Having had their safety from relegation guaranteed just a few days earlier, the Woods were able to relax for this midweek visit from top-half side Woodford United and they revelled in that release from pressure by notching their biggest win since August 2009. That had been a 6-0 defeat of a struggling Ware side in Ryman One North and current manager Gary Meakin was a player in that game alongside recent recruit Rob Ursell, who ran this contest for long periods.  

Nothing really went well for the visitors, starting by losing top scorer Ricky Johnson during the warm-up as he complained of not feeling well, something he has been plagued with recently. Without one of their big men up top, Woodford’s game needed to change but they rarely threatened.

In fact, Kevin Wynter set the tone for the game with a shot from outside the box which flashed only just wide of the post within forty seconds and the Woods held the advantage for much of the first-half. A great move after 15 minutes almost brought the opening goal as Oliver Hawkins did well to win a challenge and then lay it wide to Ursell. He knocked it inside to Richard Worrall, who drove a shot across the face of the goal and inches wide of the far upright.

With the pitch very hard after the long spell of dry weather, passing had to precise to have any affect and Ursell was knocking the ball around well but the opening goal finally came by courtesy of a longer ball, knocked through the defence by Sam Sharples for Worrall to race onto and he finished clinically for his first Northwood goal.

Five minutes later, Worrall got through on goal again and looked set to score before being hauled down by a Woodford defender just six yards out but somehow the Referee waved play on, and the half finished with Hawkins having a shot well saved by goalkeeper Matt Finlay.

Worrall had taken a slight knock so was taken off at half-time and replaced by Aaron Lansiquot, as the Woods looked to continue their dominance but the visitors had their own penalty claims turned down within a couple of minutes and Nathaniel Liburd was booked for expressing his frustrations.

The Woods were soon back on top, though, and notched a second goal when an easy chip through a square-looking defence released Wynter, and he ran through to slot past an exposed Finlay. It soon became 3-0 as Lansiquot found space for himself around the edge of the area to squeeze a shot past Finlay and in off the post.

Finlay made a good save to deny Hawkins as Northwood continued to get forward and then Ryan Tackley started a move which led to Ursell knocking in a cross which saw Hawkins just denied by a defender’s head off for a corner.

With twenty minutes to go, the Woods completed their substitutions by replacing Sharples with Wayne Jackson, having also brought on Aaron Silcott for Daniel Sintim a little earlier. Almost immediately, they added a fourth goal when Liam Hind pumped an accurate diagonal ball forward and Ursell raced through unmarked before chipping the ball neatly over the stranded goalkeeper.

Ursell slipped through again four minutes later, but this was time was hauled back by Ross Harris who escaped with just a yellow card, and it was Ursell who floated the free-kick up and over the wall but only just wide of the target.

The fifth goal came after 81 minutes and it was Ursell who was the architect as he slid another simple ball into the path of Lansiquot, who steered his shot past Finlay for another precise finish and condemn Woodford to their worst defeat of the season. It was his sixth goal in six games since moving to Northwood from Hillingdon Borough.

Hawkins limped off at this stage, which meant that the Woods had to play the final stages with only ten men and it was during this time that the visitors finally put the Woods defence under pressure, but they held out strongly to help Derek Lewis to his second clean sheet in three appearances.
The three points take Northwood above North Greenford United in the table and if they can keep focused for the final two games this Easter Weekend, then they could still climb further yet.

Report by ALAN EVANS