The Woods came from behind twice to play out an entertaining draw with mid-table Godalming Town but were unable to find a winning goal. There was a Northwood debut for centre-half James Budden, a recent signing from Spartan South Midlands side Leverstock Green, who partnered James Burgess at the back following the return of youngster Charlie Kennedy to Barnet at the end of his successful loan spell.

The visitors had notched a couple of back-to-back wins in recent weeks and started with confidence as an early header tested Berkley Laurencin’s reactions Then the G’s took the lead after just 14 minutes when Will Hutton tried his luck from distance and his strike took a wicked deflection that wrong-footed Laurencin and gave him no chance.

But the Woods responded well. Burgess got his head to a corner that flashed just wide of the near-post and then Rob Hastings let fly from distance with a shot that had goalkeeper Richard Ossai well beaten but then crashed back off the underside of the crossbar and was scrambled clear. Hastings then turned provider with a ball that saw Niko Muir have a shot that deflected but straight at the ‘keeper. The equaliser looked likely and it came after 27 minutes in familiar form after Muir was tripped just outside the box. Michael Murray stepped up to fire the free-kick round the defensive wall and inside the post to level the scores.

Once level, the respective midfield areas began to dominate and chances became scarce. In fact Louis Stead was the only player to have an effort on goal in the remainder of the first half but his well-struck shot flashed across goal but wide of the far post.

The second half picked up the tempo again and when a Stead cross was dummied by Murray it gave Hastings a good opportunity but he failed to pull the trigger. Play switched quickly up the other end and a cross from Darren Wheeler gave Graeme Purdie a chance but he couldn’t convert. On 59 minutes a good ball from Muir put Hastings in on goal and although he managed to lift his shot over the diving Ossai, it also drifted wide of the far upright. A minute later another good move saw Stead play Muir into the box but the result was the same with his shot finishing the wrong side of the far post.

The visitors then came back into the game. Danny Bassett enjoyed a good run down the right and after his cross was cut out be Alex Nolan, the ball came back to him but he fired wide of the near post. Laurencin was then back in action to hold a solid strike from Will Hutton but after 73 minutes the same player scored his second of the game to put Godalming back in front.

Myles Stephenson was introduced in an attacking move that saw an out-of-sorts George Nicholas removed from the midfield but the G’s almost wrapped it up when Bassett headed a Wheeler cross wide of the near post. Stephenson used his pace well to cut a ball back into the box for Muir on 76 minutes but the Woods striker was too slow to pull the trigger and was crowded out. But five minutes later. Murray flighted a free-kick into the box and when it ran loose in the area it was Stephenson who pounced to sweep it home to make it 2-2.

The Woods plugged away and another good ball from Murray saw Stephenson get another shot in on goal but this Ossai was able to get down to it and pushed it wide. Murray then swung in the resulting corner and Budden flicked a header wide to end Northwood’s chances of snatching a victory.