Northwood 1 Barton Rovers 1

Tuesday 25th March 2025

NORTHWOOD




1	Dan Hosier
2	Jack Empson
3	Jayden Ashbourne
4	Manny Folarin
5	Jordan Ajanlekoko
6	Hamilton Antonio (60m)
7	Bradley Clayton (77m)
8	Troy Perez-Duah
9	Joe Grant
10	Omar Rowe
11	Rio Connell (70m)
Substitutes
12	Josh Williams (70m)
14	Stefan Powell (60m)
15	Ronnie Mfinda (77m)
16	Samuel Folarin
17	Alex Cathline

With senior players Jack Smith and Jon-Jo Bates stepping up to take interim charge of a Woods side that had dropped into the bottom two at the weekend, the side came so close to upsetting play-off seeking Barton Rovers in this midweek clash at the Skyline.

Only Junior Paiva was unavailable from the previous line-up but the Northwood pair had managed to secure the services of Joe Grant on dual-registration from Chesham United for this fixture and they were also able to call on Omar Rowe and Hamilton Antonio in the starting line-up.

The visitors arrived unbeaten in seven matches and in a strong fourth place in the table, looking for a win to take them to third spot, but it was the home side that started brightly and it was debut man Grant who flashed a shot goalwards from wide on the right on 12 minutes which goalkeeper Dylan Thompson pushed away from danger.

Five minutes later the Woods were in front. Grant moved in from the right again and found Rowe who quickly fed Troy Perez-Duah just inside the box. His first touch moved the ball into space and he followed it to drive a shot inside the far post.

Soon after, Rowe showed good strength to battle through the centre of the Rovers defence and he poked a shot goalwards which Thompson dived to keep out with the young keeper also recovering quickly enough to beat Rowe to the loose ball.

The visitors had their first opportunity on 23 minutes when they won a corner and then a floated centre saw Tom Baggerley steer a header not far wide of the post but the Woods were still threatening a second goal and hopes were raised when Rowe raced onto a through ball and took it past Thompson who had raced out of goal but he also went too wide and was unable to take advantage.

PHOTOS by James Brown

Barton were next to go close though as a cross from Kian Wilkes found his fellow wing-back Cam Hyde but his strike flashed across goal and wide of the far post and then Rovers had the ball in the net but there was an offside flag to pull it back. The visitors also lost Albie Hall to an injury on 40 minutes, though he was replaced by top scorer Taylor Rhiney.

With half-time approaching, Jayden Ashbourne got forward to latch onto a Grant ball but he skied his effort on goal and the shot flew over. Barton’s management made a further change at half-time, changing formation too, though the Woods started the second half well, too.

First, after 53 minutes, good work from Rowe saw him find Grant with a cross but his shot on the turn was blocked by some solid defending. Two minutes later, Bradley Clayton battled well to get the better of two players before slipping a ball through to Perez-Duah who hit a good shot to the near-post but Kennedy was equal to it.
Five minutes later, there was a contentious offside decision as Rowe knocked an excellent ball through to Rio Connell who may have just been ahead of his marker, though his shot was wide anyway.

The Woods defence remained solid despite a series of long-throws into the box but on 63 minutes Rovers did go close to levelling as Josh Flanagan saw his goalbound header cleared off the line by Connell and then a fierce cross by Lucas Kirkpatrick failed to find a touch in the centre.

Back at the other end and on 66 minutes, Clayton made a great run from the halfway line into space and tried his luck from distance but his shot was wide of the target as the Woods made a couple of substitutions – Stefan Powell and Josh Williams both introduced for Antonio and Connell.

After 73 minutes some good work on the left from Williams allowed him to get on a cross in and Clayton tried to steer his header goalwards but it looped over and a minute later Rowe turned the ball into the net after Kennedy had spilled a through-ball under pressure but a foul was given and a crucial second goal still eluded the Woods.
Barton were beginning to threaten more as they added veteran striker Nathan Frater to bolster their frontline even further and Rhiney should have done better when he was put through but he fired over the bar, while Markel Cousins also shot wide from distance.

Time was running shot when, on 86 minutes, the hard-working Rowe made a long run towards goal. He chose to square the ball to Grant but again his shot was blocked and a good chance to settle the game had gone. Just two minutes later Rovers also squandered an opportunity when another long thrown ran loose in the box but a shot was poke across goal and wide.

Into stoppage time it went and in the very first minute, the visitors suddenly got lucky. A hopeful ball was chipped forward into the area on the left and it spun wickedly on landing to bounce over the head of both Jack Empson and Manny Folarin straight into the path of a Barton forward who volleyed it across goal for Rhiney to head into an empty net.

The Woods had gone so close to winning their first home game of 2025 but it was not to be and they now need to refocus on two crucial away games coming up against the sides immediately above them in the table. Firstly, at Kidlington on Saturday and then next Tuesday night at Leverstock Green.

REPORT by Alan Evans



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