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Northwood claimed another three points
towards their championship challenge, but had to really dig deep to come
from two goals down with fifteen minutes to go to beat a plucky Farnborough
side.
Having got through to the League Cup final
with a narrow win over title rivals Hayes & Yeading on Monday, the Allieds
management team gambled by resting key defender Daniel Power plus midfield
duo Tyrone Durrant and Scott Purdue in Wednesday night's fixture, while the
Woods were also missing top scorer Courtney Francis.
Significantly, of the eleven players that
started the game, only Jack Bennett will be too old to compete at youth
level next season.
It was Bennett who went close early on for
the Woods, when a fourth minute dribble into the box ended with the 'keeper
making a good save at his near post. But disaster struck after 14 minutes
when the usually reliable Jamie Tompkins hit a back-pass which neither Nick
Glenday or goalkeeper Troy Birch read, and the visitors’ striker was in
quickly to take full advantage with a clever chip.
It got worse just four minutes later when
Birch was unable to hold a fiercely struck free-kick and was then slow to
the loose ball, allowing Farnborough to bag a second goal from close range.
It took a while for the Woods to regroup but
the final fifteen minutes of the first-half was all Northwood as they
launched a series of attacks. Aiden Lynam latched onto a ball from Aryan Taj
and his strike was cleared off the line. Then Lynam turned supplier and his
shot crashed back off the angle of post and crossbar.
A curling cross from Ollie Wright picked out
Lynam soon after, but he missed his chance and then Taj latched onto a
Bennett cross but found the 'keeper in the way.
Bennett was put in again after 37 minutes but
a poor first touch meant the goalkeeper was able to smother his shot and the
loose ball was cleared for a corner by an under pressure defender. From
that, Glenday headed back across goal and Jake O'Meara's header lacked the
power needed to beat the over-worked goalkeeper.
A change was made at half-time with the
out-of-sorts Tompkins being replaced by Purdue, while the formation was also
shuffled to try to get a goal from somewhere. The Woods made a slow start,
though, with just one chance in the first fifteen minutes coming when a good
move involving Hatcher and Taj saw Lynam cross to the far post and Bennett
head just wide.
On the hour the Woods began to wake up again
and a really good move saw Purdue feed O'Meara out wide and the 'keeper
could only parry his deep cross. Bennett retrieved, Taj shot and he was
inches wide of the target. Three minutes later, O'Meara shot over after a
good ball inside from Taj and then a Bennett corner found Elliott Gibbs who
saw his header cleared off the line once again.
All the time, the Farnborough side, who had
just the bare eleven players, were wilting under the pace of the game, but
they were really holding onto their two goal lead admirably.
Then, after 76 minutes, the Woods got the
breakthrough they needed when O'Meara gave the keeper no chance with a
rifled strike from just outside the box. It was the solo effort that was
needed to inspire the comeback that was required to keep the title bid
going.
Yet, just three minutes later, Farnborough
found some energy from somewhere with Purdue and Glenday missing the
opportunity to clear a long ball. The visiting striker raced onto the ball
but knocked his shot wide of the target.
Had they scored then, it would have been
curtains for the Woods but back they came again. After 80 minutes, another
cross from the tireless Bennett picked out Chris Michael but he shot wide of
the far post and it took a referee's decision to finally pull level. After
84 minutes, awaiting the delivery of a corner, the official spotted Gibbs
being wrestled to the ground and pointed to the spot. O'Meara was given the
responsibility of levelling the scores and he coolly slotted home to make it
2-2.
Still the Woods pushed on, looking for the
three points they craved, and Lynam drove a shot wide after more good work
from Bennett on 86 minutes.
Finally, a minute later, Lynam supplied the
ball through from midfield that saw Taj race into the box, and he showed
great composure to fire past the keeper and get the Woods' noses in front.
It was a storming finish, and takes the Woods
five points clear at the top of the Premier Division with two games to play.
Rivals Hayes & Yeading now have two games in hand though so could overhaul
them and the lads will still be looking for maximum points from the games at
Oxford City next Wednesday and against Bisley Sports a week later. Hayes &
Yeading's next three games are all away. Edgware Town's hopes of the title
were hit when they lost 0-2 at home to Reading Town on Wednesday night.
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ALLIEDS