Report by ALAN EVANS

After two heavy league defeats over the previous week, the Woods went into this FA Vase fixture looking for improvement and following the arrival of new manager Scott Patmore who was conducting a watching brief while the interim management was led by Mark Chandler for this cup-tie.

Two new players were introduced into the starting line-up, Dan Vincent for his third spell at the club while Shakeel Naim returned for his first game since 2021.  Zack Ingham-Wright replaced Reon Smith-Kouassi up front.

The visitors were playing their first-ever FA Vase fixture having been promoted from Step 7 football at the end of last season and had made a solid start to life in Division One of the Combined Counties League so everything pointed to an interesting and competitive fixture. And so, it proved.

There was an early chance for Northwood as Vincent knocked in a cross which Ingham-Wright stabbed goalwards but goalkeeper Alex Collie got down to save. Not so good for Collie just two minutes later when a bouncing ball caught him outside the area, unable to clear and Ingham-Wright raced through to knock home the opening goal.

It was a pretty open game though and the Woods were finding plenty of space in the final third with a couple of shots blocked by the Maidenhead defence. But a second goal came on 21 minutes as a foul wide of the box on the left saw Vincent take full advantage, curling a right-foot shot over the wall and in at the near post.

The visitors looked dangerous on the break though and forced goalkeeper Kacper Orlowski into a save on 27 minutes with a low shot from Ryan Hennessy; Michael Kelly completing the clearance from the loose ball.

Ingham-Wright tested Collie again from distance on 31 minutes but the keeper was equal to It and then the Stags went very close to pulling a goal back three minutes later. Jack McKenzie got the better of Freddie Greenstreet on the right and knocked in a cross which was flicked goalwards by Harry Combe. Orlowski pushed it away and Lucas Georgiou did well to block the follow-up shot.

Back at the other end, Collie did well to tip a fierce effort from Kieron Lake-Bryan over the top but Maidenhead kept battling away and Orlowski had to save a decent header from a free-kick before another shot whistled just wide. Naim got on the end of a wayward shot from Ingham-Wright and looked likely to score but he was denied by Collie.

But the Woods were to grab an important third goal just before the half-time break as Kelly played the ball across the six-yard box from wide on the left and a shot from Lucas Da Silva Luz was enough to beat the diving Collie despite him getting hands to the ball.

The interval certainly did the visitors good as they started the second period much more on the front foot. They went close early and then pulled a goal back straight away through McKenzie and three minutes later a big scramble in the goalmouth might have brought another.

The danger signs were clearly there but the Woods tried to hit back with a looping header from Ingham-Wright easy for Collie to pluck out of the air and then the Woods striker was denied again with another effort from outside the box.

Orlowski continued to deal with anything thrown at him as the visitors continued to push forward positively and time began to tick away and substitutions broke up play. And those replacements combined to almost bring a fourth Woods goal on 80 minutes as Rowan Daly slipped a ball to Nathan Akandi and his shot flashed across goal and wide.

Two further subs were involved five minutes later when James King set up Amara Fofana and his clever strike came back off the crossbar with the  keeper nowhere. Five additional minutes of additional time brought no further goalmouth action and Northwood held on to the victory and a place in the next round of the competition. The watching Patmore will have been pleased that the side had managed to secure the win and the club’s thanks go to the interim management team that had overseen the process of appointing a new manager.

PHOTOS by ALI KARABACAK

• Previous
• Pause or Play
• Next

• 1.jpeg
• 10.jpeg
• 11.jpeg
• 2.jpeg
• 3.jpeg
• 4.jpeg
• 5.jpeg
• 6.jpeg
• 7.jpeg
• 8.jpeg
• 9.jpeg