After their setback at Uxbridge on Bank Holiday Monday, the Woods were looking to get back to winning ways as they took on Waltham Abbey who had enjoyed a similar start to their season also with six points from three matches; though they had exited the FA Cup a week earlier.
Dean Barker had to shuffle the pack though as injury ruled out skipper Carl Pearce plus three of his attacking players, Ben Pattie, Kweku-Conrad Lucan and Emmanuel Melford-Rowe. It meant starting debuts for Tom Massey in defence and new signing Luke Alfano in the centre of midfield, while Keir Dickson, who had a spell with the Woods last season, made his first start of the campaign. Matt Cooper also returned at left-back in place of Miguel Lopes De Matos.
With so many changes it was no real surprise that it was the visitors who started best and they were almost in front with just five minutes on the clock. Dickson intercepted a ball into the box and tried to set up Cooper for a clearance that failed to get out of the area and Billy Holland hit a shot across the goal which cannoned back off the far post and Cooper was alert enough to clear the loose ball for a corner. From that, Joe Christou hit a shot across goal and wide of the same post.
The Woods gradually got forward and after 12 minutes a good ball from James Ewington dropped over the head of Rimmell Daniel as he attempted to clear and it let Jorome Slew in down the right but he rushed his shot too early and it flew over the top. Just a minute later Slew twisted and turned on the edge of the box to get a shot off but it deflected and harmlessly bobbled through to goalkeeper Arthur Janata.
Just two minutes later the Abbotts were in front. A long ball came through to Ronnie Winn who was able to race through and chip Luke Sheldrick in goal for a neat finish.
Northwood worked hard to get back into the game but came up against a well-organised Waltham Abbey defence and missed their injured trio of attacking flair. They went closest to levelling the scores after 37 minutes when Ewington played a neat exchange of passes with Dickson and then knocked a deep cross to Slew on the right. He whipped in a cross to the near post and found Alfano who flicked a shot inches wide of the near post.
There was still much to do in the second half but again it was the Abbotts who started quickly. Sheldrick saved low down to keep out a shot from Charlie Stimson and then an effort from distance by the same player was comfortably taken by the Woods ‘keeper.
After 55 minutes a good move saw Slew get past his marker and then feed the overlapping Karl Stevenson who burst into the box but then fired straight at Janata when a cross was probably the better option.
Within the next ten minutes the only action was a series of five yellow cards. Slew and Daniel were both cautioned for showing an aggressive attitude, Ronnie Winn for delaying a restart, Sam Tring for a challenge on Janata which seemed ludicrously harsh when compared to Stimson’s blatant follow through on Sheldrick from several yards away during the first-half. Ironically Stimson was booked just a few minutes later. Meanwhile there were debuts as Cameron Currie and Ben Andreos were both introduced as substitutes.
Waltham Abbey had the ball in the net again on 67 minutes, a fine header from a free-kick but an offside flag soon dampened those celebrations but the Woods failed to respond and ten minutes later it was all over as Stimson did well with a sharp turn and finish from the edge of the box.
Again Northwood showed some spirit. After 83 minutes a free-kick from Wilson Chingoka picked out Andreos, whose header back across goal had Janata scrambling to push the ball just wide of the post. And in stoppage-time, a free-kick on the edge of the box was given for a foul on Andreos and Slew hit a powerful strike which flew just the wrong side of the crossbar. |