A STOPPAGE time winner decided this much anticipated meeting between Welwyn GC and a Waltham Abbey side, now managed by former WGC manager Marc Weatherstone and containing five former Citizens in their line-up.
Weatherstone left Herns Way in the summer after over three years in charge of WGC and took many of his squad with him.
This was the first meeting between his Abbey side and a WGC team, now managed by Gavin Kelsey.
And it was won by a 91st minute winner, following a clever, late tactical switch, as Kelsey pulled the dangerous Junior Moses back into his defence at left-back and switched Reece Mosanya, who had come on at full-back earlier in the game, into attack.
After the 10 man Abbotts had equalised with eight minutes to go and the momentum seemed to be with them, WGC struck when Moses fired in a long cross from the left.
Substitute Reece Barrett hit the foot of a post with a swerving effort firstly, before WGC re-cycled the ball to find Mosanya free on the back post to stab in the winner of a thrilling game.
WGC had enjoyed the better of the first-half and were 2-0 up at the interval, with Abbey down to 10 men.
They went ahead in 17 minutes, when, from a Brad Dixon-Smith free-kick, Ethan Rookard got a touch on and central defender Keiran Gauthier came in to force home from close range.
Dixon-Smith was then involved with ex-WGC striker Bailey Stevenson in a clash that got the home forward booked by referee Willmore.
That caution proved significant as six minutes later Mr Willmore showed Stevenson a red, for a remark made to him, following Stevenson’s tangle with WGC keeper Connor Sansom.
The Citizens then lost Dixon-Smith injured, to be replaced by match-winner Mosanya, in their first change of the game.
As half-time neared, WGC got a second goal with a fine move begun by the outstanding Luis Cantello with a pass that found Ryan Hayes.
He slipped the ball out to Nick Ralfe, with the winger getting the ball back from the by-line for Hayes to fire home his second goal in as many games.
Hayes also had WGC’s best early effort of the second-half, bringing a save from home keeper Al Doubi, but it was Waltham Abbey who began the second period the livelier, despite their man disadvantage.
They got the encouragement they needed just before the hour, when Mosanya failed to cut out a long ball down the flank. Max Appuah got the ball into the middle and another former WGC striker Steve Cawley supplied a trademark finish for 2-1.
WGC had a few chances to stretch away into a 3-1 lead, notably when substitute Tyreece Robertson got away down the left, but overhit his intended chip to find an unmarked Moses.
Then eight minutes from time, it looked like the Abbotts’ spirited revival had earned a point, when yet another ex-WGC player, who had made the summer move down the A10, defender Callum Taylor flicked them level from a right-wing corner.
But it wasn’t to be. WGC had the last laugh in this game with Mosanya’s late winner getting the Citizens back on the winning trail after some indifferent results recently.
WGC: Sansom, Ntege, Lovell, Gauthier, Dixon-Smith (Mosanya 35), Cantello, Nosike, Ralfe (Robertson 54), Hayes (Barrett 76), Moses, Rookard (Gyamfi 69).
