WELWYN GC lost their fourth warm-up game in preparation to the new season, when they were beaten by a solitary second-half goal on their first visit to Newport Pagnell.
The Bucks side, who will be in the SSML this coming season, have been laterally moved from United Counties football, won with a back post header mid-way through a second-half in which new WGC boss Gavin Kelsey rang the changes.
He was lacking his skipper Jay Lovell and unfit forwards George Sippett and Nick Ralfe for a fixture, in which the Citizens were clearly the better side first-half and should have been a couple of goals ahead at the break.
The fact they weren’t was due to the home keeper who made a string of fine saves, pinching the ball off Kendall Gyamfi’s feet, when the big forward was put through, beating away a powerful effort from trialist Bradly Dixon-Smith and holding onto a close-in effort from Reese Mosanya, all in quick succession.
Gyamfi also had a fierce shot on the turn clear the home crossbar by inches.
Newport Pagnell’s only dangerous effort saw Teddy Stacey lose the ball on the edge of his own area to see a effort poked past keeper Connor Sansom and just past the post, as well.
WGC opened the second-half with midfielder Luca Gordon striking the home crossbar with a free-kick in the opening minute.
But as Kelsey gave his fringe players and a couple of trialists an outing, the Citizens’ dominance waned and it was the home side who claimed the win when a cross from the left was headed in by a substitute on the back post.
In the closing stages, only four of WGC’s starting line-up were still on the field – mainstays of the side – Eddie Corbit, Luis Cantello, Keiron Gauthier and Malik Nosike – but despite this quartet’s efforts, the side couldn’t find an equaliser.
WGC: starting line-up: Sansom, Corbit, Cantello, Gauthier, trialist, Stacey, Nosike, Gordon, trialist, Gyamfi, Mosanya. Substitutes: Shenouda, Monks, Ngete & two trialists (all used).
