The Woods recovered from two goals down to earn a deserved point with the last kick of the game against their Middlesex rivals, ending a six–match losing spell.

Warren Whitely returning for George Gould was the only change to the side that had battled to an improved performance at title-chasing Arlesey Town a few days earlier, but the side got off to the worst possible start when Christian Nanetti’s cross was converted by Jones Awuah with just five minutes on the clock.

Having lost six home matches on the trot, the early setback might have proved disastrous but the Woods were soon dominating and Whitely caused problems with a couple of early forays down the flank. Matt Jarvis headed over from close-range from a Jake Lovell free-kick but would have been relieved to see an offside flag as he should have hit the target.

It was Ashford Town defender’s who went closest to levelling the scores as Luigi Hernandez sliced a Whitely cross over the crossbar and then Oscar Lubwama similarly put a Lovell cross over the top with his head. That was part of a series of corners forced by the Woods and from the third, James Bent centred and Dean Marney met it with a firm header which was only inches over the bar.

Northwood were enjoying plenty of possession but were still yet to test goalkeeper Paul McCarthy and that continued with Seldyn Grant unable to turn in a Marney knock down and then Scott Raper toe-poking a shot wide after a neat exchange of passes.

Jordan Kiffin went close to increasing Ashford’s lead from a free-kick after the break but then the Woods hit back with McCarthy beaten by a flicked Bent header but Russell Canderton was there to clear the danger. Soon after, Scott Orphanou headed on a Bent shot which only succeeded in deflecting the ball straight at the ‘keeper but the Woods were getting closer.

Another Whitely cross found Orphanou in the box but for once his control let him down and then the visitors began to threaten to take the game away from the Woods. Rob Curtis drove a shot through a ruck of players that curled just wide and then goalkeeper Danny Sonner made a good save to deny Kiffin.

When Isaiah Rankin played a delightful chip over Sonner’s head it looked like a second goal but the ‘keeper did well to backpedal and push the ball onto the crossbar and over.

After 67 minutes a Tom Windsor free-kick saw Marney control the ball well and then play it back across but McCarthy cut it out well and just three minutes later Ashford added a second goal. Nanetti was involved in the build-up again and his cross wasn’t cleared in two attempts with Rankin taking full advantage to slot home.

Still Northwood refused to concede, and Orphanou raced through only to be forced wide. He knocked the ball back to Jarvis and his cross was headed wide by Bent.

It was after 76 minutes that the Woods introduced Romaine Walker and Ben Long as substitutes and within a couple of minutes Walker showed a clean pair of heels to a couple of defenders before firing into the side-netting. Ashford failed to heed the warning and after 81 minutes Walker made another attacking run, twisted in and out of three defensive challenges and planted a shot past McCarthy.

It certainly raised the spirits all round and firstly Bent and then Lovell both fired shots just wide of the target but time was beginning to run out. In the final minute of normal time it seemed as if the Woods would grab a point as Orphanou showed good strength to get ahead of his marker and steer his shot wide of the diving McCarthy but the ball passed agonisingly the wrong side of the post.

It seemed that the chance had gone but in what turned out to be the very last action of the game; Orphanou picked up a pass from Marney and slipped the ball through to Windsor who had timed his run to perfection and fired it into the roof of the net.

It was a real tonic to rescue a point but the real test for the Woods will be building on that over the final ten games of the season.

Report by ALAN EVANS