The Woods were tripped up and out of the Senior Cup at the first hurdle with a comprehensive defeat at Combined Counties League strugglers AFC Hayes. Though missing a number of players and only having two fit players on the bench, Simon Lane fielded a strong line-up in the hope of notching their first win in over seven weeks. The home side had made a similar start to their campaign as the Woods, though a division lower, and fielded two ex-Northwood players in skipper Dan McDonnell and defender Michael Peacock, on the comeback from injury so dual-registered from Beaconsfield Town.

And the Woods dominated proceedings pretty much from the start with Lewis Ochoa pulling the strings in midfield and in the very first minute he won the ball before laying in Evans Kouassi who slid a shot across the face of goal and just wide of the far post. The Brook rallied briefly with a shot from Harry Carter being saved at the near post by Brendan Hazlett while at the other end, Leo Pedro also drilled an effort straight at home goalkeeper Cameron Kennedy.

After 12 minutes Kouassi was put in on goal again, this time by Tayshan Hayden-Smith and on this occasion he went for the near post but was wide again. Four minutes later Kouassi combined with Pedro to play the ball across to Arash Abdollahi and his strike found only the side-netting. The Woods got even nearer soon after when a good ball from Pedro found Kouassi and his flashing shot flew just inches wide of the far upright once more.

They should certainly have taken the lead on 24 minutes when Kouassi dribbled his way in from the right to drill the ball across the six-yard box and Abdollahi met it but somehow lifted the ball over the bar under pressure from Kennedy diving at his feet. If Kouassi had been able to hit the target, Northwood would have been away and gone but he fired well wide on 26 minutes and then shot waywardly again from a Pedro cross ten minutes later as AFC Hayes gradually started to make some impression.

But it was still a shock just seconds before the break when Mourad Jarraz ran at and beat an isolated Tommy Boxer and crossed for Lusungu Ndoui to neatly flick the ball home at the near post. Immediately after the break Jarraz did it again with a good run down the left and an accurate cross to the far post where Bradley Hand skilfully volleyed the Brook into a 2-0 lead and the Woods were left shell-shocked.

So much so, they hardly threatened again. Apart from a volley over the bar by substitute Kojo Gyimah and Abdollahi having an effort saved by Kennedy, it was the home side who had the best of the half. Jarraz went close himself with another good run and strike that was well saved by Hazlett who also made a very good save to push round a powerful shot from Kamil Kharas.

Ochoa did have a late effort saved by Kennedy but in the final minute of the match, the home side really put a gloss on the result as Hand showed great composure to create space and tuck away a shot inside the post. The result earns AFC Hayes a home game against Staines Town in the next round.