February 24, 2026
Tonight saw the third attempt to play the fixture between Thame United and Welwyn Garden City, after twice being postponed in January, once due to a frozen pitch and then a waterlogged pitch. Both sided had only played 28 league matches, with Thame in 6th and Welwyn Garden City 13th in the table.
A victory tonight for Thame would take them up into a play-off position, whilst Welwyn could move into the top 10 if they could win the 2 or 3 matches in hand they had over the sides just above them in the table.
Thame United Update
After the dramatic 4-3 victory over Flackwell Heath two weeks ago, when they came back from being 0-3 behind with less than half an hour played, Thame had played just once, convincingly winning 4-0 at Beaconsfield to extend their unbeaten run to 11 games stretching back to late November.
Harry Alexander and Louis Walsh were still joint top scorers but now with 14 goals in all competitions, followed by Dan West on 9.
Welwyn Garden City FC
Welwyn Garden City is a city in Hertfordshire and is unique in being both a Garden City and a New Town. Its population is estimated at being just under 50,000.
The town’s football side were founded in 1921 and are known as The Citizens. They play at the 3,000 capacity Herns Way.
After winning the Spartan South Midland championship in 2017/18, Welwyn GC have spent seven seasons in the Southern League Division One Central, with their best season being in 2021/22, when they finished in 5th place but were denied a place in the play-offs on ground grading criteria. They were in 4th place when the 2019/20 season was terminated due to Covid. Last season they ended up in 9th position for the second year running.
Welwyn Garden City This Season
Welwyn Garden City arrived at the ASM Stadium with a 10-10-8 league record, and were an impressive 6-5-4 away from home. The Citizens had the third best defensive record in the division, and their 13th position in the table looked to be a false one. After playing their games in hand they would have aspirations of being back on the fringes of the promotion play-off places. However, they had played just 4 matches in 2026, and even last Saturday their home game against Marlow was postponed !
Welwyn won their first three away leagues matches, at MK Irish ( 4-2 ), Beaconsfield Town ( 1-0 ) and Rayners Lane ( 2-1 ). Their subsequent away wins were at Biggleswade ( 3-2 ), AFC Dunstable ( 4-0 ) and Hadley ( 3-0 ).
Welwyn came into tonight’s match on a run of just one with in their last 8 matches, the win at Biggleswade, which was their only victory over a side in the top 7 this season. Last time out they lost 1-2 at struggling Leverstock Green. They still had to play 8 matches against the top 8, and only 6 games against the other 13 teams in the league.
In the FA Cup Welwyn had an impressive 2-0 victory over Biggleswade in the Extra Preliminary Round but exited the competitions in the next round at Waltham Abbey after a replay.
Similar progress was made in the FA Trophy, with a 2-0 win at Takeley of the Isthmian League North Division, but then lost on penalties at home to Tilbury, also of the Isthmian League North Division after a 2-2 draw.
Welwyn’s average home league attendance to-date this season was 119, down from 149 last season, with the highest being 147 for the visit of Biggleswade.
Welwyn Garden City Squad
There had been significant turnover in the Welwyn squad, with only three players who played in last season’s win at the ASM still with the club, centre-back Aiden Read, left-back Layne Eadie and midfielder Ryan Kirwan.
Ex-Hitchin Town, Potters Bar, Concord Rangers and Hemel Hempstead forward Steve Cawley was the top scorer with 10 goals in all competitions, with ex-Enfield Town and Bedford Town forward Lewis Taaffe next on 9 goals.
Keeper Lamar Johnson had won 2 caps for St Lucia and had played for a host of non-league sides including Risborough Rangers, defender Layne Eadie was ex-St Albans City and Hitchin Town, Panny Boxer was previously with St Neots Town and Hadley, and defensive midfielder Jack Green had played for St Albans City, Hitchin Town and Bedford Town.
Defender Eddie Corbit was ex-Real Bedford, forward Ethan Rookard played for Cockfosters last season, and striker Remel Larwood had recently joined from Aylesbury United.
Midfielder Adam Pollock was Australian, Carlos Velasco was from Spain, and forward Evaristo Mendes was Portuguese.
Previous Meetings
Results between these two sides have been very even in the seven seasons they have been together in the Southern League Division One Central, with 5 wins for Welwyn, 4 wins for Thame and 4 draws in their 13 meetings.
Last season Welwyn won 1-0 at the ASM in September in a game covered by Fatbear, whilst the return match in January finished in a 2-2 draw.
To-night would be the first meeting of the two sides this season.
Matchday Information
The journey from Welwyn Garden City to Thame is just over 45 miles and should normally take an hour via the A1M and the A41. It looked like around 20 Citizens supporters had made the trip.
The weather at the 19.45 kick-off was dry and the temperature 10 degrees.
Entrance to the game was £10 for adults and £5 for concessions, £3 for Under 16s, whilst under 5s went in for free. A cup of tea was £1.50.
An online programme had been produced for the match and free team-sheets were available at the turnstile.
Welwyn made four changes to the side that started at Leverstock Green with Rookard, Cawley, Velasco and ex-Ware midfielder Tom Bruno retuning to the side, whilst Thame were unchanged from the side that was victorious at Beaconsfield. Welwyn had both Bruno and Boxer in their side !
