Match Report
by Alan Evans
Two more players
came into the Woods starting line-up for debuts, but it failed to
provide the spark Northwood need to ignite their season, and they fell
to an ignominious defeat at the hands of Essex Senior League champions
Brentwood Town.
The home side had
carried their winning form and supreme confidence into the new
campaign and boasted a 100% record going into this fixture, while the
Woods were hoping to build on their midweek draw at Waltham Forest.
With Danny Brown
and Elliott Buchanan ruled out, in came defender Jazz Rose for his
starting debut after joining from Hendon, while new signing Jermaine
Hamilton replaced Jerome Hall up front.
After just two
minutes, a through ball from Chris Mills seemed to present Hamilton
with a early chance but taking an extra touch, he was forced wide and
could only win a corner.
Brentwood hit back
four minutes later when a poor defensive header from Bradley Hewitt
fell kindly to Joao Carlos, but his fierce strike was kept out by
goalkeeper Ashley Harris.
It was the start of
a barrage of attacks from the home side and they almost took the lead
after ten minutes when a shot from Garry Street beat Harris, but came
back off the post and though the rebound was knocked in, an offside
decision saved the Woods.
Nothing could
prevent the first goal on 14 minutes, though, as a neat move and
exchange of passes led to Lee Noble hooking home a shot which flashed
into the roof of the net. Just three minutes later it was 2-0, but
this time it was self-inflicted as a trickling shot from Danny Dafter
somehow went straight through the legs of Harris.
Northwood tried to
respond to that demoralising setback with a rally of their own. A
Hamilton cross flashed across the face of goal with no-one there to
take advantage, and then Danny Murphy’s ball from the left appeared to
be blocked by a defender’s hands, only for a corner to be given.
The injured Hewitt
was soon replaced by Terry Hogan, for the youngster’s first action of
the season, and the Woods switched formation in an attempt to turn the
tide, but then a poor tackle on Adam Cornell, which didn’t even
warrant a booking in the eyes of the referee, saw the striker limp off
to be replaced by John Lawford.
It was still the
home side who had the best chance as the half came to a close, when a
free-kick was floated in and a Dafter header came back off the post
with Harris nowhere.
Things looked bleak
for the Woods but they responded well just five minutes into the
second-half. A free-kick was flicked on by Dean Clark and
half-cleared, but then Murphy delivered an excellent ball back in to
Clark, who turned and slotted a left-foot shot past goalkeeper Marc
Palmer.
It was an ideal
platform on which to build but the expected attempt at a storming
comeback just never materialised as the game became bogged down in a
midfield battle with neither side coming out on top.
That was until the
76th minute, when Noble took a free-kick 30 yards out, and
the ball bounced straight through the hands of Harris to complete a
miserable afternoon for the Woods custodian.
Just two minutes
later, the scoreline was given an even more flattering look, when Adam
Theo marred an otherwise competent performance by giving away a
penalty, from which Noble completed an assisted hat-trick.
Hall, on as a
substitute for the injured Simieon Howell, had a shot blocked late in
the game but the game was way beyond the reaches of this Northwood
side.
PHOTO GALLERY (Click thumbnail to enlarge)
Simieon Howell goes in for a challenge Rising challenge ... Dean Clark ...and makes it 1-2 soon after the break Dean Clark strikes a long ball watched by Adam Theo Jermaine Hamilton threatens the Brentwood goal John Lawford is first to the ball Danny Murphy overlaps down the left
Simieon Howell goes in for a challenge
Photos: James Brown
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