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Herne Bay 1   Northwood 0

Saturday 7th September 2024

 

NORTHWOOD
     
     
   
1 Ryan Hopping
2 Sam Odusoga (75m)
3 David Agyemang
4 Jeremy Stewart
5 Balu Makumbi
6 Jack Empson
7 Kojo Gyimah (63m)
8 Prince Mbengui)
9 Jack Smith
10 Archie James ©
11 Harry McKenna
Substitutes
12 Junior Paiva (75m)
14 Denislav Konstantinov
15 Michael Kelly (63m)
16 Ryan Young
17 Scott Donnelly
   

It’s eight years since the Woods won an FA Trophy game inside ninety minutes and that run continued on Saturday but in a close-run game on the Kent coast at Isthmian South-East Division side Herne Bay.

They had won twice in penalty shoot-outs during that time but were unable to find the all-important goal that would have forced another spot-kick knockout.

As in previous games, manager Scott Donnelly was forced into making a series of changes though Ryan Hopping continued in goal with Dan Hosier still ruled out with injury and Balu Makumbi remained at the centre of the defence. With James Taylor have moved to Uxbridge and Manu Oke-William departed to Beaconsfield together with the one-match suspension of Jordan Brown and having both Yahaya Kamara and Kelechi Etienne cup-tied, back into the starting line-up came David Agyemang and Jack Empson while Jack Smith started the game in an unfamiliar number nine role. New signing Kojo Gyimah, who played briefly for the Woods back in 2018, made a start on the right flank while there was a place on the bench for another returnee in Junior Paiva.

Having had to cope with a closure on the M2 that made the journey a little tiresome, the Woods had to match up against a Herne Bay side still unbeaten this season and preparing for an FA Cup against Hendon the following weekend.

Yet, it was Northwood who made the better start to the game on the home side’s 3G pitch with Harry McKenna finding space for a shot which flashed only just over the bar after just four minutes and then Prince Mbengui, having been set up well by Gyimah, fired a shot well wide four minutes later.

Yet the home side managed to take the lead after 19 minutes with their first chance as Mo Kamara robbed Archie James of the ball in midfield and played a quick chip forward. Kane Haysman was onside as he raced onto it with Agyemang trying to get to him and Hopping a little slow to react. The Bay forward just got a touch to knock it past the Woods ‘keeper and followed in to convert from close-range.

PHOTOS by James Brown


It was a real blow but the Woods hit back almost immediately as a McKenna corner was headed back into the danger-zone by Makumbi but goalkeeper Harry Brooks just grabbed it as Mbengui closed in.

On 26 minutes, a half-cleared corner dropped to Skye Salmon but his drilled effort was just wide of the target while a minute later Smith showed great prescience when McKenna managed to get a ball to him despite being taken out by a tackle by turning and shooting from 40 yards. It had Brooks a little worried as he was caught back-peddling but the ball dropped just over the bar.

There was a bit of a lull in play. Herne Bay had one effort from Artem Kuchkov which was sliced wide but towards the end of the half the Woods picked up the pace again with McKenna firing another effort just over the top while Agyemang did well to get into the box but his strike flashed across goal and wide.

With still plenty to play for after the break, Smith did well to turn Kamara and get a shot off but again it was too high to trouble Brooks in goal and the Bay’s defence, marshalled by the vastly-experienced Liam Friend and the impressive Salmon, were relatively untroubled. Herne Bay also had a goal ruled out when Michael Salako headed home a Kuchkov cross but the offside flag was no surprise.

On the hour, right-back Jack Parter got forward well but shot well over and two minutes later the Woods combined well in midfield to present Agyemang with a chance but again it flew over the target just before 16-year-old Michael Kelly replaced a tiring Gyimah.

There was still plenty of effort from Northwood and they finally got one on target after 67 minutes as Archie James made room to get a shot in from inside the box but Brooks was equal to it, saving down low and holding on. The Bay made a couple of substitutions themselves which appeared to raise their attacking threat and Salako chipped a shot well over the top before Paiva replaced Sam Odusoga at right-back.

It was Paiva who managed to get a challenge in on Kane Rowland as the substitute shaped to fire home after 78 minutes with his shot being comfortably saved by Hopping and with ten minutes left, Friend got his head to a corner which hit the bar but as Salako tapped home from inches the Referee ruled out the goal with the big centre-half having pushed and then climbed on Empson.

The Woods had ten minutes plus stoppage-time to try to rescue the game. Agyemang picked up a loose ball out of defence and squared to Mbengui whose strike was again on target but also straight at Brooks who parried above his head and collected the rebound. A minute later Paiva played a neat ball down the right to McKenna who a cross in but Brooks was able to cut it out on the six-yard box.

It proved to be the last chance for the Woods as Herne Bay saw out the closing stages well enough, including the four added minutes to take their place in the next round of the Trophy.

For the Woods, it was a seventh successive defeat to start the season with and only once before, way back in 1973, have the Woods failed to record a win in the first seven games of the season. That year though, there were five draws and three defeats in the first eight matches so, despite the improvement in this game and the narrow defeat, it’s officially the worst start ever for Northwood as a senior club.

REPORT by Alan Evans

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