Welwyn Garden City beaten 3-2 at Hadley in Southern League

After the frustrations of Saturday's postponement, the home game against Biggleswade Town cancelled because of the wet weather, the Citizens suffered what could potentially be a costly bank holiday reverse at Hadley, going down 3-2.

They are still in control of their own destiny, their eighth position in Division One Central of the Southern League clouded by the eight games remaining.

But to emphasise the horrendous effect the rainy winter has had on the club, those final eight games, which all must be played before April 27 and start on Thursday with a home match against Barton Rovers, include the reverse fixture with the Bricks, played just eight days after this one.

They could have few complaints about the destination of the three points, even if they did turn around at half-time 2-1 to the good.

Hadley, now up to seventh after six wins in a row, completely outgunned the visitors in the second half and the dominance of that performance should have brought a more emphatic victory.

WGC survived numerous goalmouth scrambles in that second 45 and needed to make some desperate clearances off the line to keep the advantage to just a single goal.

James Kaloczi limped out of the loss to Hadley. Picture: PETER SHORT (Image: Peter Short)

The cost to the Citizens also came in the shape of injuries, not desirable at any time but even more worrying with the amount of games to come.

They lost their influential central defender James Kaloczi inside 15 minutes of the start, with a worrying-looking knee injury and then regular central defensive partner, Josh Steele, also had to leave the field in the final stages, having turned an ankle.

The game itself got off to a poor, slow start, the first real incident being the big blow to WGC of losing defensive kingpin Kaloczi.

He was injured clearing a set-piece and tried to play on after treatment but it was clear he would have to be substituted.

Manny Yeboah replaced him and WGC required a defensive re-shuffle with Charlie McDonald dropping into the back-line while Yeboah went into midfield.

Hadley had the afternoon’s first clear opportunity after a Josh Bryant clearance was blocked.

Keeper Charlie Crowley made a sharp save, but Bryant inadvertently hooked the ball back into the path of the home side’s McGettigan, who shot across the face of goal.

WGC hadn’t put a cohesive move together but still took the lead on 29 minutes.

And a fine goal it was. Skipper Brad Wadkins lofted the ball forward for Lynton Goss to head on, allowing Cyrus Babaie to race in and lift his effort round home keeper Charlie Taylor for a finely executed goal.

Bailey Stevenson might have made it two, when he took down a throw-in and shot on the turn, but his effort flew just wide.

Hadley responded and the lively McGettigan shrugged off Steele, only to shoot straight at keeper Crowley.

Then five minutes from the break, the home side were level.

The goal had a good deal of good fortune about it, Steele’s clearance rebounding very fortunately into the path of Hadley top scorer Isaac Stones, who put it away well, with a shot into the far corner.

Lynton Goss got the second for Welwyn. Picture: LINDA BABAIE (Image: Linda Babaie)

But if there was good fortune in that goal, it had little on the first-half injury time goal that gave WGC a half-time lead.

Goss chased down home keeper Taylor, who completely missed his kick in front of the WGC striker, leaving Goss a simple tap-in for one of the easiest goals he will score.

That was as good as it got though for Welwyn as Hadley dominated the second-half, taking a grip on proceedings almost from the restart.

A two goal blast in the opening 10 minutes of the half completely turned the game around.

The second equaliser of the day came seven minutes after the restart. Ex-WGC defender Dylan Ebengo won a strong challenge outside the visitors’ area and slipped McGettigan down the outside.

He pulled over a low cross and the predatory Stones was on the back post to slide in the equaliser.

Four minutes later they were ahead.

A high ball down the middle saw home substitute Jordan Edwards win a fine header and knock it into Stones’ path, and he took it on emphatically to score his hat-trick.

What followed should have brought more Hadley goals.

Impressive substitute Zachariah Urribarri curled one effort around Crowley and just past the post and twice WGC got the ball off the line with desperate clearances, once through McDonald and one through Steele.

In a rare WGC break-out, Babaie did well to slip a couple of challenges and put over a cross that Wadkins met with a good header that forced a full length save from Taylor ,but it was the keeper’s only real exertion of the half.

Yeboah also struck a low drive wide, but it was Hadley who continued to do nearly all the pressing before the final whistle.

WGC: Crowley, Steel, Kaloczi (Yeboah 15), Steele (Jones 84), Bryant, McDonald, Soulya-Osekanongo (Wynter 77), Wadkins, Stevenson, Goss, Babaie.

Subs (not used): Mulley, Kirwan.