Next up – Welwyn Garden City
Saturday, 31st January at Wodson Park, SG12 0UQ.
Pitching in Southern League, Divison One (Central); kick off 3pm.
Admission
Admission (card preferred but cash accepted) – Adults £10, Concessions £5, under 14 free with paying adult otherwise £2.50.
Printed programme on the gate for £2.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at https://warefc.co.uk/product/ware-v-welwyngc/
The match
The Citizens come to Wodson Park doubtless looking to improve on their October meeting with us when we won 3-2 at Herns Lane. Two goals from Reece Beckles-Richards and one from Theo Ofori did the trick. Ware are also looking to improve though for different reasons. They need to put a stop to a run of three home defeats, a sequence not seen since the 2022/3 season when we suffered four consecutive home league defeats. The last in that run was the infamous 6-4 loss to Walthamstow after we had come from behind to lead 4-3 close to full time; the first a 2-1 defeat to none other than Welwyn Garden City. Just to cheer you up, despite that poor run we went on to reach the play-off final that season.
Elsewhere in the division the top four sides are taking points off one another with Biggleswade Town facing Leighton and Hitchin at home to Biggleswade. In another twist of the fixtures seventh placed Thame United face Barton Rovers in sixth. A win for Ware on Saturday would carry a lot of meaning.
Form guide
Can we do it? Well, surely we can’t lose again? The Citizens will be expecting to face and exploit a team low on morale. Paul and Dean are working on that and we must expect the side to be up for this game. We will be without Theo Ofori who is making his annual return to Ghana for family reasons but Johnny Allotey (pictured) is back to fitness and had game time during last Saturday’s match. It was his fiftieth appearance in the side by the way so well done to Johnny.
The Citizens are suffering poor results too. They haven’t won any of their last five games since November’s 3-1 home win over struggling Rayners Lane. They are fourteenth in the league table compared to our eighth but have two games in hand from which to erode the seven point gap between us. Both sides should be up for this game. The expectation is for a close, well contested match.
Previous Meetings
This year sees the hundredth anniverary of our first meeting, a 5-2 home win at the then relatively new Buryfield ground in the Herts Charity Shield. George Dearman and Sam Goodey both scored twice with the fifth coming from Bill Clibbon. Forty or more years later the last two named were still on the management committee of the club when I first became involved.
The two sides have met sixty times in all with Ware winning exactly half that number and losing nineteen. Our best result was the 7-1 win in 1955’s Perry Cup first round match. Ben Isaac scored five and Mo Hibbert two. The worst a 6-0 away defeat in a Spartan League game on Boxing Day 1934.
90minuteslive
Pete and Symon will be at the game if you can’t make it yourself. They’ll be broadcasting commentary from 2.55 at https://90minuteslivefootball.mixlr.com/events/4804985
Match officials
Our referee for this match is Toby Carlisle. The assistant referees are Harry Demo and Pavlos Anastasi. We welcome them to Wodson Park for what is for Mr Carlisle and Mr Anastasi their first engagement with Ware this season. Mr Demo was here for our 5-4 win over Stotfold, our first home league game of the season.
Complete your weekend football with Sunday’s youth games
There are three Eastern Junior Alliance games here for you on Sunday. Entry is free and the club room and tea bar are open throughout. Our current first team has a number of players who came through our youth teams. So, get along to Wodson Park to spot any future first teamers. At 10am the under-13s meet Walthamstow, followed at midday by the under-14s against Ryan FC and then at 2pm the under-17s face Enfield Town.
