Hadley Wood & Wingate 0 - 4 Langford

By Khalid Karimullah

Hadley Wood & Wingate’s hopes of three points against visitors Langford soon faded following conceding an early goal which they couldn’t recover from.

Nevertheless it was the hosts who started the brightest. Marc Bellance, making his début, found Andreas Kyprianou with a teasing pass whose curler flew just past the upright. Rhys Calvano made sure he stamped his mark on proceedings, his break away down the right and eventual cross looking for Jason Penman needed to be hooked away by the outstretched Brad Marriott.

With ten minutes played, the Bedfordshire Club took the lead. Calvano broke the offside trap before playing the ball inside the near-post giving Ross Weinrabe no chance. Captain, Karl Stevenson, had to be replaced following an injury minutes later, whose experience was missed in the latter stages. Adam Andreou broke up the left flank recycling possession with Williams Agyei-Danquah, whose low strike from the edge of the area zipped wide.

A glorious chance to level arrived with 22 minutes on the clock. Brandon Dujon broke into the area forcing Karl Gudgin to parry his shot away into the path of Vassili Mandeville, who could only place over on the rebound with the goal gaping.

Bellance played a cutting pass through to Muyiwe Osenie who was denied down low by the quick reactions of Gudgin. Bellance shimmied his way past two challenges in the box prior to his lob deflecting wide off Michael Moss. Kyprianou’s corner was met by Agyei-Danquah but he headed over at the back-post.

Penman dinked a pass through to Calvano, who again broke away this time placing across Weinrabe, but was denied by the post. Kyprianou’s in-swinging corner four minutes before the break looked to be heading in which forced Steven Redmond to clear off the line.

Ensuing half-time, Calvano struck low and hard towards the near-corner forcing Weinrabe to palm away. Weinrabe was again tested by Calvano who cut inside and drilled a strike towards the bottom corner, which the shot-stopper did well to keep out.

Kyprianou’s corner somehow evaded everyone from two-yards on the stroke of an hour. With 65 minutes played, Langford began to pull away. Calvano’s low cross was guided towards goal by Kai Ashley whose placed attempt was denied by Weinrabe, who could do nothing about Tyler Ingham placing in on the rebound.

Calvano unfortunately fell to a severe injury which required a 14-minute stoppage in play, but momentum stayed the same once the game got back underway. Ingham broke through the middle with pace and slotted past a frustrated Weinrabe with five minutes remaining.

The Summers Lane outfit certainly had their chances, Osenie shimmied his way into the area placing across to Bellance who fired over from six-yards. A fourth was added at the death, Ashley placed inside the near-post from just one-yard out.

Hadley Wood looked for a consolation with Tyler Forbes prodding Anthony Stavrou’s corner towards goal, though it wasn’t to arrive as Moss cleared off the line.