Report by ALAN EVANS

Following two defeats in the previous week, the Woods went into two home matches over the Bank Holiday weekend against fellow Middlesex clubs, needing to pick up points to climb back up the table.

This was their first-ever league match against Broadfields United and once again, manager Manny Williams was quick to change the starting line-up. With main goalkeeper Kacper Orlowski called up by parent club Uxbridge, there was a new man between the sticks in Charlie Mawson-Smith, a former Hanwell Town youth who has been at Loughborough University over the last couple of years, playing in their development teams. There were also debuts for attackers Tommy Gibson and Abdullah Khan who had arrived from North Leigh and Aylesbury Vale respectively. Liam Enver-Marum was back but Mustafa Tiryaki was missing along with Pierce McNamara.

The kick-off was greeted with heavy rain pouring down at the Skyline and it was the Woods who recorded the first effort on goal after five minutes when Env
er-Marum tried to chip goalkeeper Tom Clark but it was an easy grab for him. A minute later the play was at the other end and Mawson-Smith had to make his first stop to as he denied a good effort from Jordy Mumbiny.

After 17 minutes, the visitors went close as a header had the Woods ‘keeper beaten but young defender Lewis Buamah did well to head the ball off the line and off for a corner. Broadfields were looking more dangerous, especially from set-pieces and a deep free-kick picked out skipper Marley Anderson-Richards who did well to get his shot on target but Mawson-Smith managed to push it over the bar. Dillon Gordon also had a low effort from the edge of the box saved by the busy keeper and though the ball ran loose, Buamah managed to block a shot from that rebound.

A goal for the visitors seemed likely and it came on 40 minutes as a ball was whipped in from the right by Abdi Ahmed and former Woods winger Max Holland arrived unmarked to stab it home. The Woods only just managed to keep it down to the one goal deficit at the break as Broadfields went close twice in the closing stages but hopes were still high for a second-half comeback as Amara Fofana replaced Gibson at the break.

After an early free-kick had to be kept out by Mawson-Smith, things did improve as the Woods competed better. Khan missed out at the far post from one good cross and then Reon Smith-Kouassi picked out Fofana but the substitute failed to connect.

On 63 minutes, Smith-Kouassi again made ground down the left and Enver-Marum did well to pounce on a loose ball to swing in a cross but Kayne Connor wasn’t able to get his shot on target from close-range. Broadfields still looked dangerous on the break though and a snapshot from Mumbiny again forced Mawson-Smith into a diving save.

While Northwood were enjoying more of the ball, they were still unable to take advantage in the final third against a well-organised Broadfields defence and the match entered stoppage-time with the Woods still trailing.

But they were to grab a very late point in the second minute of stoppage-time. Fofana played the ball wide to fellow sub. Nathan Akandi who lofted the ball into the area where it was headed out, but it was touched back into the box by both Tolu James and Connor to where Enver-Marum turned and slipped the ball past Clark for the equaliser.