If Welwyn Garden City thought things could not get any worse after the weekend’s cup defeat at Baldock Town, they were very much mistaken on Wednesday night (December 17).

The performance may have been a marked improvement from Saturday’s 4-1 loss, but they were still to be left empty-handed, as they lost their unbeaten league record and with it, a chance to climb to the top of Spartan South Midlands League Division One in a 2-0 home loss to local rivals Codicote.

The Citizens dominated for much of the game, however, they found Cod keeper Billy Barnes in inspired form, keeping the hosts at bay on numerous occasions through Sean Brettell, Jason Caswell and Joel Norris.

A full-strength WGC huffed and puffed but were to be caught out 10 minutes from the end as a swift counter-attack allowed Codicote’s star hitman Ben L’Honore to fire a shot goalwards, which Joe Croft parried.

Mark Barnes was on the rebound in a flash though to steer home the game’s opener. The visitors had clearly not read the script.

With Adam Fisher’s men pushing for an equaliser, they were inevitably caught again in added time, although contentiously.

WGC vehemently appealed that the ball had gone out of play during a Codicote attack and in stopping to protest, gave Aidan Da Rosa-Chaves the easiest of opportunities to put the game out of the hosts’ reach, which he took without hesitation.

Daryl Smith’s outrage saw him dismissed for a second yellow card. The Cod had well and truly pooped the table-topping party.