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South Park 3  Northwood 1

Saturday 12th March 2022

 

NORTHWOOD
     
     
   
1 Dan Hosier    
2 Matt Surmon (68m)    
3 Andy Lomas    
4 Luke Tingey    
5 Tommy Boxer    
6 James Gurteen © (46m)    
7 Kyal Williams    
8 Teddy Stacey    
9 Josh Helmore    
10 Sydney Ibie (59m)    
11 Carl Stewart    
Substitutes  
12 Ryan Young (68m)    
14 Alex More (59m)    
15 Keagan Cole (46m)    
16 Lewis Batten    
17 Kristian Belousas    
 


South Park: Mo Otuyo, Dom Pires, Sam Tutt, Mathew Mackenzie, Matthew Faithorn, Joe Bell, Nathan Hogan (Gavin Quintyne 86m), James Dickson, Melford Simpson, Courtney Swaby (Brendan Murphy-McVey 67m), Kai Tanner (Fred Hill 61m)

   

The Woods crashed to their third defeat in eight days as in-form South Park bagged all three points with a three-goal salvo inside fourteen first half minutes.

The home side were just above the Woods in the table going in to this fixture and unbeaten in their last four home matches at Whitehall Lane, keeping a clean sheet in their last three. They had also only lost three at home all season, so it was always likely to be a tough task for the Woods who were again without the injured Sam Jenkins. The only changes from the side beaten by Barnet in midweek saw Matt Surmon start instead of Ryan Young and Tommy Boxer replace Keagan Cole.

On a bumpy pitch, Northwood started brightly and had a great chance after just five minutes as Kyal Williams outpaced a defender and Josh Helmore dummied his pass, allowing Teddy Stacey to feed an unmarked Sydney Ibie but his shot was well saved by goalkeeper Mo Otuyo.

Just two minutes later the Woods went close once more as Williams caused problems again down the right before crossing to Helmore. He found space to turn and hit a powerful shot but Otuyo was equal to it, keeping it out with strong palms.

And after 10 minutes, it looked certain to be the opening goal that that start deserved as Williams robbed a defender out wide and raced into the box. He cut the ball back into the path of Helmore and the net looked likely to bulge before South Park skipper Matthew Faithorn somehow threw himself in front of the ball to block. From the resulting corner, it reached Luke Tingey at the far post and although stretching a bit, he would have hoped to do better than putting his header the wrong side of the post.

The home side began to settle more and started to assert themselves but a long-range effort from Dom Pires flew wide and there was little to threaten Dan Hosier in goal at that stage. A free-kick around twenty yards from goal gave Williams a chance to go direct but his effort was over the bar but the game changed on 32 minutes.

South Park won a free-kick on the half-way line and pumped it forward, it wasn’t cleared and it was Faithorn who pounced from close-range to convert the opening goal. Just four minutes later the marauding Pires got forward again and hit a fine strike that squirmed from the grasp of the Woods keeper but it was just enough to push it onto a post and the ball was cleared. But the Woods had lost their shape and rhythm at this stage and after 42 minutes, Melford Simpson ran in from the left, played in Kai Tanner and when his shot was blocked, Nathan Hogan was able to tap into an open goal.

Photos by JAMES BROWN

It got worse just two minutes later with more defensive woe as Boxer lost possession and Simpson pounced with a deft lob of Hosier from 25 yards that nestled in the net.

The game looked out of reach at this stage but the Woods rallied in the final minutes, Ibie got in again down the left but his shot lacked the power to beat Otuyo but then, from an Andy Lomas, Stacey met it perfectly to flick a header across goal and into the top corner.

Arrears slightly reduced at half-time, the Woods changed personnel – Cole coming on for James Gurteen – and formation, reverting to four at the back with Cole playing behind the front three.

And for the first fifteen minutes the Woods did threaten to make a fist of a comeback with plenty of attacking intent, though without any worthwhile efforts on goal and the reliance on the long-throw from Tingey wore a little thin as the half progressed.

They then lost Ibie to injury, replaced by Alex More, and it was suddenly South Park who almost secured things when Courtney Swaby burst through the defence but shot wide with just Hosier to beat. The home defence, with Faithorn leading the line superbly, kept the Woods at bay for the remainder of the game to make it a day to forget for the Northwood squad.

Report by ALAN EVANS



         
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