WELWYN GC were just eight minutes away from a much needed victory, when they met Biggleswade Town for the second time this season.
The Citizens had led this return fixture for 50 minutes and looked to be on their way to the win, after a run that had seen them lose three of their four previous games, going into the fixture.
There seemed little danger on 82 minutes, when the Waders broke down their left, looped over a long cross and forward Alfie O’Donnell was left unattended on the back post to head over home keeper Connor Sansom for 1-1.
The sides had also drawn 1-1 when they met at Langford Road, Biggleswade, back in September.
What had been a fairly incident less second-half then exploded three minutes after the equaliser, with a flare-up in the middle of the pitch, involving most of the players on both sides.
Referee Anastasiou allowed matters to settle, before sending off both main participants, WGC full-back Egan Ntege and Waders’ skipper Rio Da Silva, both for ‘violent conduct’.
WGC will feel disappointed just to earn a point from this encounter, having clearly been the better team for most of it, particularly in the first-half.
Manager Gavin Kelsey welcomed back Brad Dixon-Smith and Tyreece Robertson to his starting line-up and had Reece Mosanya back on the bench.
Ethan Rookard and Nick Ralfe were dropped to the bench from Saturday’s defeat to Haringey Boro and Kendall Gyamfi was preferred to start upfront.
The Citizens had the influential Eddie Corbit unavailable for this one.
Waders’ O’Donnell had the game’s first effort in three minutes, safely held by Sansom.
WGC’s first dangerous move of the game saw Gyamfi and Junior Moses combine well for a Moses effort to be deflected around for a corner. From it, skipper Jay Lovell got in a good header, tipped over by visiting keeper Ashton Broome-Alexander.
More good work by Moses paved the way for an intelligent chipped effort from Malik Nosike that was just wide of the far post.
Having dominated the opening half-hour, the Citizens were rewarded on 33 minutes with a fine goal.
Robertson began it on the left, Gyamfi slipped it wide to the dangerous Moses who got it across goal for Ryan Hayes to come in with a fine, rising finish, high into the net above the keeper.
Gyamfi could only supply a weak finish to a Dixon-Smith ball that put him clear before a flurry of activity closed the half on the Biggleswade goal.
Keeper Broome-Alexander saved well when Luis Cantello burst through from midfield and fired goalward, Gymafi had the rebound effort blocked and then Moses brought a second, sharp save from the Waders’ keeper on the stroke of the interval.
It always looked as if WGC needed a second goal to clinch the victory in a fairly chanceless second 45 minutes, but it was Waders who were the only ones to find the net to leave the Citizens having to settle for a single point.
WGC: Sansom, Ntege, Lovell, Gauthier, Dixon-Smith (Mosanya 69), Cantello, Nosike, Robertson (Ralfe 78), Hayes, Moses, Gyamfi (Rookard 65). Subs:- Mendes, Sippett (not used).
