Hertford’s last win at Ware came on 29th August 2005 in the Associate Members Trophy. That was in a season when Ware won the Isthmian League division two championship. Back then the excuse for defeat would have been that they hadn’t fielded their full league side.
Ware could try a similar excuse this time, with four regulars missing for a variety of reasons. But you have to play the game with what you have and in the end the team fielded by Paul Halsey made a good fist of the circumstances.
Perhaps they didn’t deserve the losing margin but, in a game where neither side dominated at any time, Hertford scored twice whilst Ware rarely came close to scoring. Gabriel Chapps was just wide after good work in the first half and Huseyin Yildiz tantalisingly just too high with a shot in the last minutes. The best effort came in the second half after a good run by Theo Ofori. He played in Caiden Remy-Dee who took the ball comfortably round James Callan in the Hertford goal but his shot from wide hit the cross bar.
Hertford’s finishing was more frequent and clinical, with a goal in each half. As an indication of the difference between the two sides their first goal came against the run of play but whereas Ware’s forward progress had too often been stifled in the final third Hertford took a half chance when it came. A shot from distance was parried by Alfie Mumford and went out wide to Noah Mosanya whose immediate return found the net.
Their second goal on 80 minutes came after some neat football on the left saw the ball find its way into the Ware six yard box and presented Finley Lynch with an easy finish.
The game never rose to the heights although both sides had plenty of possession. The first half saw Hertford able to move the ball around to deny the home defence control in and around the penalty area. Frustration led to hurried clearances that gave the ball away. These were the circumstances exploited for the opening goal.
Ware also played the ball around searching for openings but Hertford were happy to let them do it as they were rarely close enough to goal to cause problems.
On the plus side Sami Moutawafiq was once again a power in midfield for Ware. He may well have covered every inch of Wodson Park, driving forward at every opportunity and dropping back to make a decisive tackle when Hertford attacked.
The worry was that even without the extreme heat of the day he wouldn’t be able to maintain this level of activity after the break. In fact the second half seemed to be played at a slower tempo by both sides allowing Moutawafiq to continue his influence on the game.
Was it this that produced eight corners for Ware through the game whilst Hertford had only one? In any event the home side were unable to make anything of this advantage.
So, a good win for Hertford who may now be contemplating the possibility of their first league double over Ware since 2002. The losers, after their third game in six days, can look forward to a period of recovery and a chance to regroup before their next game in just under a fortnight.
They will also welcome Dan Rumens back to the fold. He came on in the third minute of added time at the end of the game for his 109th appearance but the first since 23rd December 2023. He suffered an injury at Welwyn Garden City that has taken almost two years to be resolved. It’s been a frustrating time for him but hopefully that is all in the past.
Line up
Ware: Alfie Mumford, Mitch Hahn (Ziad Bakarr 85mins), George Alfieri, Sami Moutawafiq, Jack Grosvenor, Lewis Thomas (Dan Rumens 93mins), Huseyin Yildiz, Max Granville, Caiden Remy-Dee, Gabriel Chapps (Herbie Townsend 69mins), Theo Ofori. Unused subs: Logan Timothy.
Crime sheet
Yellow cards: Caiden Remy-Dee 15 minutes and Mitch Hahn 31 minutes.
