Wealdstone picked up their first win of the National League South season at the seventh attempt this afternoon - three games quicker than last season - by beating Bishop's Stortford 3-1 at Grosvenor Vale.
With just one point on the board from their first six, the Stones' reaction to conceding a second-half equaliser was laudable and further efforts from Josh Hutchinson and Jefferson Louis wrapped up victory for Gordon Bartlett's side.
Tom Hamblin had headed the Stones into a first-half lead before Blues skipper Anthony Church levelled with an almost identical goal after the break.
But the home side refused to let that setback knock them off course, despite losing five of their first six, and rallied to pick up their first win of the season.
The Bishops had made the brighter start and thought they were in front in the fifth minute when Adam Bailey-Dennis swivelled and fired a knockdown past Jonathan North, the offside flag coming to Wealdstone’s rescue.
Wealdstone replied by carving out a good opportunity, Scott Davies releasing Elliott Godfrey down the right-hand side but the midfielder’s low cross was thumped to safety with Hutchinson and Connor Calcutt lurking.
After 15 minutes, though, the home side did take the lead as Hamblin met a corner from the right-hand side and directed his header past Blues goalkeeper Tom Lovelock.
Bishop’s Stortford winger Mason Walsh had been getting little change out of the impressive Josh Urquhart at right-back, but did manage to force a smart stop from North after a free-kick from the right was knocked into his path on the left-hand side of the penalty area.
The dangerous Bradley Hudson-Odoi then tried his luck only to see an effort cleared off the line after thrashing towards the far corner.
Wealdstone got lucky just before the break as a Walsh cross picked out the unmarked Kieran Bywater to slam against the inside of North’s right-hand post.
The half closed with another chance for the visitors, Elliott Buchanan poking a left-footed half-volley narrowly wide of the post.
For all their chances the Bishops nearly fell 2-0 behind early in the second half when Hudson-Odoi cut inside from the left and brought a superb stop out of Lovelock who flung himself full-length to push the winger’s away from the top corner.
Hudson-Odoi was at the centre of Wealdstone’s next good chance, too, skipping down the left and sitting up an inviting cross for Hutchinson, who timed his leap badly and looped his header over when unmarked.
That miss came back to haunt the Stones when in the 68th minute the visitors drew level. From an eerily similar position as Hamblin’s opener, midfielder Church leapt to power past North and draw the away side level.
But just seven minutes later Wealdstone re-took the lead as Hutchinson scored his first competitive goal since moving from Potters Bar Town.
A perfectly floated free-kick from Davies was seized upon by Hutchinson who met the delivery with a firm first-time connection and nodded over Lovelock.
There was still time for one scare, Church seeing another header palmed away well by North in the final ten minutes.
At the death the Stones made the points safe as Louis was felled. The veteran striker then stepped up to roll the ball down the middle and seal a very welcome first three points of the new campaign for Wealdstone.
Wealdstone: North; Urquhart, Parker (c), Hamblin, Watts; Ball, Godfrey, Davies, Hudson-Odoi (Louis 80); Calcutt (Wright 68), Hutchinson.
Subs: Lucien, Martin, Corcoran.
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