Welwyn Garden City IV 2 Potters Bar II 6 (HT: 0-3)
Saturday 13th February 2010

Team: S Randon (Capt), J Page (GK), T Bye, R Hughes, E Ogbourne, D Blakey, P Brady, M Levy, M Edson, D Ensor, A Stokes, J Latham, A Latham

Goalscorers: M Edson (17), J Latham (30, 54, 55 & 68), A Latham (34)

Umpire: Chris Edwards

Just a year ago the 2nd XI came to the freezing surroundings of the University of Hertfordshire and were well beaten by 3 goals to nil. Bar have come along way as a club in the intervening period and came away today with a convincing victory to make it 8 wins in a row.

The start of the match belonged to Welwyn with most of the Bar attacks coming on the break. Gradually however the ascendancy began to swing with both Dave Ensor and Miles Edson prominent on the wings. At the back there were a couple of scares – the skipper was caught in possession and fortunately the shot just went past the post. A further run through saw Jordan Page get down well to thwart the onrushing forwards.

The game was still fairly even when the move of the match came on 17 minutes. Andy Stokes picked up the ball inside his own half, beat his man, kept himself upright following the attempted foul and found Dave Ensor sprinting down the right. His first time ball found Miles Edson who finished high into the left hand side of the goal.

The goal settled the side and gradually Bar being to take control. Crucially two goals were scored in the final 5 minutes of the half. On 30 minutes Paul Brady won the ball just outside the D and he fed James Latham. With Andy Stokes calling from the side line to pass as he could never score from there, James kept control to score from a tight angle. Four minutes later Michael Levy made a telling run through the centre to put Andy Latham in to tuck past the onrushing keeper.

Despite the 3-0 half time lead the skipper was far from happy, describing the first half as being a terrible opening 20 minutes and a slightly better next 20 minutes – no one seemed to have the balls to tell him that a half only lasts 35 minutes! Goal difference was the aim of the half and also the need to push the ball out to the wings.

Bar kept the early ascendancy in the second half and Andy Latham was unlucky not to double his tally when his close range effort came back off the post. There was a brief delay when one of the Welwyn players received a nasty cut above the eye, and this seemed to disrupt the Bar players who were slow to react to a rare Welwyn attack on 50 minutes that brought the score back to 3-1.

This goal seemed to be the spur required to get the side going again and soon there was a flurry of 3 goals in 2 minutes. On 54 minutes a short corner was won and Andy Latham’s shot was turned in by James. Just a minute later good work by Andy Stokes once again found James Latham in space for him to complete his hat trick. However from the restart Welwyn pulled it back to 5-2 on 56 minutes.

The 3 goal cushion was always going to be enough and from this point on the game was over as a contest with Bar in control of the game. The goal difference was helped further on 68 minutes when from another penalty corner a short pass to Andy Latham on the left allowed him to make it another father to son effort as James Latham bagged his 4th goal of the game from close range.

A fine win to take into the most crucial games of the season where only victories over Harpenden and Hertford over the next 2 weeks will be good enough for a promotion run.

by Anthony Levy