Northwood Res. 0  Beaconsfield Res. 3

Saturday 19th March 2011

Northwood Res.		Suburban League Chestnut Avenue, Northwood
Ben Dowsett	1	Kick Off
Reece Fallon	2	3.00 p.m.
Sean Hollowed	3	H/T
Jamie Lindsay	4	0-1
Dominic Franklin	5	Scorers
Prince Alozie	6	Northwood
Jack Dodds	7	-
Jack Hutchinson	8
Timi Salako	9
Patrick Lawrence	10
Dujon Desagurante	11
Alexis Kamenan (6)	12
Alex Simmons (7)	14
Hassan Filali (9)	15
Liam McGrath	16
Mark Bennett	17

This game against Beaconsfield was not suppose to end the way it did.

The young Woods were reinforced by the Northwood Sunday Under 18 team, and great things were expected not just from them, but the whole squad, which was the biggest that Geoff Foster had ever put out.

The warm up was pretty crowded, and Jamie Carter – standing in for his dad – found players everywhere he looked. Anyway, the team was laid out and the way the Woods started the future looked bright, good passing and plenty of energy.

Chances came and went, but Northwood were still very much in control, however there seemed to be no cutting edge, and when defending, no controlled aggression in our play.

Getting towards half-time with no real scares from a rare attack from the opponents, the Woods conceded a penalty when numerous chances to clear had been missed, and Beaconsfield took the lead. The half-time chat was not difficult: more intensity at both end and all would be well.

However, it did not work out like that. We seemed devoid of any new ideas, and although having  a lot of possession there was something missing. The subs came on to refresh the team, but Woods still failed to spark, and Beaconsfield deserved their victory.

For the Woods it was another lesson to be learned. The team is very young, but that can only be used as an excuse for a short time: there is an abundance of talent, and we have to harness that in the right way.

An “ugly victory” of any sort would be most welcome. Maybe the early kick-off next week before the England game might help: fingers crossed!

GEOFF FOSTER - Manager