Welwyn Garden City’s mini slump continued when they lost their first meeting with Barton Rovers this season 3-2, after a disastrous start to Saturday’s fixture at Sharpenhoe Road.
The visitors, out of action for the past fortnight following two home postponements, found themselves 2-0 down in the opening four minutes and never recovered in their Southern League Division One Central clash.
In a troublesome strong wind, the Citizens players – in particular their keeper and defence – found it very hard to cope and left themselves a mountain to climb after such a calamitous start.
Marc Weatherstone’s side have lost three of their last four fixtures and as at bottom–of–the–table Kempston a fortnight earlier, were 1-0 down following the first attack of the game.
They conceded a corner that went to the centre of the penalty area, where Rob Goodman stabbed it goalwards and in-form Matt Maloney turned it past keeper Charlie Crowley from almost on the goalline.
That was after two minutes – but it was to get even worse just two minutes later.
A high ball caught from Cameron Hyde caught the wind and seemed to take Crowley by surprise. He only half saved, pushing the ball away, but again only to Maloney, who netted his second easy goal in as many minutes.
WGC needed an urgent response and almost got it from a corner of their own when a Cyrus Babaie header from Dernell Wynter’s delivery clipped the crossbar on the way over.
Citizens new boy Lynton Goss then hit a poor effort straight at Rovers keeper Cameron Groom after making space himself, but WGC survived a big let off when Hyde struck a powerful drive that flew past Crowley and crashed against his crossbar before bouncing out to safety.
Groom saved a Josh Steele overhead kick and a low strike from Goss, while Babaie saw an effort cleared off the line but the Citizens remained two goals down at the break.
The visitors enjoyed their best period in the game at the start of the second half, going even closer to pulling one back five minutes after the restart when Jack Vasey rose well to a Goss cross and his flicked header beat Groom to crash against the far post. The rebound then cannoned back fully in the face of the keeper, who knew little about it, before bouncing over to safety.
Fortune failed to shine on WGC again moments later when Steele got in a powerful on target header from a Wynter corner that struck teammate Goss on the line, effectively clearing the ball for the home side as well.
WGC finally got their breakthrough on 57 minutes from the penalty spot. Skipper Brad Wadkins tried to burrow his way through from the edge of the area, but was tripped from behind, and Wynter fired the spot kick into the roof of the net.
However, Barton scored a third on the breakaway when a high ball out of defence found Maloney, who brought it down in and flicked it off to substitute Josh Adelyileka, who in yards of space, easily beat Crowley to make it 3-1.
It looked the killer blow but three minutes later Goss started and finished an excellent visitors’ move, winning the ball to send Babaie down the left. The winger made progress before sliding a square ball that Goss ran onto to drive low past Groom.
There were still 12 minutes and stoppage time to go, but the Citizens couldn’t force the issue further and Barton held on all too comfortably to take the points,
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