On a day of strong winds, football was never likely to be pretty but the Woods notched a comfortable three points with this solid victory which also saw Northwood keep their first clean sheet at Chestnut Avenue this season. Manager Gary Meakin kept an unchanged starting eleven from the side that had performed so admirably at Rugby Town a few days earlier though there were a couple of enforced changes on the bench with Romaine Walker ruled out injured.

Dean Worman forced visiting goalkeeper Haydn Dodge into an early block and the Woods edged most of the early stages with Oliver Hawkins close to getting on the end of a Lee Grant free-kick. A good attacking run from Jack Hutchinson led to a cross from Ricky Rogers which was cleared for a corner and soon after a foul on Hawkins gave John Christian an opportunity from a free-kick but he struck his shot just wide of the target.

After 22 minutes some good link-up play between Leon Osei and Hawkins again presented Christian with a chance but he drove the ball wide before Craig White made a rare foray into the box and perhaps should have gone for goal. Instead he cut the ball back towards Hutchinson whose shot was blocked by some last-gasp defending.
The opening goal came after 26 minutes when Stuart Deaton’s attempted header away from a Grant ball fell towards Osei and he brought it down neatly before whipping a shot on the turn which whistled past Dodge to put the Woods ahead. It was the striker’s first goal since returning to the club from Enfield Town a week earlier.

Christian again latched onto an exchange of passes between Osei and Hawkins but this time had his effort blocked while Worman’s turn at a free-kick saw the ball sail well wide. Leighton were rarely threatening but one long-range effort from Jake Bewley did sting the palms of James Reading who grabbed it safely at the second attempt.

After 39 minutes Northwood went further ahead as Worman attacked from thirty yards out, skipping past a couple of challenges and rifling in a left-foot shot that gave Dodge no chance.

Any hopes that the visitors had of getting back into the game were extinguished just four minutes after the restart when Christian went through on goal and as he shaped to shoot, had his heels clipped by defender Andre Maltay. The ball went wide of the post but the Referee pointed to the spot and, after the Woods had missed a series of recent penalties, youngster Hutchinson stepped up to convert this one.

At 3-0, Northwood introduced Adamson Ajayi for Worman but they also had to cope with a rally from Leighton as they forced a couple of corners and went close through Dan Hewitt and another that clipped the bar as it caught the wind.

The Woods rarely looked like notching further goals apart from one good long attacking run from Ajayi which got him past defenders and into the box centrally but he hit a weak shot straight at the ‘keeper.

Leighton’s best chance came on 79 minutes as a cross from the left found Ben Gallant unmarked and though he managed to quickly steer a volley goalwards, it was straight at Reading and he saved neatly.