Match Report
by Alan Evans
The Woods finally secured a much-needed victory over bottom club
Wivenhoe Town but they made it hard for
themselves, forced to come from behind to win a game for the first
time this season.
The visitors,
like Aveley a couple of weeks earlier, had responded to a poor start
to the season by bringing in new management and a whole host of new
players, and the Dragons are clearly getting better, with this being
their fourth frustrating defeat by just the odd goal in succession.
With Bradley
Hewitt passed fit following a fitness test, manager Colin Payne was
able to name an unchanged side from that which had gone so close at
AFC Wimbledon in the FA Trophy the previous Saturday, though there
were new faces on the bench in the shape of John Christian, a former
Wealdstone midfielder who has joined from Ruislip Manor, and
goalkeeper Ben Harris who has been at Hillingdon Borough and played
for them in the FA Vase Final in 2006.
The game started
in sunshine and the Woods began brightly themselves with Adrian
Abramian setting up Simieon Howell for a simple chance after just two
minutes but the midfielder, still looking for his first Northwood
goal, shot wide of the gaping goal. A minute later, Dwane Williams
fired over and then Jazz Rose got forward well to set up Abramian
whose, shot was well blocked by some desperate defending.
The pressure
continued and Howell went much closer after 10 minutes when Abramian
laid the ball off to him, but this time first-shot show was knocked
just wide by the diving goalkeeper Karl Daniels.
As the rain and
hail then began to fall, Wivenhoe began to settle, with Josh Dalziel
trying his luck from distance but Mitch Swain was equal to it in the
Northwood goal.
Abramian was
looking the home side’s biggest threat and went close with a shot that
forced a corner after a mazy dribble and block at the near post.
Yet it was the
Dragons who took the lead after 20 minutes when the impressive Michael
Brothers showed good skill on the edge of the box to turn, and his
shot took a deflection which wrong-footed Swain and nestled in the
bottom corner.
Northwood tried
to respond quickly and Daniels had to show good form to deny Abramian
twice in quick succession as the striker latched onto crosses from
Howell and Elliott Buchanan.
Having survived
that, Wivenhoe grew in confidence and Brothers had another good strike
pushed over by Swain before Jamie Eames shot wide from a free-kick
just outside the box.
The equaliser
looked on after 39 minutes when a ball through from Ryan Tackley sent
Abramian through on goal with just Daniels to beat. As the ‘keeper
came out, he chipped him well enough but the ball sailed wide of the
post and another chance had gone begging.
It looked like
being one of those days for the Woods, and just before the break,
Jack Bradshaw got in for a neat header which Swain saved comfortably,
and then Brothers flicked a header just wide from a free-kick.
Had they conceded
a second at that stage, there may have been no way back for the Woods
but the were able to renew their efforts in the second-half and were
soon on level terms. Abramian had already had another effort blocked
for a corner when he found space just outside the box to turn and
shoot into the bottom corner after 50 minutes.
Though the Woods
dominated from then on, the visitors showed plenty of spirit and had
one good chance when Brothers flicked on to Robert Thorne who shot
across the face of goal and only just wide.
But that was just
a brief respite as the Woods piled on the pressure and Abdul Yoki went
closest when he saw a great strike crash back off the post on 69
minutes.
Buchanan, Hart
and Howell had all gone close but what proved to be the winning goal
came after 74 minutes, two minutes after the introduction of Jerome
Hall as substitute. He had nothing to do with it, though, as route one
proved the saviour. Swain’s drop kick played Abramian through and he
took it past Daniels before coolly steering the ball into the net for
his second of the game.
Hall then
stretched the shaky Wivenhoe defence in the closing stages, firing one
into the side-netting, while Williams shot just over with five minutes
remaining. Abramian should have completed what would have been a
deserved hat-trick in the final minute as Tackley’s accurate ball in
found him unmarked in front of goal but his first-time volley was
sliced wide.
PHOTO GALLERY (Click thumbnail to enlarge)
An aerial battle in the rain! Adrian Abramian is tightly marked Danny Hart closes down the Wivenhoe defender Jazz Rose gets into the Wivenhoe box Two-goal man Adrian Abramian Jazz Rose plays the ball out of defence Jazz Rose plays a pass towards Woods' strike force Adrian gets up for a header in front of goal
An aerial battle in the rain!
Photos: James Brown
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