A 63rd minute penalty and a controversial sending-off proved crucial in the Easter Monday fixture between Welwyn Garden City and Hadley.
and dress rehearsal for the Herts Charity Cup final in just under three weeks time.
Although the Citizens lost their fourth away game in the last five, as their injury-depleted team’s form dips alarmingly in the final run-in to the season, this display was a return to the spirited, battling qualities shown at another promotion-chasing side in Flackwell Heath 10 days before.
Their performance deserved to take a point off the play-off chasing hosts, who confirmed their place in the division’s top five with the 1-0 victory,
The decisive moment in the Herts Charity Cup final dress rehearsal came with a huge punt downfield that saw Kirwan in trouble under the high ball.
Hadley’s Jesse Effa got ahead of him and was going clean through before the WGC full-back pulled him back by the shoulder in the area.
Little dispute about the spot-kick award but Welwyn felt the red that came with it was double punishment for a non-violent offence.
Billy Hayes stepped up and slotted confidently home to give Hadley the lead and ultimately the points.
It was an altogether better performance than the lacklustre show at home to Ware just two days before, with some defiant defending from a WGC back-line in which Bradley Gothard was again outstanding.
Manager Marc Weatherstone recalled dual registered Reece Cameron to replace the released Coree Wilson upfront and brought Lewis Taaffe into the line-up to replace Matty Whichelow.
Hadley almost took an early lead in three minutes after Zuriel Otseh-Taiwo lost the ball and Hayes crossed it in.
It was cleared out to one-time WGC player Max Jessop, but he dragged his shot wide of the far post.
The visitors first meaningful effort saw skipper Layne Eadie deliver a fine cross from the left and it fell to Lewis Jones, but he badly pulled his shot wide.
Hadley central defender Bobby Webb powered a header from a corner just over the crossbar for the home side, but generally there were few goalmouth incidents to cheer the near 300 holiday crowd.
Taaffe got in a glancing header just wide of the post in the opening attack of the second-half, but was then replaced by Dennis Halliday 10 minutes into the half.
After the home side took the lead from the penalty, they too went down to 10 men, when Webb was sent off for a second yellow, after preventing the restart of the game from a throw-in.
A WGC side that hasn’t scored in its last four matches, tried desperately to get an equaliser.
Jones and Halliday both fired in low from the edge of the area, but only brought comfortable saves from home keeper Charlie Taylor.
In the five minutes of stoppage time, an Eadie corner saw Halliday get in a header after a bout of head tennis in the area, but his effort was over and WGC’s current goal drought was extended to 360 minutes.
WGC: Welch, Otseh-Taiwo, McDonald, Read, Gothard, Kirwan, Corbit, Taaffe (Halliday 55), Eadie, Jones, Cameron.
Subs (not used): Ejjayha, Green.
