Northwood Under 18 0  Ashford Town Under 18 2

Thursday 16th September 2010

Northwood U18		Ryman Youth League Chestnut Avenue, Northwood
Chezney Cassell	1	Kick Off
Reece Fallon	2	7.45 p.m.
Gbenga Adelana	3	H/T
Jonas Charles	4	0-0
Liam McGrath	5	Scorers
Dwayne Cole-Parkes	6	Northwood
Julian Smith	7	n/a
Jack Hutchinson	8
Julian Cole	9
Romaine Walker	10
Zain Kahn	11
Jake Wilson (7)	12
Jordan Douglas (9)	14
Shiraj Shah	15
John Uche (11)	17
Tommy Day	18

Coming after two good victories in the first game of the league campaign against Woking and against North Greenford in the 1st Round of the FA Youth Cup, the young Woods were confident of continuing their unbeaten run. Some adjustments was made to the team from the last game, with several players being rested after picking up knocks, but the team started with a good formation.

The game started strongly with Ashford showing their intentions early with a crunching tackle on Julian Cole as he raced into the box, by the centre half, in the first five minutes. This set the tone of their game and in the first 15 minutes Woods had to compete strongly to create chances as Ashford attacked the ball quickly. Woods created several half chances, mainly falling to Julian Cole, but could not convert, as they enjoyed greater possession in the next 20minutes. Ashford consistently resorted to large boots out from danger in the later stages, but the Woods defence held firm and was rarely troubled in the first half: 0-0.

The second half started with the same tempo, but Ashford seemed to be much fresher and appeared to be getting all the decisions, with some forceful tackling being allowed. When Woods cleared and played the ball forward, the Ashford defence didn’t give an inch, and resisted all attempts to breach their goal. When Woods forwards had possession up front they were slow and lethargic in their movement and passing, and did not make Ashford work.

Still, for the first 30 minutes of the second half Woods were still in the game thanks to the strong tackling and energy of the captain Jonas Charles, who seemed to be the only player competing in midfield. The Woods defence and keeper did not put a foot wrong, until in the 76th minute, when the defence failed to clear and the ball was swung into the box, and Julian Smith with a poor attempted clearance, gifted the ball to the Ashford striker, who rammed home from six yards: 0-1.

This was a blow to Woods, who lost their concentration and conceded a second five minutes later: 0-2. With decisions going against them the players got frustrated, leading to a flurry of bookings for Romaine Walker, Gbenga Adelana, keeper Chesney for dissent and Jonas Charles for a clearly legitimate tackle! A tough game for young Woods, who just lacked a bit of sharpness, which told in the end.

Not the best result at the end of the day, but a lesson for the coming weeks that proper preparation and fitness is required to match teams who work hard. Ashford may not have had more skill than Woods, but they worked hard and they played as one, which is a winning recipe.

Report: TREVOR CHARLES