AFC Dunstable 2 Northwood 1
Tuesday 13th August 2024
| NORTHWOOD | |||
 |
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| 1 | Dan Hosier | ||
| 2 | Harry McKenna | ||
| 3 | Kristian Stiomenov | ||
| 4 | Prince Mbengui (80m) | ||
| 5 | Myles Anderson (55m) | ||
| 6 | Harry Gallagher © | ||
| 7 | Jordan Kinoshi (65m) | ||
| 8 | Archie James | ||
| 9 | Manu Oke-William (31m) | ||
| 10 | Bradley Bubb | ||
| 11 | Ibrahim Lukulay | ||
| Substitutes | |||
| 12 | Greg Wright | ||
| 14 | Jordan Brown (65m) | ||
| 15 | Sam Odusoga (80m) | ||
| 16 | Jack Empson (55m) | ||
| 17 | Cameron Pooni (31m) | ||
Northwood’s slow start to the new season continued with this narrow defeat in their first away game against AFC Dunstable who, like the Woods, had lost their opening game of the campaign.
Scott Donnelly surprisingly brought in three new players into the starting line-up, all of them on dual-registration from Rayners Lane. Two of them, vastly experienced in defender Myles Anderson and striker Bradley Bubb while Bulgarian-born left-back Kristian Stoimenov has recently joined the Lane from Broadfields United.
The OD’s, who had been beaten 6-0 at Flackwell Heath on the 
opening day, made just two changes with former Chalfont St Peter goalkeeper Finlay Purcell coming in as well as well-regarded Slough Town and English Schools midfielder Ollie Spicer.
And it was the Woods who made the better start to the game with a cross from Archie James finding Bubb with a good ball from the right, though the striker was always stretching and the ball went over the bar. Northwood looked stronger at the back that in recent games and continued to threaten, though there was 18 minutes on the clock when Ibrahim Lukulay sent over an excellent left-foot cross which saw Manu Oke-Williams get some power on a diving-header but it was always going wide of the near-post.
But that seemed to kick the home side into action and two minutes later some good work and a cross from the right picked out Sean Duodu in front of goal. He flicked a shot upwards but Dan Hosier was equal to it with a big left hand to keep it out.
On 23 minutes, it was AFC Dunstable that took the lead though when Thomas Blennerhassett played a ball towards the area which took a huge deflection off the left leg of Oke-William and crept inside the far post, giving Hosier no chance to get across to it. Just a minute later, the home side would have doubled their lead had it not been for Hosier who pulled off a brilliant double-save to deny Duodu again.
The Woods needed to find a response and after Oke-William had seen a tame strike comfortably saved by Purcell, having been put in by Jordan Kinishi, they changed things around with Cameron Pooni coming on to replace Oke-William on the half-hour. Just a few minutes later, Pooni made a positive run into the box where a clumsy challenge saw him tripped but penalty appeals were waved away.
The equalising goal was not far away though and it arrived on 38 minutes. It was the run of Kinoshi that set it up, attacking down the left and cutting a ball back into the box. Pooni, despite a shirt pull, managed to get a touch that put it into the patch of Archie James who rifled the ball home for the Woods’ first goal of the season.
And it was Northwood who finished the half more in control again with hopes high for getting in front in the second half, though it didn’t work out that way. The OD’s started quickly and Hosier was soon back in action, making a fine save from Duodu once again after a quick break. That was just two minutes after the restart and three minutes later, it was the same again as Duodu got past Anderson to race through on goal but this time his effort only found the side-netting.
Anderson came off injured after that to be replaced by Jack Empson but the home side continued to be the threat and they regained the lead after 63 minutes. They knocked it neatly around the midfield with Kyle Lynch playing it wide. The ball was knocked back into the middle to Blennerhassett who had no-one near him as he picked his spot and neatly shot inside the post with Hosier unable to get across in time.
Hosier was in action a couple more times as the game went on, making a good diving stop at his near post from a shot from wide on the left and then plucking another strike out of the air but it was the Woods that needed a goal to level things and they only created a couple of chances to do so.
Firstly, a free-kick from James almost picked out Harry Gallagher’s head at the near-post but the home defence managed to scramble the loose ball away. Then, with the minutes ticking away, Lukulay knocked in a neat ball with his right-foot that saw Bubb rise again but direct his header wide of the post.
The narrow defeat equals the slow start to the season by the Woods in 2019-20 which saw defeats against Westfield and FC Romania as well as an FA Cup loss at Longlevens before the losing run was ended by a draw with Bracknell Town.
REPORT by Alan Evans
