Northwood secured a notable success as they overcame their Blue Square South opponents to progress to the next round of the Middlesex Senior Cup. Both sides fielded experimental teams, with Northwood giving debuts to goalkeeper Bobby Smith and Will Hudson, as they rested the bulk of their first choice side in anticipation of the big FA Trophy game at Carshalton.

The opening fifteen minutes of the game were pretty nondescript, with neither defence being stretched. But the match sparked into like as Smith pulled off a smart double save to deny the Beavers’ Dave Tarpey and Michael Charles.

The hosts continued to press for the opening goal and Northwood were indebted to Smith once again he as recovered well to produce another double save as he denied former Woods’ favourite Lawrence Yaku.
Northwood survived the spell of pressure and they began to ask questions of their own, as Leon Osei tested goalkeeper Matt Lovett with a fierce drive from the edge of the box, before the latter gathered Gilbert Nuako’s low shot. At the other end, Smith continued to impress as he dealt with a dangerous Tarpey free-kick to ensure the tie remained goalless at the half-time break.

Hampton were immediately on the attack after the interval, Orlando Jeffrey flashing a header across the face of the goal from Tarpey’s corner whilst John Sonuga was on hand to block a Yaku shot.

The Beavers continued to look the more likely to open the scoring, with the dangerous Tarpey sending in a succession of testing set-piece balls. Woods managed to withstand the pressure, and they were rewarded for their resilience by breaking the stalemate with a goal on 72 minutes, Nuako laying off a short free-kick to Hugo Figueiredo, whose ball into the box was smartly headed home by Danny Jones.

Northwood utilised all their substitutes, with Eugene Ofori, Danny Power and Gary Burrell entering the fray, but there were no scares for the visitors in the closing minutes. In fact it was Woods who went close to adding a second with a speculative effort from Jones which flew wide of the Hampton goal, but the single strike was enough for Northwood who now meet either Hendon or Hanworth Villa in the next round.

Report by ROBIN PIPER