Welwyn GC were in a change kit of what was officially called “turquoise” shirts, with royal blue shorts and socks, whilst Thame were in their usual red and black shirts.
Matchday Report
To begin with, this was not a great advert for step 4 football, low in quality and high on cynicism and gamesmanship. The one goal of the game was scrappy, which was an appropriate way to decide such a game.
Right from the off, the visitors would scream loudly for free-kicks whenever there was a slightest touch on any of their players and pressurise the officials, so it quickly felt like a pair of earplugs were required. Thame became riled by these antics, and responded with a couple of nasty fouls and were lucky not to have received two red cards in the first half.
Although there were patches of decent football in the first half, the longer the game went on, the more it became a game of hoofball, almost constant non-stop free-kicks, and players falling to the floor. The game was tailor made for Welwyn centre-backs Read and Boxer, who both had impressive games dealing with everything Thame could throw at them.
Welwyn kicked off attacking the ring-road end although it was Thame who were soon on the attack, but Read did well to head a free-kick away after Curtis Brown had been chopped down on the left wing.
In the 5th minute, Taaffe took a free-kick from 35 yards out and Read ran on to it to head goalwards from just inside the Thame area, but Matt Crowther made a routine safe.
Thame responded with a good move with Alexander and Jack Tutton combining to release Charlie Stow to get to the Welwyn byline, but his low cross was cut-out by Read. Mark Riddick then made a strong run into the Welwyn area and crossed low from the left, but Stow’s outstretched foot could only divert the ball a couple of yards wide.
Tempers flared for the first time shortly after following an incident close to the Thame corner flag, and although the referee spoke to two players from each side, no cards were produced. Play resumed with a throw-in to the visitors, but the subsequent cross sailed harmlessly off for a goal-kick.
Thame launched a couple of long throws into the Welwyn area but Read, then Boxer, dealt with them. Welwyn counter-attacked after Finlay Murray was dispossessed close to the half-way line, but Cawley’s ball into the Thame area was poor and cut out by Ethan Lack.
Thame’s Alexander then lost possession in his own half and Welwyn worked the ball wide to Rookard, who cut back inside only to shoot weakly at the Thame keeper.
Shortly after it was Taaffe’s turn to finish poorly after he received a good ball across the penalty area in space, but he could only put the ball several feet wide from a good position.
In an off-the-ball incident I didn’t fully see, Thame’s West pushed over Velasco, which a spectator close to me said was retaliation for an initial push from the Welwyn player. Again, the referee gave the players a talking too, but kept his cards in his pocket.
Thame fashioned a reasonable chance when Tutton’s cross-field ball put Brown in space behind the Welwyn right-back, but the Thame winger put the bouncing ball over the bar.
With 23 minutes on the clock, Cawley turned well inside the Thame area, but again the finish lacked power, and Crowther made an easy save.
A minute later there was a bad foul on Lack which resulted in unanimous fury at the free-kick decision from the Welwyn players.
Shortly after, Cawley pulled back, then pushed over Callum Hall as both players ran towards the Thame area chasing a long ball, and the Welwyn players reacted as if this was the biggest injustice ever seen in the world.
Thame had another chance in the 29th minute when a mis-hit shot by Tutton from the edge of the Welwyn area bounced through to Riddick, who could only flick the ball high over the bar.
Welwyn won the first corner of the game in the 31st minute when Cawley did well to keep a cross to beyond the far post in play and put the ball back across the goal-mouth forcing Luke Tingey to head off. Layne Eadie’s delivery was terrible, and the ball nestled on the roof of the net.
A few minutes later West made a nasty, late tackle on Boxer near to the Welwyn corner flag which incredibly the referee saw nothing wrong with, and the linesman, who was just a few feet from the incident, declined to intervene. On this occasion, the vocals from the Welwyn players appeared justified.
In the 34th minute, Tutton won a corner by blasting the ball at Boxer, who took another blow, and must have felt he was going 12 rounds. The corner was cleared, but when Thame reworked possession, Alexander laid a ball off to Tutton, whose first time shot from the edge of the area looked to be heading inside the far post until Johnson produced a fantastic finger tipped save to push the ball past the post for a corner.
Johnson flapped at the corner and after a scramble, an unidentified Thame player poked the ball wide from 8 yards.
At the other end, a Welwyn hoof bounced inside the Thame area and Taaffe took the opportunity to crash to the floor, and predictably there were loud screams for a penalty, but the referee was unmoved.
Thame created the best move of the game to-date in the 39th minute. Tutton sent a low cross-field pass to release Alexander down the right, who played a square pass for West to run onto, but the chance was wastefully put high over the bar from the 18-yard line.
Thame were getting on top and Read needed to produce a good tackle to stop Brown at the expense of a corner. Several bodies ended up on the floor as the corner was swung in, but the referee played safe and awarded a free-kick to Welwyn.
