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Northwood 1  Ware 1

Saturday 1st November 2025

 

NORTHWOOD
     
     
   
1 Hafed Al-Droubi 
2 Ademide Baruwa
3 Bryan Mankumbani
4 Manny Folarin ©
5 Gabe Cuthbert
6 Omar Rowe
7 Harry McKenna (79m)
8 Carl Stewart
9 Dan Williams (81m)
10 Jon-Jo Bates (68m)
11 Osa Otote
Substitutes
12 Henry Atkinson
14 Freddie Ford (68m)
15 Devonte Totesaut (81m)
16 Reece Price-Placid (79m)
17 Nasir Sharifi
   

Ware:  Ben Nightingale, Max Granville, Finlay Titchmarsh, Sami Moutawafiq, Josh Okotcha, Jay Rolfe, Theo Ofori (Gabriel Chapps 75m), Gucci Soulya-Oskanongo, Reece Beccles-Richards (Caiden Remy-Dee 81m), Rechan Esprit (Johnny Allotey 61m), Sam Mayuma.
   

Northwood played out their fourth successive drawn game, all of them 1-1, equalling a record sequence from almost ten years ago, but are still in search of their first home league win after being pegged back by third-placed Ware.

After back-to-back draws away at Hitchin Town and MK Irish, hopes were high for further improvement for being back at The Skyline Roofing Stadium. There was an enforced change with the departure of left-back Mack Miskin who took up an offer following an approach to join Hayes & Yeading with Bryan Mankumbani taking over the role. Harry McKenna and Osa Otte both started for the first time for a few weeks while Jon-Jo Bates also came in as the midfield was reshuffled. QPR loanee Gabe Cuthbert made his home debut.

Ware, who had seen a seven-match unbeaten run ended by Hitchin Town in midweek, were able to strengthen by welcoming Gucci Soulya back to the club after a spell with Step 3 side Cheshunt while the experienced Jay Rolfe returned to the starting line-up after injury.

It was the Woods who made the better start to the first-half and after just six minutes, Dan Williams broke down the left to hit a fierce strike to the near post which Ware goalkeeper Ben Nightingale just managed to palm away. Four minutes later, Osa Otote managed to get a ball across the area from the right and Williams was onto it again but the angle was tight and he only found the side-netting.

Ware briefly went close when Finlay Titchmarsh’s long-range strike hit the crossbar but the home side’s pressure paid off on 12 minutes though when Otote found space to let fly with a low, right-footed shot that arrowed into the bottom corner, in off the post, giving Nightingale no chance.

Northwood were defending solidly and looking dangerous in attack with Ware restricted to one effort on goal though self-inflicted as Hafed Al-Droubi saved from a Manny Folarin sliced clearance, pushing the ball onto the bar before it was headed clear.

PHOTOS by James Brown

The Woods then almost doubled their lead after 22 minutes when awarded a free-kick centrally about 25 yards out. McKenna was the new designated taker in Miskin’s absence and his curling effort saw Nightingale dive to his right to just tip the ball onto the inside of the post. The ball spun back across the face of the goal and inches wide of the other post before going off for a corner.

Northwood continued to impress. Nightingale tipped away a dangerous inswinging corner from Carl Stewart and then Otote tried his luck from distance again but this time it was comfortably held by the keeper. Ware’s only real forage into the Woods danger area was also from an inswinging corner with Al-Droubi pushing the ball away and when Reece Beckles-Richards seized on the loose ball, Mankumbani headed it clear.

It needed more of the same from Northwood as the second half began and they again started positively with several forays down both flanks seeing crosses fired across by Ademide Baruwa, Bates and Williams but with no-one to provide the required touch. But, as the rain started to fall, Ware did manage to find a goal on 56 minutes to get back in the game. The tricky Theo Ofori had been kept quiet by Mankumbani but this time his shuffle saw the ball rebound fortunately into the path of Soulya who had made a good run into the box. His shot was well saved by Al-Droubi’s legs but the ball bounced kindly to Beckles-Richards who stabbed it home from a few yards to take his tally to double-figures for the season.

The Woods continued to work hard in midfield with Omar Rowe outstanding and created opportunities, with a Stewart corner being well cleared by a punch from Nightingale and after Freddie Ford had replaced the tiring Bates, Williams got on the end of a McKenna free-kick but steered his header wide of the post with the keeper beaten.

The final twenty minutes were filled with a series of substitutions which broke up play. The Woods introduced firstly Reece Price-Placid for McKenna and then, when Williams was forced off with a worrying hamstring strain, Devonte Totesaut replaced him.

On 82 minutes, one of the visitors substitutes, Johnny Allotey knocked in a dangerous cross which evaded everyone in the box and it was the Woods who finished the stronger again. Otote hit another shot from distance which was well wide and then, just before the end of normal time, Price-Placid cut in and hit a great shot that saw Nightingale dive to push the ball wide of the far post.

Stoppage-time stretched to six minutes and Ware were given an opportunity after Rowe was denied a free-kick when fouled in the centre immediately before the visitors were given one for a similar challenge wide on the right. Thankfully, the delivery was poor and both sides had to settle for just the one point.

The Woods take a midweek break from the battle at the bottom of the league now as Tuesday night sees the visit of Southall for a Middlesex Senior Cup Quarter-Final and they will be looking to secure a place in the last four in the hunt for silverware.

REPORT by Alan Evans

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