After the much-needed confidence boost of their previous week’s victory over Petersfield, the new-look Northwood side travelled to a Histon side that had started a good recovery from their poor first half of the campaign and had won their last four league matches.

The Woods squad was weakened again during the week with the news that Alex Nolan had chosen to travel the golden path to join mid-table divisional rivals Egham Town and with both Burgess twins away celebrating their 40th birthdays, there was a distinctly inexperienced look to the side that travelled under the stand-in management of reserve boss Dave Fox and head youth coach Richard Elderfield. Thankfully, James Budden was back from suspension to skipper the side while Fabian Brown was given a starting role.

After the home side forced a couple of early corners which came to nothing, Joakim Ehui and Malachy McGovern both put in decent work and crosses that were well cleared by the Histon defence.

However, the home side were gifted an advantage soon after this. An excellent ball was played through the right channel by Ross Munro for Matty Allen to run onto. Borja Loeches-Teixeira came out and just cleared the danger as the winger collided with him but with the Referee ready to wave play on, a flag from an assistant left Histon awarded a penalty and the keeper a yellow card despite showing the studs down the back of his leg. Ben Yeomans was in no mood to turn down their fortune and he easily converted from the spot to give the Stutes an 11th minute lead.

Despite this setback, there was no panic from Northwood who settled well and Kieran Barnes, who had a loan spell at Histon earlier in the season, forced goalkeeper Sam Roach into a good save just a couple of minutes later. Then Yeomans could have doubled the Histon lead but rushed his shot and put it wide.

A good ball from Ehui set up Barnes once again and his strike flew narrowly over the top but the Woods were gradually getting on top in midfield and they were on level terms after 39 minutes when Alex De La Salle scored his first goal at first team level when curling the ball into the top corner from outside the box for a fine solo effort.
McGovern was impressing again and had a low strike saved by Roach before the half ended with Brown setting up Barnes for another strike that was always falling away just wide of the far post.

Histon came out firing after the break with Allen cutting in from the left but Loeches-Teixeira saved well at the near-post. The Woods ‘keeper saved more comfortably from another Allen free-kick that lacked power and then Yeomans did well to cut in down the bye-line but overran his final touch and Loeches-Teixeira claimed that too.

So it was slightly against the run of play that the Woods took the lead after 59 minutes as Myles Stephenson did well to get ahead of his marker down the middle and he slipped it in to Brown who was supporting well down the left and he finished coolly past Roach for his second goal in two games.

Loeches-Teixeira kept out another stinging strike from Allen and then recovered to smother the loose ball ahead of the marauding Yeomans. Ehui was enjoying a good game and a good ball from him put Barnes in on the right but he was unable to get a shot in and his eventual cross was cut out by ‘keeper Roach.

The Woods keeper continued to be in fine form when holding a long-range effort from Elkanah Sibanda and then pushed out another good strike from Jake Chambers-Shaw as Northwood looked to hold on to their lead. Filipe Anjos made a good block to another effort from Allen and then when Cameron Watson flicked on a corner, Max York saw his header pushed over by Loeches-Teixeira once again.

It seemed as if the Woods had resisted all the Stutes had to offer but after 85 minutes Histon pulled level with an excellent goal. It started on the left as a handball that kept the ball on the pitch went unpunished and when the ball was worked across goal, an excellent dummy saw right-back Tommy Wright coming in late. There was still work to be done though and he struck the ball well, taking a slight deflection before soaring into the top corner. Both sides seemed to settle for a point apiece at that stage, with neither team producing any late drama.