Honours are even after part one of this particular FA Cup episode between two sides who have enjoyed many close-battles in recent years. This was a repeat of last season’s FA Cup clash which started at Chestnut Avenue and ended 2-2 before Wingate went through 3-1 in a replay. This time around the Woods will have home advantage in Tuesday night’s repeat.

With Ryan Tackley, Jamie Lindsay and Rodney Hicks all unavailable, there was a debut for newly-signed defender Josh Urquhart who was released by Northampton Town in the summer and had been unable to break into the side at St. Albans City. Murray Williamson, Anthony Page and Danny Power all returned to the bench for their first appearances of the campaign.

The Woods made a good start to the tie with plenty of early pressure through Kyle Matthews and John Christian but Matthews suffered an early injury and Power was pressed into service with just sixteen minutes on the clock.

The home side gradually began to dominate play but without breaching the Woods solid defence until half an hour into the game when Mitch Swain saved from both Leon Smith and Sam Sloma in quick succession. The second was after a good build-up involving Paul Wright and Josh Cooper and saw the Woods ‘keeper palm the ball out before recovering quickly to force Sloma to put the loose ball wide.

After 36 minutes the Woods responded with a fine move of their own with Christian and Sam Sharples combining to set up Scott Orphanou. His cross was blocked for a corner and when that came in, Urquhart placed a header the wrong side of the post.

But it was the Blues who finished the half on top with Joe O’Brien seeing a powerful strike deflected just wide and Smith denied by Swain on two occasions.

Just before the break there was a flashpoint as Urquhart clashed with Smith after a challenge and the Wingate forward was perhaps lucky to get away with just a yellow card having appeared to raise his hands; the Woods defender also picking up the same punishment.

The second-half swung back towards Northwood and after Christian’s battling run through the home defence, the ball ran loose to Orphanou whose strike forced goalkeeper Gavin King into his first save of the game. Dean Wallace was next to test King with a long-range strike and just two minutes later Orphanou was inches away with a flicked header to a Sharples which beat the ‘keeper but spun the wrong side of the post.

Aaron Cato replaced the ineffective Leon Osei and the Woods continued to keep Wingate on the back-foot with Sharples getting on the end of another half-cleared cross to shoot for goal and the unsighted King did really well to dive late to his right and keep the ball out. The impressive Sharples almost made the breakthrough soon after, linking with Cato and bursting into the box but again King was able to keep his shot out.

In the final fifteen minutes, the game petered out a little with neither side really going for the victory. Christian and Orphanou went closest for Northwood while Marc Henry missed for Wingate and Swain was on his toes to deny James Edgerley from a free-kick and David Laird late on.

Report by ALAN EVANS

Photos by James Brown