AFC Dunstable 2 Northwood 2

Saturday 9th August 2025

NORTHWOOD




1	Hafad Al-Droubi
2	Nasir Sharifi (79m)
3	Mack Miskin
4	Manny Folarin ©
5	Jack Empson
6	Carl Stewart (71m)
7	Reece Price-Placid (67m)
8	Ademide Baruwa
9	Dylan Kearney (62m)
10	Devonte Totesaut
11	Osa Otote
Substitutes
12	Jordan Ellis (79m)
14	Jamie Kennedy (67m)
15	Chama Torsiello (71m)
16	Jon-Jo Bates (62m)
17	Jack Smith

The Woods picked up a valuable away point from their opening Southern League fixture with this entertaining encounter played in glorious sunshine on a superb pitch but they left it very, very late to secure the 2-2 draw.

There was only one change made to the starting line-up from the side that had lost the opening FA Cup clash against Egham Town with hamstring victim Kush Lewis-Thomas replaced by Osaretin Otote on the left of midfield. The home side fielded a typically young, athletic line-up who had won at Harwich & Parkeston in the FA Cup a week earlier.

It was the Woods who started brightly, looking well-organised and Otote was first to cause some issues with an excellent cross from the left which had to scrambled off for a corner. That was well delivered by Mack Miskin but the ball flashed across the six-yard box and Manny Folarin couldn’t get a touch on it at the far post.

Otote continued to threaten and when he was tripped on 23 minutes, Northwood were awarded a free-kick fairly centrally outside the box. Miskin got it on target but goalkeeper Matthew Bossa blocked it and just managed to pounce the loose ball before Otote could pounce.

Three minutes later there was a great chance for the Woods to grab the lead as Dylan Kearney found just a glimpse of some space in the area only to see his shot just blocked by a timely defensive boot, the ball flying off for a corner.

The home side had hardly had a look-in at the half-hour mark but within four minutes, they stormed into a two-goal lead as the Woods defence simply switched off. The OD’s overloaded the left flank, Tali Jallow slipped a neat pass through to Thomas Blennerhassett and he had a simple task to slide the ball into the net. It got worse for Northwood just three minutes later in a very similar move, this time Blennerhassett supplying the chip forward from a free-kick and Jallow taking a touch before firing home.

Nasir Sharifi had picked up an early yellow card and he was joined by Folarin when he was adjudged to have fouled Sean Duodu just outside the box. At the other end, Devonte Totesaut worked some space to get a shot at goal but it was well over.

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PHOTOS by James Brown

It left the Woods with plenty of work to do after the break but again they started on the front-foot and Totesaut showed a clever touch in the box to get a shot at goal just two minutes in but Bossa was equal to it. Just a minute later, Northwood should have pulled one back. Totesaut again saw his good strike well saved by the keeper, Kearney couldn’t force the loose ball in but it then bounced to Otote who hit it a goalbound shot from the edge of the box that was cleared off the line.

Ademide Baruwa was getting forward into dangerous areas and his run to the by-line saw the ball cut back to Miskin who had also pushed up but his effort was deflected over the bar. But the Woods opening goal finally came on 64 minutes as Otote played an excellent ball through for Totesaut to latch onto, beating off a defender, touching it past the keeper and slotting home.

Having got back into the game, both sides made plenty of substitutions which perhaps upset the flow of the game a little as there were few chances created around the respective boxes and the home side rarely threatened the final third.

However, they did go close to wrapping up three points after 81 minutes when a series of raids into the penalty-area saw some solid block defending by the Woods until it ran loose to George Joyce and his shot had to be acrobatically tipped over the top by Hafed Al-Droubi.

From then it was the Woods who started to press again but time was certainly running out, entering the final minute of the five added on for stoppage-time. Otote made another foraging run towards goal and was bundled over. The free-kick was some thirty yards out and Miskin took aim with his trusty left foot, able to fire it over the wall and into the far corner with the keeper unable to get across.

There was hardly any time for the action to restart with the final whistle signalling the 2-2 draw and a point apiece to start the new season. Northwood now return to the Skyline Roofing Stadium for the visit of Hadley for a Tuesday night under the lights. Their opponents were beaten 2-0 at home by Hitchin Town in their first fixture so will be looking to bounce back.

REPORT by Alan Evans



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