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Kidlington 2  Northwood 5

Saturday 29th March 2025

 

NORTHWOOD
     
     
   
1 Dan Hosier
2 Jack Empson (89m)
3 Jayden Ashbourne (78m)
4 Manny Folarin
5 Jordan Ajanlekoko
6 Ronnie Mfinda (58m)
7 Bradley Clayton
8 Troy Perez-Duah
9 Sam Folarin
10 Hassan Jalloh
11 Josh Williams (62m)
Substitutes
12 Rio Connell (62m)
14 Stefan Powell (58m)
15 Jon-Jo Bates
16 Alex Cathline (78m)
17 Aidan Tarrant (89m)
   

The Woods produced a timely five-star performance and climbed back out of the bottom three with this high-scoring victory at relegation rivals Kidlington, completing a double over their Oxfordshire hosts.

After the heartbreak of dropping two points at home to Barton Rovers in midweek due to a stoppage-time equaliser, Northwood desperately needed to get back to winning ways and there were enforced changes with Ronny Mfinda starting in the centre of midfield, while Sam Folarin and Josh Williams were back in the forward line. The home side, under new management, had won two of their last three games and went with a starting line-up unchanged from their 1-0 victory at Aylesbury United a week earlier. 

As expected, Kidlington were quick out of the blocks with a strong breeze behind them. After just three minutes, a corner was half-cleared and then fired back in towards goal by Charlie Bacon. Dan Hosier pushed it away and a follow-up was blocked by Jayden Ashbourne with strong, though clearly incorrect claims for a penalty. Another corner followed and this time a strike from Patrick Osborne was well saved by the Woods keeper.

The Woods were starting to settle into the game and though Hosier had to pluck another inswinging corner out of the sky, it was the visitors who managed to get in front early with a tenth minute goal. Josh Williams took on and beat Otis Castle down the left and knocked in a great cross that saw Bradley Clayton just inches away from converting with a diving header. But the ball was recovered by Hassan Jalloh on the edge of the area and his simple ball to Sam Folarin saw the young striker keep his shot down and simply stroked it inside the post.

The Woods were dominant from this moment on, looking strong at the back and they should have doubled their lead on 20 minutes when a long ball from Jordan Ajanlekoko put Folarin through on goal. He had just the goalkeeper to beat and had Williams in support but he caught the bouncing ball all wrong and hit it straight at a grateful Charlie Barnett. A minute later a well-flighted free-kick from Troy Perez-Duah picked out Folarin for a header but he flicked it wide of the target.

The second goal looked likely but it came from some poor defensive work from the Greens with a back-pass forcing Barnett into a hasty clearance which landed kindly for Perez-Duah who took a touch before steering a shot into the empty goal.

PHOTOS by James Brown

Northwood enjoyed plenty of possession for the remainder of the half with Kidlington struggling to get any sort of momentum, but it wasn’t until the 40th minute that they next went close as Bradley Clayton tried his luck from out wide on the right with a left-footed strike that flew not far wide of the far post. Three minutes later and it should have been 3-0. Mfinda won an excellent challenge in the centre of the park and Hassan Jalloh strode forward, played an exchange of passes with Sam Folarin and, with just Barnett to beat, put his shot wide of the far post.

Having missed perhaps putting the game to bed, the Woods then conceded just before half-time as Bacon did well down the right to knock in an inviting cross and young striker Joel Odei-Larbi, signed from Step 3 side Banbury United recently, stretched at the far post to knock it in and give the Greens hope for the second half.
Odei-Larbi was presumably injured stretching for the goal as he was substituted at the break, replaced by another new acquisition in James Owen, signed from Boston United U23s in midweek.

But the Woods continued to be dominant, this time with the wind behind them. Five minutes in and a free-kick on the edge of the box gave Perez-Duah a chance to hit the target but he shot through the defensive wall but also wide of the near-post. Six minutes late, the Woods skipper went one better when, following good approach work from Mfinda and Clayton, the ball was rolled to Perez-Duah who hit an excellent shot that gave Barnett no chance.

Mfinda then bowed out, replaced by Stefan Powell and Kidlington did have an effort on goal as a free-kick saw Owen flick a header onwards but also wide of the target. A further substitution introduced Rio Connell for Williams and the Woods had two half-chances in quick succession. Sam Folarin was again put through on goal from a long ball, shooting early but also wide of the goal before then winning a corner from a good run with the cross from Clayton falling to Ajanlekoko whose shot looped over the top.

The one-way traffic continued as a good ball from Connell again set up an opportunity for Sam Folarin. His shot was powerful and goalwards but just too high. A goal appeared likely and it came on 69 minutes as Jalloh danced his way past a couple of home defenders before hitting a high shot that Barnett just managed to get his hands too but the momentum of his strike carried the ball over the line for a fourth goal and his second for the club, the other being on debut in the home game against the Oxfordshire side.

The home side quickly tested Hosier with a shot from Castle that brought a comfortable save and then Alex Cathline was introduced for Jayden Ashbourne, meaning a change of formation and that didn’t immediately look comfortable. A short spell of pressure saw Hosier pull off a great save to deny Bacon.

But the Woods were still looking dangerous on the break as Kidlington threw players forward and Perez-Duah was denied a hat-trick on 86 minutes when a great strike hit the inside of the post and somehow stayed out as it bounced back across the face of goal.

Three minutes later, Sam Folarin flicked the ball ahead of him and ran on to knock in a cross which picked out Cathline. His effort was blocked but it rolled to Perez-Duah and he was again deprived as his goalbound effort was just deflected wide. However, from the short corner, the Woods star man, weaved his way inside, across a couple of defenders and blasted home to finally complete his first-ever hat-trick and his Woods tally into double figures since joining in November.

There was time for 16-year-old defender Aidan Tarrant to make his debut from the bench, replacing Jack Empson but then a little disappointing that the Woods conceded another late goal when John Dennis headed in from close-range in the third of six minutes of stoppage-time.

The big six-pointers keep coming though, and on Tuesday night Northwood visit Leverstock Green, who are just three points behind the Woods in the table and have won two of their last four matches.

REPORT by Alan Evans

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