WGC manager Gavin Kelsey must be beginning to dislike playing Winslow United.
Last season, the Bucks side beat Kelsey’s Cockfosters team in the SSML play-off final, to reach the Southern League for the first time.
Here, they plundered three points from Kelsey’s new charges – Welwyn GC – to inflict a rare defeat on the Citizens in their good start to the campaign.
Winslow, themselves, have made a strong start to step 4 football, like WGC going into this game with only one league defeat.
They owed their victory here to a sensational fluke equaliser just past the half-hour mark, when defender Charlie Attwell hit a giant clearance to get the ball away from WGC’s Ethan Rookard, from well into his own half.
They ball travelled over everyone in the other half and straight down the middle of the pitch, to bounce over home keeper Connor Sansom for an amazing equaliser to make it 1-1.
WGC had led themselves with a fortunate opening goal in 19 minutes, a right-wing corner deflecting into the net off Rookard’s shoulder for 1-0.
The Winslow leveller, coming in such sensational style, seemed to knock WGC out of their stride, having been the better side for the opening stages.
Malik Nosike had their first effort in eight minutes, safely pouched by Winslow’s impressive keeper Jake Stronge and then two minutes later, it was Nosike again who had the best home chance.
A fine WGC move which saw Rookard find Luis Cantello, who made good progress down the right then cut the ball back for Nosike, in space, but he saw his rising effort hit the Winslow crossbar.
WGC created few clearcut chances after the interval, in a poorish second-half showing, although the result might have been different had Eddie Corbit scored and not hit the visitors’ crossbar again on 63 minutes.
The points were decided when Winslow staged a quick break down the right with 18 minutes to go. The ball was fed inside for substitute Levi Nicholson to fire past Sansom for 2-1.
WGC tried to lay siege to the visitors’ goal in the closing minutes, Winslow keeper Stronge pulling off one fine save to thwart Rookard.
But it wasn’t to be WGC’s day in a loss that will be best remembered for a visitors’ equaliser, the like of which won’t be seen in a long time to come.
WGC: Sansom, Ntege, Impey (Sippetts 88), Gauthier, Dixon-Smith (Mendes 75), Corbit (Heyes 65), Cantello, Nosike (Barrett 75), Robertson, Rookard, Ralfe (Mosanya 70).
