It may have been smash and grab but try telling Potters Bar Town not to celebrate their derby success at Wingate & Finchley.

Goals from Steve Cawley and Thomas Avgoustidas earned the Scholars a 2-1 win at Summers Lane, their third win of the Isthmian League Premier Division season so far.

They had to withstand a second-half barrage of pressure but by the time Ryan Lowe had finally scored for Wingate, Bar had their second.

And after an 8-0 loss on the opening day, this three points has lifted Bar up to eighth in the table.

READ MORE: Wingate & Finchley v Potters Bar Town - full match recap as it happened

Manager Max Mitchell opted for exactly the same team that beat Hastings United 2-0 on Saturday.

An early cross from Nana Kyei that Cawley couldn't connect with properly was countered by two efforts from Andronicos Georgiou.

The first was blocked by the body of keeper Finn Rushton while the second attempt was driven over the bar by a couple of yards.

But it was Bar that drew first blood.

Cawley was denied a shot on goal by an excellent covering tackle from William Cracknell but from the resulting corner, the former Hitchin man met it with his head and guided it to the right of Charlie Grainger.

It proved to be Bar's only real shot on target. For the amount of good possession in decent areas, too often lapses in concentration or slack passing brought moves to a sudden end.

The same affliction though was bothering the home side.

They were guilty of over-hitting crosses or putting set-pieces beyond their front men, much to their fans' annoyance.

They did have the half's best chance though in the five minutes before the interval.

Prosper Keto made a hash of a clearance, swinging and missing a dropping high ball, and it allowed Rhamar Garrett-Douglas to scamper in on goal.

He opted to pass as Ronnie Henry came to cover but it still looked likely that Destiny Oladipo would make Bar pay.

However. Rickie Hayles came across with a perfectly-timed tackle to pinch the ball off his toes.

There would have needed to be changes, or at the least tactical tweaks, and the Scholars did the former, bringing on Max Jessop for Calvin Ekpiteta.

However, the tweaks in tactics came from the home side and they dominated the opening 20 minutes without scoring.

Ayo Tanimowo shot too close to Rushton, the keeper grabbing it at the second attempt, and then Arthur Iontton somehow shot over from seven yards.

There was also a big shout for a penalty that the referee waved away but the feeling was Wingate would eventually score.

They did too, but Lowe's tap-in in the sixth minute of stoppage time was too little too late because by then Avgoustidas had pounced on his own rebound to score a second on 89 minutes.

Match details

Wingate & Finchley (0) 1 Potters Bar Town (1) 2

Potters Bar Town: Rushton, Wood, Keto, Hicks, Hayles, Henry, Ward-Cochrane (Avgoustidas 64), Dicks (Lethbridge 90+4), Cawley (Re 70), Kyei (Bello 78), Ekpiteta (Jessop 46).

Subs: All used.

Goals: Cawley 14, Avgoustidis 89

Booked: Keto 57, Hayles 61

 

Wingate & Finchley: Grainger, Cracknell, Byron, Iontton (Deslandes 78), Frempah, Lowe, Tanimowo, Georgiou, Newton (Webb 86), Oladipo (Obi 66), Garrett-Douglas (O'Donoghue 73).

Subs (not used): Burzycki.

Goals: Lowe 90+6

Booked: 

 

Referee: Paul Stratton (Essex FA)

Added time: 1+5

Attendance: 347