Report by ALAN EVANS

The Woods returned to League action with a night under the lights at The Skyline Roofing Stadium as they welcomed recently promoted Penn & Tylers Green to Northwood for the first-ever competitive game between the two clubs, but it didn’t go well.

Manager Scott Patmore was set to name an unchanged starting line-up but just an hour before kick-off a family emergency for centre-half Rafiq Bettamer meant he had to miss the game. With Lewis Buamah also missing with injury, a quick decision was made which saw Jonathan Moura filling in at the back while goalkeeper Lewis Everett took a place on the bench.

The visitors arrived without a league win since the end of August – five games – but had bounced back to form in a league cup game at Amersham at the weekend and gave a debut to Bedfont Sports striker James Barnett alongside ex-Wood Matty Ayres, a recent signing from Flackwell Heath.

After a day of rain, the pitch was in good, slick condition for the game and it started at good pace with the Woods getting the first effort on goal after eight minutes which never looked likely to trouble giant goalkeeper Jack Brooker.

The visitors’ first real attack came just two minutes later and produced the first goal. A good ball to the far post from Aitor Andon saw it cut back into the path of someone whose shot crashed back off the angle of post and crossbar but fell kindly to Ayres who controlled his first-time volley well to beat Finn Rushton in goal.

It was a big blow for Northwood but it still got worse as just three minutes later, skipper Johnny Wilson won a tackle wide on the left flank but then stretched to make amends for a heavy touch and clattered into his opponent with the referee deciding it was worthy of a red rather than yellow card.

Left with ten men and no recognised central defender on the pitch, Arnold Mengi was pressed into service at the back and it took no time at all for that to be exploited by a buoyant Penn side. There was just 18 minutes on the clock when a corner was knocked in with pace and clipped on at the near-post, reaching captain James Essex left unmarked at the far post and he tapped home to double the advantage.

Soon after, Mengi was sacrificed to bring on Harvie Gardiner as a substitute and he slotted in alongside Moura at the back as the Woods looked to tighten things up but it remained one-sided until Sankou Jabbi got forward and knocked in a cross which found Guiseppe Delgaudio, though his header was comfortable again for Brooker.

It was pretty much game over on 39 minutes when Joel Ellis sent over a cross from the left which Jabbi failed to clear and Ayres pounced again for a cool finish, his second of the match, that made it 0-3 to the visitors, capping off a miserable half for the Woods.

It could have got a lot worse in the second half and just five minutes in, another corner managed to pick out Essex unmarked at the far post but his header was scrambled away by the diving Rushton and half-cleared to Andon who blasted the ball well over.

Delgaudio limped off soon after this, to be replaced with youngster James King and the Woods’ low block against a Penn side happy to pass the ball around unhurried in defence killed quite a bit of time.

There was a rare Northwood attack on 65 minutes as Jabbi got forward well and managed a shot at goal which was deflected just wide for a corner and for a period of time, the visitors rarely threatened to add to the scoreline.

There was little goalmouth action but the Woods almost grabbed a consolation goal in the last minute of normal time. Mark Osei recycled a half-cleared long throw and Kevin Mustali knocked the ball in. Josh Havard got up to head it back across to Moura who chested it down and Gardiner struck the ball well, left-footed, but it flew just over the bar.