironton all collected yellow cards.
Ashley Sammons’ long-range shooting was a major threat to the WGC lead and when one of the midfielder’s many efforts of the afternoon was deflected, it cleared keeper Schmid to hit the crossbar, Jesse Walklin got in a vital clearance when the ball dropped.
WGC introduced Eusebio Da Silva with 20 minutes to go and within a minute of coming on, the big striker latched onto a big goal kick from Schmid to turn and strike an effort just past Bunn’s post.
Schmid then pulled off a fine save from Halesowen’s Robbie Bunn as the home side threw caution to the winds in the closing stages.
The biggest scare to WGC ironically came from one of their own players. Mensah miscued a back header that found Schmid off his line. The big keeper race back to clutch the ball on the goalline and held it up to show it hadn’t fully crossed.
Mr Conde and his assistants obviously agreed – without the benefit of VAR – and waved play on!
Two minutes from the end, Mensah was sent packing for hauling down Yates, as the little winger threatened to break clear, forcing the visitors to play out the last nine minutes with nine men, but they just wouldn’t be breached and took home the vital three points to Hertfordshire.
WGC: Schmid, Rolfe, Sexton, Bradshaw, McClelland, Mensah, Close (Payne 85), Keenleyside, Cleaver (Da Silva 68), Ironton (Ebengo 89), Walklin.
Welwyn Garden City Match Report
