WELWYN GC produced a stirring comeback to reach the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy for the first time in seven years.
The Citizens came back from a goal down to beat Walthamstow of the Isthmian North division, managed by one-time Herns Way boss Max Mitchell.
They quickly recovered from going a goal down in the opening minutes of the second-half, after a fairly forgettable first 45 minutes.
Chances were scarce in a very physical first-half contest, but 16 minutes in, Eddie Corbit latched onto a misplaced pass and homed in on goal to shoot past Stow keeper Luke Mewitt and the far post by inches.
The East London visitors also had a Tristan Goodridge effort just fly past WGC’s woodwork eight minutes later, but that really was the first-half’s goalmouth action in total.
That all changed from the early minutes of the second period.
Walthamstow started on the front foot and two minutes in, substitute James Collins hit WGC’s crossbar with a rising effort.
The home defence didn’t get the ball fully clear and when a cross was returned to the box, Stow striker Jordan Trickett looped a header over WGC keeper Connor Sansom for the lead.
But Gavin Kelsey’s side weren’t behind for long. Four minutes later, Ethan Rookard upfront, latched onto a through ball.
He burrowed his way into the area, but took himself away from goal, yet had the presence of mind to slip a pass into the path of the incoming Corbit, who forced the equaliser home.
Both sides rang the changes, Kelsey going all out in attack, bringing on forwards Nick Ralfe, Evaristo Mendes and Kendall Gyamfi to support Rookard. Tyreece Robertson, Ryan Hayes and Reece Mosanya made way.
With 14 minutes left, WGC fashioned a fine goal for the winner.
Ralfe slipped a neat pass through to Corbit, who, in turn, lofted another fine ball into the path of the onrushing Gyamfi. He held off a challenge to loft a beautifully judged lob over committed keeper Mewitt that dropped into the net.
Both sides had their chances in the closing stages, Stow’s nearest effort to an equaliser saw substitute Elijah Grant fire past keeper Sansom, only for WGC full-back Egan Ntege to clear away from an unguarded net.
Gyamfi almost had a second and WGC’s third late on, another lofted effort beating Mewitt only to striker the Stow crossbar, before the keeper made a point-blank save to foil Ralfe’s follow-up effort.
Walthamstow pressed until the end, particularly as referee Connor Mackay played almost 10 minutes stoppage time, but a WGC defence, in which Keiran Gauthier was a towering figure, impressively kept them at bay.
WGC: Sansom, Ntege, Lovell, Gauthier, Dixon-Smith, Corbit, Nosike, Robertson (Ralfe 67), Hayes (Mendes 69), Mosanya (Gyamfi 74), Rookard (Cantello 85).
