Stotfold exit cup at Welwyn

Early exchanges were fairly even as Stotfold tried to play their preferred slick passing game going sharp and to feet, whereas Welwyn were playing percentage football hitting the front and wide areas early in an attempt to try and turn or get behind the Stotfold defence.

On 21 minutes a slip in the Stotfold defence from a ball up the channel let in the Welwyn no 11 Mason Bush to slot home for 1-0. The Welwyn confidence is now high and as they pressed for a second Stotfold keeper Adam Harpur came to challenge hands first at the feet of No 9 Jason Casswell and took him down penalty which was coolly dispatched by Jason himself so with 28 minutes on the clock.

At this stage it was far from one way traffic as first Theo Swain sprang the offside trap to go through one on one but as he tried to round the Welwyn keeper the keeper dived at the feet of Theo to punch away and save well.

Then almost immediately BenL’Honoroe rose at the far post from a Michael “Simmo” Simpson centre to head back across face only for Mark Ellis to rise and put it over the bar from almost on the line.

Stotold were now trying to build a head of pressure and on 40 mins a nice through ball from Lonners found Mark Ellis who coolly dispatched 2-1 which was how it stayed until half time with Stotfold a goal down but in the ascendency.

Into the second half and with a change of formation to a 4-3-3 Stotfold now had their tails up and were pressing looking for an equaliser but despite a lot of huffing and puffing no clear cut chances ensued till the 62nd minute when a free kick from Charlie Joy very nearly found Lonners who mistimed his jump at the far post.

Two minutes later and Louis Taylor was slipped in one on one only for the Welwyn keeper Jamie Jackson to pull off a top class save. Now the game was getting stretched and chances were starting to flow as two minutes later a bit iof individualism from Louis Taylor saw him through the Welwyn defence and slot home 2-2 and nothing more than deserved.

Then completely against the run of play but true to form Stotfold shot themselves in the foot and conceded almost immediately through from sloppy defending. Despite loads of endeavour and Stotfold playing the better football, 3-2 is how it remained as Welwyn go through to the next round.