Thame United's eleven match unbeaten run finally came to at end at the ASM stadium on Tuesday night in the pitching in Southern League Division One, with Welwyn Garden City securing victory with a second half goal from Tom Bruno, on a heavy pitch a bad tempered match wasn't helped by a week performance from the referee who lost control of the game in the first period allowing a series of bad tackles and constant questioning of every decision to go unpunished, and his inconsistency left both the players and the crowd frustrated. Coming into the game Thame remained unchanged from the away victory against Beaconsfield at the weekend and were still missing Louise Walsh, Leo Galpin and Greg Hacket through injury. Welwyn, were missing key players Isaac Pedro and Jack Green due to injury,

The first half got underway with Thame kicking from left to right, there was little quality from either team in the first half with long balls and misplaced passes being the order of the day and constant fouls not allowing the game to flow. Welwyn had the first chance on 5 minutes, Carlos Velasco headed a free-kick from Lewis Taaffe straight at Thame goalkeeper Crowther, failing to capitalise on a promising set-piece. Welwyn continued to press, with Ethan Rookard missing a golden opportunity after good buildup play from Bruno.Thame, however, grew into the game and created their own threats Charlie Stow couldn't direct a pull-back from Riddick into the net. Around the 22nd minute, Curtis Brown fired over the bar from a decent position, Mark Riddick could not control a flick on from a ball into the box and his shot was over the bar and at the 38-minute mark, Dan West shot over after a low cross from Alexander. Welwyn goalkeeper Lamar Johnson made a crucial save late in the half to deny Stow, and Harry Alexander had a shot from the edge of the box which was deflected wide for a corner. The final action of a bad tempered half saw a yellow card for Callum Hall, for a late tackle on the Welwyn right back, but it did look as if he was fouled immediately before which contributed to the late tackle. It was a subdued performance from the home side with the visitors not allowing the to play their normal style of play.

The second period was more fragmented, with both sides struggling for fluency. Thame had the first chance of the second half a long throw from Curtis Brown was headed back to Harry Alexander on the edge of the box, he chest controlled the ball and volleyed over the bar. The visitors won a corner a few minutes later, but a header from the cross was wide of the goal. Thame made a double substitution around the 63rd minute, bringing on Adam Smith and Lance Williams for Curtis Brown and Charlie Stow in a bid to inject energy. The decisive moment came in the 75th minute when Welwyn earned a corner. Layne Eadie delivered an inviting ball, and Bruno lost his marker at the front post to power a bullet header into the net against the run of play. On 76 minutes Harry Alexander had another attempt from the edge of the box from a lay off from Jack Tutton but his shot was wide of the goal to the left. Thame responded with increased urgency, piling on pressure in the closing stages. Thame made their final sub on 79 minutes with Abu Khan replacing Ethan Lack, who had taken a few heavy knows through out the game. Welwyn made changes in the 84th minute, replacing the limping Eddie Corbit and Rookard with Evaristo Mendes and Remel Larwood to shore up the defence. Mark Riddick had a golden chance to equalise on 90 minutes from a corner from the left hand side he got infornt of his marker and was unmarked on the six yard box but he slid in and touched the ball just wide of the post with the keeper beaten. The match extended into an unusually long 10 minutes of stoppage time, during which Thame came agonisingly close to an equalizer. Lance Williams saw his shot cleared off the line by Velasco in the dying seconds, preserving Welwyn's clean sheet. Welwyn saw out the final few minutes to secure a 1 - 0 win in a game that lacked quality and was more notable for some poor refereeing decisions and lack of quality from both teams. Thame’s unbeaten run comes to and end so will be important to see how they bounce back when they travel to Enfield FC at the weekend.

Starting Eleven

1 Matty Crowther
2 Callum Hall
3 Ethan Lack (Abu Khan 79 minutes)
4 Fin Murray
5 Luke Tingey
6 Mark Riddick (C)
7 Curtis Brown (Adam Smith 63 minutes)
8 Jack Tutton
9 Charlie Stow (Lance Williams 63 minutes)
10 Dan West
11 Harry Alexander

Substitutes

12 Abu Khan
14 Adam Smith
15 Ashley Moakes
16 Lance Williams

Attendance 108