Welwyn Garden City's latest signings combined to bring a third win from four away from home at Thame United in the Southern League.

Layne Eadie arrived from Potters Bar Town a couple of week ago while former St Albans City and Royston Town keeper Joe Welch was announced on Saturday morning.

And while the latter, an ex-pupil of Stanborough School, was marking his debut with a clean sheet, Eadie popped up with his first goal for the Citizens to clinch a 1-0 win and fire them up to sixth in the Division One Central table.

For long periods of the game, it was a fine defensive, backs-to-the-wall showing from Marc Weatherstone’s side, which was just what was needed from a team with half-a-dozen regulars still injured, including influential skipper Brad Wadkins, and top scorer Bailey Stevenson, unavailable.

The defence included the fit again Aiden Read while the boss opted for Benjy Crilley over teenager Jay Ejjayha.

That proved a masterstroke as Crilley gave a man-of-the-match performance at the heart of a back line.

It took six minutes for WGC to cap a bright start with the game’s only goal.

They worked the ball down the right, where Henry Jones, another to give a fine battling performance, managed not only to make progress but also send over a fine, dipping cross that dropped for Eadie, skipper on the day, to meet on the volley and crash past home keeper Matt Crowther.

Welch’s first action between the WGC posts was to tip a dipping cross-shot from home full-back Josh Stranks over the crossbar.

Close to the half-hour mark, the visitors had a golden chance for a second. Again Eadie was prominent with a fine run and even better pass for new striker Lewis Jones.

Jones’ control deserted him in front of goal and a poor first touch allowed the Thame defence to crowd him out and the chance was lost.

He went closer in the opening move of the second-half, striking the post, but as the second 45 minutes wore on, WGC got fewer chances on goal and Thame stepped up the pressure for an equaliser.

Crilley got in a fine goalmouth block with the rebound drove past a post by the in-form Harry Alexander.

With 20 minutes to go, WGC had their greatest escape.

Welch raced from goal but didn’t reach the ball and got injured in the process.

With the keeper grounded yards from goal, Thame seemed to only need to put the ball in the net, but again Crilley got back to initially block the first effort and when the rebound came out to home forward Tom McElroy, he wastefully blazed it over the top and the Citizens breathed again.

The home side turned up the pressure in the closing moments, Welch pulling off a fine save from a rising shot from substitute Hackett.

And eight minutes of stoppage time were almost exclusively filled with Thame pressing, but WGC held firm for the victory with one of their best defensive and most resilient performances to date.

WGC: Welch, Otseh-Taiwo, Crilley, Read, Kirwan, Bryant, Gallagher (Harris 62), Jordan (Ejjayha 94), Eadie, H.Jones, L.Jones (Ansell 62).