East meets West Ryman style in this fixture each year with the Woods, furthest west in the division, travelling to play at the side situated on the east coast near Southend. Despite the heavy rain that had fallen in the Easter build-up, the village of Great Wakering had lived up to its name of being one of the driest places in the country by providing an almost perfect surface to play on.

The Woods went into the game on the back of an unenviable run of five successive defeats which matched the start to their first season in the Southern Premier Division some five seasons earlier but were keen to build on their improving performances. However, Brad Hewitt, Leon Osei, Sam Sharples and Ryan Tackley were all still out of action for this encounter so it was still a makeshift side that looked to stem the drop down the table.

There was a welcome return to the side for striker Scott Orphanou following a brief spell playing for Beaconsfield Sycob. He needs just a couple more goals to pick up the Golden Boot award this season. Anton Robinson was set to start this game but was injured in the warm-up so there was also a return to the side for promoted substitute Aaron Cato, back after a month out with injury.

There was a slow start to the game with neither side creating much in the opening twenty minutes, but it was the home side that were first to threaten with top scorer Neil Richmond heading wide and Mitch Swain making a fine save to deny Dan Trenkel’s low shot.

That pressure told after 33 minutes when a good ball into the box presented Alex Fiddes with a chance. His shot failed to hit the target but Danny Power’s challenge to block it followed through late and the Referee pointed to the spot. Swain had saved a penalty at Heybridge on his return to the club a few weeks earlier and he kept his side in it by repeating the feat here; diving to keep out Trenkel’s spot-kick. Trenkel tried to make amends for that with a good strike from a 40th minute free-kick but the Woods ‘keeper again got across to push the ball round the post, and from that corner Trenkel hooked another shot wide.

Just before the break, the Woods could have stolen the lead as good work from Kyle Matthews forced a corner and from that the ball fell to Anthony Page just three yards out but he was unable to force the ball over the line.

After the interval, Northwood began to make more of an impression, with Matthews hitting a crisp low shot that was only kept out by the feet of the diving goalkeeper Louis Goodwin-Green. Matthews tested the ‘keeper again from a free-kick on 59 minutes as his shot dipped and had to be pushed over the bar.
Two minutes later another good build-up involving Matthews and Will Hudson set up Orphanou for his first opportunity but he hit his shot too close to Goodwin-Green who saved comfortably.

Matthews limped off with injury to be replaced by Hugo Figueiredo and the substitute had a great chance to hit the target after 70 minutes as he latched onto an Anton Lewis cross, but allowed himself to be crowded out when he needed to be positive in front of goal.

Richmond latched onto a half-cleared corner to fire wide for the home side and then Michael Peacock headed wide from a corner at the other end as both sides looked to find a winner.

After 77 minutes Northwood conjured up another good chance, with Peacock heading on a Figueiredo free-kick to the near-post and Orphanou reacted quickly, but flicked his shot just the wrong side of the post.

It proved to be the last chance for the Woods as Rovers turned the tide in the final ten minutes. When Trenkel headed a cross from Sam Lake back across goal, Richmond again failed to hit the target. But it didn’t matter as a run into the box by Josh Hull saw Power dive in for the second time in the match and concede another penalty. The errant defender also picked up a second yellow card for his challenge and left the Woods down to ten men. Jimmy Webb was the chosen penalty-taker on this occasion, and he made no mistake this time to put the home side in front with just six minutes remaining.

There was no more action from the Woods, with Swain saving well to deny Joe Gardner in stoppage-time as the only recorded action.

Report by ALAN EVANS

Photos by James Brown