Northwood crashed to their eighth defeat in nine games at fellow strugglers and Middlesex neighbours AFC Hayes, the three points taking the home side above the Woods in the table with games still in hand. Things didn’t auger well from the start as manager Steve Hale was forced into playing himself in goal after reserve ‘keeper Darren Walsh pulled out having been in-line to take over from Mark Phillpott who wasn’t able to play at Farm Park due to a gentlemen’s agreement.

AFC Hayes had picked up form in recent weeks, knocking six past Atherstone Town and then winning at Uxbridge so were full of confidence going into this crucial game but it was the Woods who started the stronger. After just four minutes Dean Wallace played a good ball through to Lucas Williams, who shot wide and then a Wallace free-kick was comfortably taken by home goalkeeper Simon Grant.

Hale’s first action was to make a save from Terry Smith on 13 minutes, and then a minute later Matt Woods headed over as Hayes showed their first signs of making inroads into the Northwood defence. Northwood should have taken the lead soon after though as James Bent powered through the centre but knocked his shot the wrong side of the post with just Grant to beat. Jake Lovell cut in and fired a shot across the face of goal but wide after 25 minutes and two minutes later he was denied by Grant’s good diving stop.

But the signs were there that the Woods shaky defence was gradually getting more and more disjointed, and they were almost caught out by a long ball when Woods shot wide. Just a minute later a break down the right led to a good cross and former Wood Kevin Chakaodza fired home unmarked. There was plenty of effort to try to get back on level terms before the break with Lovell hitting one shot straight at Grant, another wide of the post, and the half finished with Scott Orphanou’s strike again saved and then cleared away by Wes Beccles.

Just four minutes into the second-half, AFC Hayes were given a two-goal lead when a chip from Chakaodza hit Bent on the arm about two feet in front of him and a ludicrous penalty was awarded with Dominic Rhone slotting home. It seemed to end any hopes of the Woods getting back into the game and they only had one attack to show for their efforts over the next twenty minutes, with Grant saving comfortable from a long-range Williams strike.

Northwood made a double substitution to try to resurrect something with Tom Windsor and George Gould replacing Scott Raper and Williams and it had some galvanising effect as they pulled a goal back after 78 minutes. Matt Jarvis headed on a Windsor free-kick and when the ball was chipped back in, Bent knocked it down and Orphanou pounced to score.

Any chance of a stirring finish ended with the home side’s next attack as the defence capitulated again and substitute Troy Quarry-Powell fired in a third goal. It got worse six minutes later as Chakaodza helped himself to his second of the game. Lovell finally got his name on the scoresheet three minutes into stoppage-time but by then it was too little, too late to avoid another defeat.

Report by ALAN EVANS

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Photos by James Brown