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Northwood 0  Leighton Town 5

Saturday 11th October 2025

 

NORTHWOOD
     
     
   
1 Hafed Al-Droubi 
2 Ademide Baruwa
3 Mack Miskin
4 Manny Folarin ©
5 Bryan Mankumbani
6 Jon-Jo Bates (89m)
7 Harry McKenna
8 Carl Stewart (67m)
9 Dan Williams
10 Freddie Ford (64m)
11 Hicham Bouchareb (63m)
Substitutes
12  Brandon Talla (89m)
14 Henry Atkinson
15 Dylan Kearney (63m)
16 Jamie Kennedy (67m)
17 Jack Smith (64m)
   

Unbeaten Leighton Town proved too strong for the Woods on a pleasantly sunny Saturday afternoon at The Skyline Roofing Stadium, romping to a victory which was Northwood’s worst loss in four years.

Jon-Jo Bates, Harry McKenna, Freddie Ford and Hicham Bouchareb were all brought into the starting line-up with Henry Atkinson, Dylan Kearney and Jack Smith reverting to the bench while Reece Price-Placid was missing after picking up a knock the previous week. New signing Brandon Talla, a young defender recruited from Wealdstone Academy, was given a place in the bench alongside Jamie Kennedy with Devonte Totesaut, Osa Otote and Nasir Sharifi all ruled out.

The visitors arrived with former Woods goalkeeper Dan Hosier back from injury to start alongside two other ex-Woods in Kyal Williams and Godlove Oppong while top scorer Sydney Ibie, who left Northwood for Dagenham & Redbridge two years ago, was on the bench resting a knock suffered a week earlier.

Leighton looked strong from the start and had their first opportunity on 14 minutes when Oppong got his head to a cross from the right but Hafed Al-Droubi did well to react quickly and palm it over the bar. But he could do nothing to deny the former Woods striker six minutes later when a cross from Lewis Thorpe was set up by Williams to allow Oppong to fire cleanly into the far corner.

Northwood tried to hit back almost immediately when Dan Williams tried his luck from distance with a powerful strike but Hosier was well positioned to claim it above his head. The Woods continued to press with Williams linking up with Bouchareb to force a corner but that came to nothing.

PHOTOS by James Brown

The visitors were still looking dangerous but it was the Woods who looked likely to level after 41 minutes when a cross from Mack Miskin was cleared to Bates who jinked into the box and looked all set to score but an excellent defensive block denied him.

The home side were made to pay just before the break as Leighton notched an important second goal. Oppong turned provider this time with a cross to the far post where Leo Farruch guided a shot back across goal and inside the far post.

Already with a difficult second half ahead of them, Al-Droubi had to tip over an inswinging corner early on before being a victim of a shocking decision from the match officials which gifted Leighton a third goal on 52 minutes. A deep cross from the left from Tolu Kunming was collected up high by Al-Droubi but BJ Christie clearly pushed him over the line with two arms only for a “goal” to be awarded.

Changes were made to both personnel and formation with Smith and Kearney replacing Ford and Bouchareb but it only got worse almost immediately when Oppong found acres of space to receive a ball from Christie and slot home his second. Jamie Kennedy replaced an injured Carl Stewart on 67 minutes and the Woods did start to create a little more in the closing stages starting with Kearney setting up Williams for a shot but that flew wide of the target. 

But Leighton continued to threaten too. A Farruch free-kick went just over the bar on 79 minutes and five minutes later a quick break saw Rio DaSilva set up Charlie Pattison for a chance but Al-Droubi made a great save to deny him.
There was still time for the visitors to grab a fifth goal on 86 minutes as the errant Christie, a recent recruit from Berkhamsted, netted from close-range for his first Leighton goal.

Talla was introduced for the five minutes of stoppage time and it was Northwood who had the last effort on goal when Ademide Baruwa finally tested Hosier but he was more that equal to it and the final whistle cued celebrations amongst the large travelling contingent of Leighton fans.

After extending their home league record to six defeats in six games, the Woods will need to up their game when Leverstock Green come to visit at the Skyline next Saturday. Before that, it’s County Cup action away at Hanworth Villa who currently sit third in the Isthmian South Central.

REPORT by Alan Evans

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