Match Report
by Alan Evans

The Woods were left kicking themselves after throwing away two precious points as they look towards climbing the table.

Colin Payne made four changes from the side that had conceded five at Witham Town a few days earlier, with Billy Fishenden replacing Adam Thomson in goal while Abdul Yoki and Danny Hart started in preference to Kyle Matthews and Dean Clark. Danny Murphy was ruled out with injury so Ryan Tackley, who hadn’t played since last season due to injury, was drafted in at left-back. It meant that the average age of the side was under 20.

And it was Tackley who impressed early on when he got forward well after just three minutes and landed a cross on the head of Adrian Abramian, but he steered his header just wide.

On ten minutes, Jazz Rose headed a Northwood corner outwards into the path of Hart but his shot was wide, and two minutes later Yoki found space around the box but shot over the top.

Tilbury had only lost one league game all season but at this stage it was all Northwood and Elliott Buchanan had two chances in quick succession, the first seeing him overrun the ball as he raced into the box and the second, a free-kick which was driven across the face of the goal and just wide.

After 21 minutes Tackley let fly with a screamer from 35 yards which had goalkeeper Paul Agu totally beaten – but the ball crashed back off the post and to safety.

The Dockers finally recorded their first effort on goal when a corner dropped to Kurt Smith at the far post but Fishenden was able to block his shot at the near post.

Back came the Woods again with a excellent ball from Adam Theo, captain for the night, being headed on by Abramian into the path of Buchanan but he hit a poor shot wide of the target. Northwood were playing some excellent football at this stage but needed an end product. After 29 minutes, Buchanan turned and played a great ball through to Hart who had cut in from the right but he chose to shoot early from the edge of the box and Agu was equal to it.

Yoki and Buchanan both tried shots from distance which failed to test the ‘keeper, and then Terry Hogan played an excellent ball over the top which seemed to get Yoki through on goal but he lost control with just the goalie to beat.

The message at half-time would have been to play more of the same football and be patient and the second-half certainly started in the same vein. Just four minutes in a ball from Yoki was dummied and the on-rushing Simieon Howell was through on goal. He took the ball past the ‘keeper but touched it too far but having retrieved it he cut back and then rolled a shot just past the far post with two players well-positioned for a cross.

Howell almost made up for that error two minutes later with a drive from 20 yards which flashed just wide but then, completely against the run of play, the Woods found themselves a goal down. Tilbury won a corner and the ball was swung over to the far post where Kurt Smith managed to swivel and direct the ball past Fishenden in goal.

It was a bitter blow and it took Northwood a while to recover, with Nathan Philip going close with a well-struck shot two minutes later.

But the side was lifted again from an unlikely source after 67 minutes as visiting defender Danny Smith, hustled by Hart just outside the area, sent a perfect chip over his own goalkeeper and just under the crossbar.

Jermaine Hamilton, on as substitute for the tiring Abramian, was put through on goal after 74 minutes but Agu was out to block at his feet, and then a Hart corner saw Yoki flick a header just wide of the goal.

Time was running out for Northwood to get in front, and Kyle Matthews replaced Hart with four minutes of normal time remaining. Almost immediately, Buchanan knocked in a great cross to an unmarked Matthews, who headed wide of the target.

After 89 minutes, a defensive error allowed Hamilton a shot at goal. Agu pushed the ball wide but Buchanan retrieved and sent over a good cross but there was no-one around the six-yard box to add the required touch.

It was in the first minute of stoppage-time that Northwood scored the goal that should have secured the points. Rose played a ball forward to Buchanan on the left and then carried on running towards the penalty area. It was an ideal distraction for Northwood’s young attacker and Buchanan seized his chance, firing a tremendous shot across the goalkeeper and into the far corner.

That should have been that, but Tilbury, who had looked dead on their feet, somehow rallied and conjured up an immediate response. A ball was played forward to substitute Andre Humphrey and he worked the ball across the back-line to the feet of Kurt Smith, who showed great composure to fire a shot across Fishenden and into the bottom corner.

Even then, the Woods nearly snatched the victory their performance had deserved. Matthews fired in a cross which Agu failed to hold, presenting Hamilton with a great chance from six yards, but with his shot looking goal-bound, the prone ‘keeper somehow lifted a leg and the ball deflected off his foot and round the post.