Barton Rovers 3 Northwood 1

Saturday 22nd November 2025

NORTHWOOD




1	Matt Burrows
2	Ademide Baruwa
3	Harry McKenna
4	Manny Folarin ©
5	Gabe Cuthbert
6	Dan Vincent
7	Dan Williams
8	Carl Stewart
9	Devonte Totesaut
10	Freddie Ford (77m)
11	Osa Otote (73m)
Substitutes
12	Henry Atkinson (77m)
14	Reece Price-Placid
15	Jack Smith
16	Hicham Bouchareb (73m)
17	Bryan Mankumbani
	Barton:Ben Heath, Michael Buckmaster, Tom Baggaley , Saul Williams (Reece Perry 72m), Kai Phelan, Mason Watkins , Josiah Ramsay (Jamie Breen 69m), Alfie Warman, Albie Hall, Rawn Seale, Lucas Jordan (Charlie Milton 75m)

The Woods finally lost their unbeaten away record this season at high-flying Barton Rovers after the home side turned the game around in the second half of a game played in very wet and windy conditions at the Winton Haulage Stadium.

Northwood suffered a blow the day before the game with goalkeeper Hafed Al-Droubi ruled out having suffered an injury in training and with back-up Andrew McCorkell unavailable, Woods Under 18s keeper Matt Burrows was drafted in for his Step 4 debut, having been playing for Broadfields United at Step 5 for much of the current season. Skipper Manny Folarin was back after serving his suspension but Omar Rowe was also out injured and Jon-Jo Bates was rested with Freddie Ford and Devonte Totesaut back into the starting line-up.

Fresh from a 1-0 win over Ware in midweek, third-placed Barton Rovers made a couple of changes to their starting line-up but, with the wind and rain behind them in the first-half, it was the Woods who started strongly.

Firstly, Ford and Totesaut combined to set up Dan Vincent for an early shot but that flew high over the bar. Soon after, Dan Williams, playing on the right of the front three, cut in and tested goalkeeper Ben Heath with a low, curling strike after just seven minutes. Heath pushed it away, just out of the reach of Osa Otote and the ball was cleared.

Both sides worked hard in the centre of the park to establish some control but there was little action in front of goal until 19 minutes had elapsed as Carl Stewart found Totesaut on the edge of the box and he did well to work space to hit a shot on the turn which was just over the bar. On 23 minutes, the home side got a good cross in from the left which needed a hand from Burrows to push the ball across goal and then Harry McKenna to head the danger away from under the crossbar.

Northwood hit back five minutes later when Ademide Baruwa burst forward down the right and cut in to the edge of the area but he was unable to pick out a teammate from his cut back, missing out on a good opportunity.

But the Woods got the goal that their dominance had deserved after 34 minutes when Totesaut received a ball out of defence from Otote and turned well to play in Williams on the halfway-line. He cut across the field and played a neat ball to Otote who had raced down the left and, with the defence backing off him, he saw a gap and neatly steered a shot inside the far post to put his side in front

The home side could have been level three minutes later when McKenna was dispossessed by Albie Hall on the right flank and the Rovers top scorer cut in to beat Burrows with a low shot which was blocked and cleared off the line by Gabe Cuthbert.

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PHOTOS by James Brown

Northwood held their advantage to the half-time break and both the weather and the pitch were still deteriorating when the two teams returned for a second-half where Barton were kicking down the slope and with the conditions now in their favour.

They had an early chance to level but the Woods defended solidly with a good block to Josiah Ramsey’s shot, while Saul Williams fired wide from the loose ball.

The Woods were struggling to get the ball forward and the Blues took full advantage on 59 minutes when a goal-kick from Burrows didn’t get the distance required and Jordan grabbed the opportunity to get first run on the defence to get into the area and square for Alfie Warman who had time to take a touch and slot the ball home for an equaliser.

Just two minutes later Rovers turned the game around completely with a second as a cross from the left saw McKenna get a block on an effort from Rawn Searle but it ran loose to Hall who crashed a shot into the top corner, giving Burrows no chance.

Both sides continued to work hard on the now heavy pitch conditions but the Woods couldn’t find much joy going forward despite a couple of substitutions which saw Hicham Bouchareb and Henry Atkinson introduced for Otote and Ford. It was still Barton who were the most threatening on occasions with Warman threatening with runs from midfield but Burrows denied him once and another strike was wide of the target.

Five additional minutes of stoppage-time still brought no joy for the Woods who couldn’t unlock the Barton defence and in the final seconds a crossfield ball saw Hall in acres of space to finish the contest with a left-foot drive into the top corner – his nineteenth goal of the season.

The Woods will be looking to bounce back on Tuesday night in another away game, this time at Hadley who will be chasing a season “double” having won 2-0 at the Skyline way back in August.

REPORT by Alan Evans



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