South Park 1 Ware 4

A strong, blustery wind that blew needles of rain up the pitch at random intervals and a surface that might have benefited from a trim did not augur well for an entertaining match. Mostly that’s the way it proved in the first half but after the turn round Ware seemed more comfortable.

There were a number of performances to note with Marcus Milner running the ball well on the right, Alaa Oujdi being a terrier in midfield and Chris Arthur looking assured at the centre of things but this was, more than anything and in the circumstances, a good team performance.

Paul Halsey was certainly pleased having seen Dave Kendall at long last back on the pitch and bringing a reassuring presence to the team. Halsey was also happy that Leigh Rose came through without any apparent effects on his injury as thoughts start turning to Tuesday’s game at home to Harlow.

What he didn’t mention was that in a week when several teams have experienced dramatic reversals of fortune between their midweek exploits and this weekend, Ware have maintained some continuity with two clear victories to boost them to fourth in the table.

Both teams struggled to get properly to grips with the conditions in the first half. Ware had the wind and those sudden heavy showers at their backs so had something to be grateful for but couldn’t sustain any consistent form.

It was South Park who had the first real chance with Calum Kitscha having to dive to turn away a shot for a corner after 17 minutes. The home side went one better five minutes later when Finlay Titchmarsh was caught out near the halfway line and South Park broke well to exploit gaps in Ware’s defence before Bas Savage opened the scoring with a shot from the edge of the area.

It might have been two just a minute later when Ware were caught in a mess and Andrew Denby hit the inside of the post with a shot that then ran along the goal line before being half cleared. Even then Kitscha was required to dive at the feet of opponents to grab the ball.

Ware did get back into shape after that and had the ball in the net on the half hour but Arthur’s header was from an offside position. It mattered little two minutes later when Titchmarsh drove forward with the ball before unleashing a fierce shot. Rohan Luthra was down to stop it but couldn’t keep possession and Albert Adu was on hand to score the equaliser.

Three minutes before the break Alaa Oujdi played a long ball out to the left where Arthur fed Pat Adamson. His waist high cross was met by Leigh Rose who came off the ground and turned it into the net with the side of his foot for a well worked and executed goal.

Ware added two more goals in a second half in which they looked more confident. The first of these just past the hour mark came from Kitscha rolling the ball out to Titchmarsh who took it forward before launching a pass towards the penalty spot. There was Adu, judging the ball’s progress through the wind to meet it with his head and guide it beyond Luthra. Adu must like Whitehall Lane, that was his fifth goal there in three visits.

The final goal came in added time when Reece Crowter’s free kick on the left was headed back into the six-yard area by Dave Kendall where Devonte Simms was on hand to apply the finishing touch. It was his first goal in a competitive match for the senior team and completed a 7-2 aggregate in Ware’s two latest games.

Ware: Calum Kitscha, Finlay Titchmarsh, Pat Adamson, Leigh Rose (Reece Crowter 81mins), Louis Rose, Dan Rumens, Marcus Milner, Stanley Muguo-Gemuh (Dave Kendall 69mins), Alaa Oujdi, Albert Adu (Devonte Simms 76mins), Chris Arthur. Unused subs: Yoav Sade, Harry Watkins.