Gallows humour abounded among the travelling Welwyn Garden City faithful after watching their side get crushed for the second time in three days - with one quipping it was "a worse start than Manchester United’’.

Kempston Rovers is a venue where the Citizens have done very well in recent seasons but here they crashed to their worst defeat in recent memory, beaten 5-0 by the Bedfordshire side and beaten well.

It followed a 3-0 loss on the opening day to Walthamstow, leaving Max Mitchell's men rock bottom of the Southern League Division One Central table.

The new boss made changes for game number two of the season.

With central defender Ryan Doherty unavailable, he brought in Ali Njie from Wingate & Finchley, a familiar face having been on a short loan with the club back in 2019 but now returning on a permanent basis.

Doherty will miss two further games.

Makai Murray was given his debut in midfield, ahead of both Eddie Corbit and Jed Browne-Johnson, while Jaedon Phillips was preferred to Will Murphy up front.

In a not dissimilar fashion to Saturday’s loss, WGC began well and enjoyed their best spell of the game in the opening 20 minutes.

Cheyce Grant struck a powerful shot over in the first five minutes and on 11 minutes, full-back Callum Taylor produced a peach of a cross that Josh Hutchinson – one of WGC’s better performers on a night to forget – steered a good header inches wide of the far post.

Kempston’s first foray forward saw Emmanuel Dahle have an effort scrambled away in front of the visitors’ goal, before WGC’s Charlie Crowley had to race out of goal to clear to safety, via a lucky deflection off team-mate Taylor.

Crowley’s next venture out of goal proved costly in 20 minutes, as the home side took the lead.

A high ball in from the left caught the skipper yards out of his ground and Kempston’s veteran striker James Hatch controlled and chipped over the committed keeper into an unguarded goal.

There was an immediate response from the Citizens as Max Jessop came forward for a set piece and powered a strong header inches over.

But in the next attack, WGC were further stung as Kempston and Hatch added a second.

The 36-year old striker latched onto a weak headed clearance from a free-kick out on the left and crashed his second back past Crowley.

Murray picked up a caution on the stroke of the interval for a poor challenge on Kempston captain Harry Stratton, as WGC’s frustrations began to boil over.

The second-half opened with an outstanding save from Crowley, after new boy Njie had misplaced a pass that put WGC in further trouble.

The visitors then had a strong spell 10 minutes into the half and forced two successive corners, as first a Hutchinson shot and then a Kayembe effort were both deflective behind.

But from the second corner, WGC were badly caught out.

Kempston’s Ben Stevens broke almost the full length of the field and although policed by Lewis Franklin, he was still able to get over a cross and with no other defensive cover, Ben Baker came in from the other flank to clip his effort over Crowley, for number three.

That was effectively the end of the game.

WGC made two changes immediately, Gavin Hinds-Cadette replacing a clearly struggling Njie and Murphy replacing Phillips.

Kayembe was robbed close to his own area but Crowley kept the score at three with a very smart save.

The Citizens made a further change, Archie Sayer replacing Taylor, but 18 minutes from time, a hasty clearance from keeper Crowley only went straight to Kempston’s Stevens and he returned it with interest, striking a powerful effort over the keeper for a 4-0 lead.

WGC were completely demoralised by this stage and when Kempston added a fifth, with a second on the night from winger Baker - running clear from a defensive-splitting ball by substitute Quigley – three minutes from time, many of the Herns Lane contingent in a 118 crowd, were already heading for the exits.

WGC: Crowley, Franklin, Jessop, Njie (Hinds-Cadette 56), Taylor (Sayer 64), Kayembe, Murray, O’Connor, Grant, Hutchinson, Phillips (Murphy 56).

Subs (not used): Grantham, Corbitt.

Attendance: 118