Northwood kept their play-off hopes alive by completing a late double over their Bedfordshire rivals having trailed by a goal for much of this contest. The home side started strongly with Steve Gentle showing good agility for a defender, turning and shooting but James Reading was well behind it and saved comfortably.

After 13 minutes Craig Daniel’s header was pounced on by Brett Donnelly but he hooked his shot over the bar and then both Daniel and Jon Woolf failed to hit the target with shots from just outside the box. The Woods tried to rally, and Oliver Hawkins flicked a header not far wide of the upright after a centre from James McCluskey but it was mainly one-way traffic and Reading saved from former Woods striker Harry Hunt when he was put through on goal after 24 minutes.

The Waders finally got their noses in front two minutes later as a free-kick lofted into the box wasn’t cleared and Donnelly pounced to hook the ball in despite good efforts to clear off the line. Adamson Ajayi then produced a good run down the right for Woods but knocked in a cross, which even the tall striker Hawkins couldn’t reach at the far post.

It was a rare foray into the Biggleswade half but John Christian wasn’t far over from long range and then Reece Yorke headed a Scott Raper free-kick into the side netting. Hawkins limped off injured towards the end of the first half, and the Woods had to reshuffle completely for the second half, with Romaine Walker also coming on for Raper in a tactical change.

The Woods started better this time, with McCluskey finally bringing home goalkeeper Anthony Ender into action with a free-kick that was well saved but the Waders still looked dangerous and Daniel should have done better with a shot that sailed well wide. Donnelly then had a header palmed away superbly by a diving Reading and from the resulting corner, the Woods keeper also held onto a Daniel header.

Northwood were still restricted to just the odd opportunity, and when Wayne O’Sullivan was put through on goal, he chipped the ball over the bar. Back at the other end Hunt played a neat exchange of passes with Donnelly but then shot wide of the goal before Woolf poked a shot straight at Reading. Jonathan Constant had replaced the ineffective Ajayi and it lifted the Woods game, with an equaliser coming out of the blue after 67 minutes. McCluskey cut in from the left and knocked a good pass to Constant, who in turn set up Christian for a strike from just outside the box, which he managed to keep low and steer just inside the post.

The comeback was complete just three minutes later as O’Sullivan knocked in a superb cross from the left and Spencer Bellotti flicked a header which gave Ender no chance. Biggleswade made a double substitution in an effort to regain something from the game and a good move saw Donnelly and Daniel set up Alex O’Brien but his effort was blocked by some solid defending from Liam Fowler.

Rather than just try to hold on to their narrow advantage, the Woods continued to attack and they completed their steal of the game after 89 minutes as Bellotti poked a shot towards goal during a scramble in the goalmouth and despite two attempts to clear by defenders James Freshwater and Darryl Coakley, the ball made it over the line to put Northwood 3-1 ahead.

It should have been comfortable from there but Northwood are good at making it difficult for themselves and Constant found himself red-carded just a minute later for throwing an arm at a home player who was pulling his shirt, and then the ten men managed to concede a penalty when Gentle threw himself to the floor in the box. However, Reading was having a good game and he guessed right to pull off a fine save to deny Stuart Lochhead from the spot.

The Woods now go into Easter Monday’s key home game against Uxbridge still with hopes of making the top five and those play-off positions.

Report by ALAN EVANS

Photos by James Brown