Welwyn Garden City put the heartache of their first encounter with FC Romania behind them to win a thrilling FA Cup replay.
First-half goals from Jordan Kinoshi and David Keenleyside, the second from the penalty spot, cancelled out efforts from Zenon Stylianides and Jonny Edwards, allowing Jay Rolfe to bag the winner in the 3-2 success.
The centre-half thought he had scored the winner in Saturday's initial game but Romania forced the replay with a penalty of their own, converted by Edwards, in the seventh minute of added time.
The victory sends them into the first qualifying round where a trip to Norfolk and Eastern Counties League Premier Division Mulbarton Wanderers is the reward.
City made two changes to the starting line-up from Saturday's game at Theobalds Lane, Kennleyside and Charlie Payne replacing unavailable skipper Jesse Walklin and injured Jack Vasey.
Keenleyside provided the first opportunity on three minutes, his free-kick met and clipped just over the visitors’ bar by Lee Close.
Three minutes later, WGC keeper Charlie Crowley had to make a fine save to keep WGC level. The dangerous Edwards got past Jon Sexton with his cross reaching Stylianides at the back post.
He miskicked his first effort but crashed a second attempt goalward and Crowley had to make a fine stop.
He wasn’t to be denied on 14 minutes though, with an excellent goal.
Receiving the ball on the left, Stylianides neatly turned inside Joe Bennett and unleashed an unstoppable effort beyond Crowley to give the visitors the lead for the first time in the tie.
Victory could have been beyond WGC moments later, when Edwards outpaced the home defence, but Crowley saved the day turning the striker’s effort away with another fine save.
But the Citizens responded and levelled matters on 21 minutes with a fine goal of their own.
Keenleyside got down the right and pulled over a low cross where Kinoshi cleverly eluded a defender in front of goal and then lashed his effort over keeper Adrian Darabant into the top rigging for 1-1.
But parity was only restored for four minutes. FC Romania attacked down the left, ex-Potters Bar Town man Sean Bonnett-Johnson putting over a peach of a cross for Edwards to power an unstoppable header past Crowley and restore the visitors’ advantage.
Again that only lasted a couple of minutes. WGC forced a corner and with Armoo Jesse all over Kinoshi, the referee awarded a spot-kick that Keenleyside confidently slotted in for 2-2 inside the first half-hour.
There was no further addition to the score by the interval but it was WGC who had the first real chance of the second period, when Elliot Bailey cleverly took down a Keenleyside pass and raced into the Romania area.
He attempted to go around Darabant, but the keeper snatched it off Bailey’s toes with an excellent intervention.
But on 59 minutes, WGC got their noses in front for the first time of the night.
A Keenleyside free-kick caused confusion in the visitors’ area and in the melee, Rolfe came in and stabbed home for a crucial 3-2 lead.
WGC immediately brought on Ryan Doherty to shore things up and replace the more mercurial skills of Kinoshi.
There was a major let-off for WGC when Crowley raced from goal to kick clear as Edwards charged in. The ball deflected to Romania’s George Taban with an unguarded goal to aim at, but he miscued his effort just wide and the Citizens were reprieved.
WGC gave the fit again Matty Campbell-Mhlope a run-out in the last 10 minutes replacing Bailey and with his first contribution he hit a fierce effort wide of the Romania woodwork.
Then Payne, one of the star performers for WGC on the evening, brought a fingertip save from Darabant as he struck a rising 25-yarder goalwards.
WGC seemed to last the pace better and were further advantaged when the visitors were reduced to 10 men, German Petrov being sent off, the foul on Campbell-Mhlope earning him a second yellow card.
That proved the final straw for the visitors and WGC saw out time for victory in a cup-tie that will be long remembered by a 174 crowd.
WGC: Crowley, Bennett, Close, Rolfe, Sexton, Spaul, Keenleyside, Payne, Bailey (Campbell-Mhlope 82), Watson, Kinoshi (Doherty 69).
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