Welwyn Garden City's form in 2022 continues to take a nose-dive but there were positives to take from their latest performance.

The 2-0 loss at second-placed Hertford was their sixth game without success in East Hockey League Division Two South West, a run that has seen them plummet down from the top spot to seventh.

But with an injury-ravaged squad, they made it hard work for the title challengers who battled to victory with a goal in each half.

Welwyn started brightly and while they didn't always have hold of the ball, they defended stoutly to frustrate the hosts.

They even thought they had taken the lead but Nate Last's goal from a short corner was ruled out.

Their defence was finally breached late in the half when pressure from a series of short corners was converted by a deft drag flick.

The second half started the same as the first with Hertford having a lot of the ball but WGC standing firm.

Nice interplay between Nick Reilly, Paul Marchant and Will Reilly gave them some promising positions down the right flank and it almost brought a chance for Last as he was found by Bryn Evans.

The goalkeeper came out to clear forcefully though.

The visitors' injury woes weren't helped when Matt O'Connell picked up a nasty head injury and the delay and reshuffle allowed Hertford to restart with a bang, deflecting in a cross to the back post.

Welwyn did finish strongly, Dave Allmand-Smith inches away from grabbing a consolation, and they will look to take that momentum into their next game, at home to bottom club St Albans fourths.

Potters Bar were playing the Tangerines' second team this week but fell to a 4-2 loss at Oaklands College.

They too were heavily depleted and travelled to a full-strength St Albans with the bare 11 men.

And the hosts exploited any perceived weaknesses quickly, getting an early goal with a well-worked move and easy finish.

Ben Balmforth pulled off a fine save from a short corner but with skipper Mark Turpin off the field receiving treatment to a calf injury, St Albans found the space to score a similar goal to the opener.

Turpin returned to the field with a slight limp but Saints kept up their onslaught and after 20 minutes, Bar found themselves 3-0 down.

They reached half-time without being breached further and after some strong words, and a much-needed breather, they got on the front foot and managed to pull one back.

It came from a short corner with Ed Whybrow finding Turpin on the penalty spot and the skipper turning it into the goal with a deft touch.

Hopes of a huge comeback were raised further by another deflection from Turpin from another short corner making it 3-2.

And with St Albans down a man due to a sin-binning, Bar almost snatched an equaliser, Whybrow just unable to pick out Miles Tomkins at the back post.

Balmforth still had to make one big save but Bar continued to attack, going gung-ho as the clock ticked down.

A late short corner, conceded on the break, proved enough to sink the visitors once and for all but there was pride in the fightback after what looked to be a likely and meek surrender.