Northwood 0 Hadley 2

Tuesday 12th August 2025

NORTHWOOD




1	Hafad Al-Droubi
2	Nasir Sharifi
3	Mack Miskin
4	Manny Folarin © (72m)
5	Jack Empson
6	Carl Stewart (72m)
7	Reece Price-Placid (61m)
8	Ademide Baruwa
9	Dylan Kearney (80m)
10	Devonte Totesaut
11	Osa Otote (61m)
Substitutes
12	Jordan Ellis (61m)
14	Freddie Ford (61m)
15	Chama Torsiello (72m)
16	Jon-Jo Bates (72m)
17	Brian McGovern (80m)

This was the Woods first home league game of the season, under the lights of the Skyline Roofing Stadium and up against a Hadley side looking to bounce back from their opening day home defeat against relegated side Hitchin Town.

Northwood had come back from two goals down to pick up a point away at AFC Dunstable at the weekend so were looking to maintain that second half performance against the Bricks who enjoyed a season that culminated in a play-off place last April. In the meantime, Hadley had lost their two top scorers in the summer, both to Wingate & Finchley so they were hoping their recruitment would prove successful.

With Joint Manager Jack Smith away on parental duties after his partner Lauren gave birth to a son that day (Congratulations to both!), the Woods
surprisingly named an unchanged side to start this fixture and it was the visitors who looked more creative in the first half.

Northwood did have a half-chance in just the second minute when a ball ran loose in the box towards Devonte Totesaut but he couldn’t get a shot off and when it was quickly cleared upfield it released Billy Hayes though on goal. Hafed Al-Droubi had to race out of goal to block on the edge of the box and he just managed to grab the loose ball to prevent a possible goal.

The Bricks forced a series of corners over the next ten minutes but none of them cause particular problems but none of that mattered when the visitors took the lead on 15 minutes. A ball was cleared to about the halfway line but smashed forward down the middle where it cannoned off Richard Ennin but luckily straight into his path and he sent Al-Droubi the wrong way from just inside the box.

PHOTOS by James Brown

The Woods tried to find a way back into the game and on 24 minutes another opportunity presented itself but this time Dylan Kearney’s strike couldn’t beat goalkeeper Charlie Taylor who claimed it high to his left but comfortably. Reece Price-Placid was next to go close as he cut in from the right and wrong-footed Taylor with a shot but it flew wide of the target.

But the Bricks came on strong again towards the end of the half and could have doubled their advantage after 37 minutes when another corner picked out Alvin Kyrehmeh at the far post. His powerful free header was on target but kept out by an instinctive Al-Droubi save.

But this only delayed the visitors from scoring a second and that came after 42 minutes when striker Lenny Asamoah, a summer capture from Step 5 side Southend Manor, found some space and sent a superb strike into the top corner giving the Woods ‘keeper no chance. It could have been three on the stoke of half-time but substitute Antonio Paone-Michael’s clever volley from an Ennin free-kick was straight at Al-Droubi. There was five minutes of additional time and in the final one of those, Osa Otote did find room for a shot which was deflected wide and from the resulting corner, Taylor did well to tip the cross over the top.

Clearly still much to do again in the second half, Northwood were unable to make early inroads and it appeared to be game over on 54 minutes when Manny Folarin mistimed a challenge and the Bricks were awarded a penalty. The usually reliable Luke Alfano stepped up but the Woods stopper Al-Droubi chose correctly and kept out his spot-kick.

Sensing an opportunity to turn the game around, Kearney did well to battle through several challenges a few minutes later and appeared to be felled inside the box. The Referee disagreed and awarded a free-kick a yard outside the area and didn’t even show a yellow card. Mack Miskin, fresh from his dead-ball success at the weekend, hit this strike powerfully and it beat the keeper but also crashed back off the crossbar.

Substitutions followed two-by-two as the Woods attempted to find a way through but there was still little created in front of goal until the 78th minute when a good ball from Jon-Jo Bates appeared to present a golden opportunity for either Kearney or Totesaut but neither was able to get a shot off and the ball was cleared.

The Woods were dominant in the final stages, which included another six additional minutes, and they forced a series of corners which saw both Miskin and substitute Brian McGovern knock in some dangerous crosses but the best chance saw three separate attempts to stab home from a few yards, none of them successful as Hadley held on to their clean sheet. It was a disappointing defeat for Northwood who are still looking for their first goal from open play at the Skyline this season.

REPORT by Alan Evans



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