Eastbourne Borough Res. 3  Northwood Res. 2

Saturday 12th March 2011

Northwood Res.		Suburban League Priory Lane, Eastbourne, Sussex
Ben Dowsett	1	Kick Off
Ed Hatcher	2	3.00 p.m.
Jamie Lindsay	3	H/T
Hassan Filali	4	1-1
Zac Gill	5	Scorers
Lucas Williams	6	Northwood
Jack Hutchinson	7	Desaugaurante, Hutchinson
Ben Long	8
Wayne Jackson	9
Patrick Lawrence	10
Dujon Desaugaurante	11
Timi Salako (4)	12
Liam McGrath (11)	14
Prince Alozie	15
Sean Hollowed (2)	16
-	17

The Woods’ return fixture with Eastbourne got under way in the usual fashion, with one team starting and the other being left in the stalls. This time, however, it was the Woods who got off to a cracker and dominated the early exchanges.

With new signing Ben Long ably assisted by Jack Hutchinson in midfield, chances were being made but going to waste. Composure is the name of the game, and at this stage Northwood did not have that. From the pressure being exerted by the Woods yet another corner was not finished off, but this time the Eastbourne defence gave the ball a big hoof downfield. This caught the Woods defenders flat-footed, and the Eastbourne striker scored a good shot which gave Ben Dowsett no chance.

At half time the dressing room was silent as Mick Turtle, the First Team Assistant Manager, laid into them, not with malice but frustration. The game continued in the same vein at the start of the second half, but the Woods were in so much control that an equaliser seemed certain. And after good work by Pat  Lawrence in shutting the goalie down, he crossed for Dujon Desaugaurante to equalise.

Lucas Williams hit the woodwork again, then Pat Lawrence struck the post after dribbling into the area with the keeper well beaten. It was all Woods, and it was no surprise when good thinking from a corner by Wayne Jackson – who was finding his feet after a long layoff – played the ball into the path of Jack Hutchinson on the edge of the area, and he finished it with a great strike.

The visitors did not let up at this stage and continued on the front foot, as more chances came and went. At this stage, with about 15 minutes to go, the Woods took the foot off the pedal and they lost their composure. Poor marking from a rare Eastbourne corner resulted into an unmarked player to level the game.

At this stage a draw seemed a banker, but loose defending and million dollar balls being attempted with seconds to go enabled an Eastbourne striker to go down in the box. A penalty was awarded and converted, which resulted in the Woods outplaying our senior opponents over the last two weeks but only returning with one point out of what should have been six.

The football that the youngsters are playing is excellent, however we are still very naïve and immature. But lessons are being learned, and it should pay dividends in the long run, as some of the players could and will do an excellent job for our first team in the future. Mick Turtle invited three or four players to train with the firsts, and there is more to come, we are sure.    

GEOFF FOSTER - Manager