It was going to need something special to decide this FA Cup replay, between sides as tightly matched as these two.
A chaotic finish, with three goals in the final eight minutes of Saturday's first meeting, had meant that Welwyn Garden City and long-standing rivals Biggleswade had to meet again in their FA Cup extra preliminary round tie.
And for an hour of this return, it was an unstoppable strike from WGC newcomer Tom Bruno that was deciding the rematch in the Citizens’ favour.
But Steve Cawley wrapped things up to give Welwyn a 2-0 win and a home tie with Waltham Abbey in the next round.
It had been a close affair in the first meeting between teams separated by just one point and one place in the Southern League Division One Central table last season.
Then with almost half-an-hour gone, WGC substitute Eddie Corbit found returned striker Bailey Stevenson, who had missed the first tie.
He, in turn, squared the ball for the oncoming Bruno, who struck a beautifully struck effort from 25 yards past visiting keeper Liam Coyne to put WGC ahead.
Bruno, a former Ware and Cheshunt player, has come back to playing after two seasons out this year.
It was a deserved lead, WGC had looked the more impressive in the opening stages.
Stevenson announced his return with a well struck effort in five minutes, saved by Coyne and Jack Green planted a header wide after Lewis Taaffe had crossed in following a corner.
Home keeper Donny Green was largely unemployed until the 25th minute, when Biggleswade’s George Bailey got away down the right and brought a fine save from him with a powerful shot.
Then came Bruno’s stunner, with WGC almost adding a second with an excellent passing move involving Corbit, Stevenson and Taaffe, which saw the latter just unable to find striker Cawley with the final ball.
One-time WGC player Ethan Kessel set the tone for the visitors in the second-half, testing keeper Green with a long-range effort in the early minutes of the half.
As in Saturday’s tie, the Beds side dominated the second 45 minutes territorially, but didn’t create much danger on the WGC goal.
Temi Akinbusoye outpaced Aiden Read to shoot across the WGC goalmouth, but Jack Green got back to clear the effort to safety.
The Citizens’ defence looked very solid and several times they broke out to create chances of their own.
Skipper Layne Eadie made a strong break down the left, substitute Evaristo Mendes set Bruno up again, but the defensive midfielder’s chance of a second in the game was hit high over the crossbar.
Then four minutes from time, Biggleswade paid a heavy price for trying to play out of defence.
Keeper Coyne played the ball out to a defender without looking, Mendes latched onto it and set up Cawley, who whipped home the loose ball to clinch this closely fought tie.
WGC: Green (D), Pollock (Corbit 22), Green (J), (Ejjayha 72), Read, Gothard, Eadie, Bell, Bruno, Taaffe, Stevenson (Mendes 70), Cawley (Jones L 86).