The next controversial moment occurred on the stroke of half-time. Brown ran at the Welwyn back-line and was fouled in the process. However, in his follow through as he fell, he clattered into Pollock and it looked bad. If VAR had been in operation, it would have been a red card for reckless play, although 10 years ago it would have been a free-kick to Thame for the first foul. It appeared that Hall had been shown a yellow card in a case of mistaken identity, but after some confusion, Brown was shown a yellow card but it wasn’t clear if the card to Hall had been rescinded.
It had been a poor half of football and 0-0 at half-time appeared to be a fair score. Thame had created the two best chances, but Welwyn had got into some good position on a few occasions only to be let down by some poor finishing.
Thame started the second half brightly, and Lack and Alexander combined to win a corner, which was played short to Tutton, who wasteful crossed high and wide.
The niggly nature of the game continued when Murray needlessly pushed over Rookard near the half-way line, and then from the free-kick, Read pushed over West for a free-kick to Thame.
Thame should have opened the scoring a couple of minutes later when a long throw bounced across the 6-yard line, but Alexander mis-hit his shot, and a Welwyn defender was able to hack clear. Welwyn broke after a challenge that saw Brown crash to the ground, but Hall was covering and played the ball back to his keeper. The referee stopped play for a head injury to Brown, despite the challenge making contact with his shoulder…….
Play was becoming increasingly scrappy. Alexander volleyed wildly high and wide from the edge of the Welwyn area, before Tutton became the next play to enter the referee’s notebook, trying to flick on a clearing header, only for a Welwyn defender to charge for the ball and make contact with the Thame player’s foot. Again, 10 yards ago it would have been a free-kick to Thame, but these days it is considered reckless and a yellow card.
Rookard was then guilty of an outrageous dive in an attempt to win a penalty but did win a corner, from which Boxer headed the in-swinging delivery over the bar from close range. It was a great chance for Welwyn !
Welwyn’s Bruno could be heard yelling “silly old c**t” several times at a spectator, and although the referee was just a yard or two away, he decided to turn a deaf ear. For years, the Southern League had a Respect campaign intend to stamp out foul and abuse language inside stadium, but it appears to have been quietly dropped this season, probably because it had been a total waste of time……
With 64 minutes played it was Taaffe’s turn for a sad dive to try and win a penalty but the referee was not conned. After play was waved on, Taaffe nearly redeemed himself with a splendid looking left-wing cross than went narrowly over the head of Cawley.
Thame were still looking the side more likely to score despite their passing football having mostly replaced by a more direct style. A free-kick from Tutton went beyond the far post where West headed goalwards and Johnson saved under his crossbar. However, an off-side flag had been raised.
Hall’s attempted through ball took off a deflection off Pollock, but Read was alert to made an interception before Thame substitute Lance Williams could run clear. Pollock then needed to made a smart defensive header at the far post to head off a cross from West for a corner before Williams could head home. Alexander then shot well wide after Tutton’s lay back.
At the other end Corbit did well down the right wing to get to the byline and win a corner off Hall, to which Read hilariously appealed several times for handball. However, it didn’t matter as the corner from Eadie was sent to the near post and bundled into the net. It wasn’t clear who had scored, but Bruno was credited with the goal. It was now 0-1 with 75 minutes played.
It was clear how Welwyn intended to defend their lead as shortly after the restart a slight push on Pollack resulted in the defender crashing to the ground as if pole-axed, leading to a lengthy injury delay. When play resumed Boxer was pinged for a push on West, which predictably led to a huge out-cry from the Welwyn players.
Corbit then went down injured leading to another long delay, but at least this time the injury looked to be genuine, and the Welwyn midfielder had to leave the field to be replaced.
Thame should have equalised four minutes from time. Tutton sent a free-kick into the 6-yard box where Riddick slid in, but somehow managed to put the ball wide. Three minutes later Thame should have again equalised. After Velasco made a brutal foul near the half-way line, the referee played an advantage as Thame substitute Adam Smith was put clear, but with just the keeper to beat he strangely decided to prod the ball past the keeper, and a covering defender put the ball out for a corner. Smith could have attempted to have gone round the keeper, or blasted a shot to the corner of the goal but seemed to lack confidence. Velasco was belatedly shown a yellow card for his assault.
Thame’s played became increasingly desperate as the referee played nearly 10 minutes of added to reflect all the time-wasting and “injuries”, but Alexander’s fall inside the Welwyn area to try and win a penalty was just as bad as those earlier by Welwyn.
Thame’s final chance saw Welwyn keeper Johnson do well to dive on the ball on the edge of his area just before Riddick could get to a through ball.
The final stages were hoof it anywhere defending against hopeful, aimless punts forward hoping something would happen. Eventually the referee ended everyone’s misery, and Welwyn were able to celebrate a hard-fought victory, and no doubt say the means justified the ends.
Welwyn moved up to 12th in the table whilst Thame remained in 6th and their long unbeaten run had come to an end.
Thame United : Crowther – Lack ( Khan ), Tingey, Murray, Hall – Brown ( Smith ), Riddick, West, Tutton – Stow ( Williams ), Alexander
Welwyn Garden City : Johnson – Pollock, Read, Boxer, Eadie – Velasco, Bruno, Corbit ( Larwood ), Taaffe – Cawley, Rookard ( Mendes )
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