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Northwood 3  Leighton Town 0

Saturday 12th April 2025

 

NORTHWOOD
     
     
   
1 Dan Hosier
2 Jack Empson (83m)
3 Jayden Ashbourne
4 Manny Folarin
5 Jordan Ajanlekoko
6 Stefan Powell
7 Rio Connell
8 Troy Perez-Duah
9 Sam Folarin (85m)
10 Hassan Jalloh (87m)
11 Josh Williams
Substitutes
12 Denis Nortey (83m)
14 Alex Cathline (85m)
15 Devonte Totesaut (87m)
16 Jon-Jo Bates
17 Ronnie Mfinda
   

The Woods took another major step towards step four safety with this comfortable victory over seventh-placed Leighton Town as they notched a third win at the Skyline Roofing Stadium inside eight glorious days. There were just two changes to the starting line-up with Jordan Ajanlekoko back to replace Reec Yorke having been unavailable against Thame United while Stefan Powell returned to the centre of midfield.

Leighton, who had seen a run of nine successive wins come to an end the previous weekend when losing 1-2 at home to Thame United, also
made two changes and fielded three former Woods in attackers Godlove Oppong, Kyal Williams and defender Luke Tingey.

Northwood couldn’t have made a better start to the game as it was from the kick-off that Hassan Jalloh carried the ball forward and got deep into the Leighton half before slipping the ball through to Troy Perez-Duah. The Woods skipper took it past goalkeeper George Rose and then scored from a tight angle clipping the ball back past Tingey who was unable to block. There was just 13 seconds on the clock.

Despite watering the pitch all morning, the surface was hard and the high bounce made it difficult for both sides with neither really getting to grips with it enough to create much in the final third, and there was 24 minutes on the clock when Rio Connell latched onto a Jalloh ball to shoot but that was blocked and Sam Folarin was adjudged offside when the ball rebounded to him in front of goal.

Six minutes later, Jayden Ashbourne got forward to exchange passes with Josh Williams and then tried a curler from the left-hand corner of the box but it was just wide of the target. The Woods continued to have the edge and Perez-Duah found space to get in a low shot from just outside the box on 39 minutes but it went just wide of the post.

PHOTOS by James Brown

The visitors had hardly threatened the Northwood defence but just before the break, skipper Lynton Goss did manage to get into the box from the left and hit a shot that Dan Hosier got down to save comfortably at his near-post.

So, it was still all to play for as the second half got underway and this time it was the visitors who were quicker off the mark with Finley Jaggard fizzing a shot just wide of the post and then Ben Farrell tried his luck from distance but it was just too high to test Hosier.

An offside flag was raised well before Leighton had the ball in the net on 51 minutes as the visitors continued to threaten but the Woods were always looking dangerous on the break and they made them pay with a crucial second goal after 59 minutes. Josh Williams was played into the box down the left and he did well to get past his marker and cut the ball back to Sam Folarin and the youngster, who turns nineteen this week, thumped a shot home from just inside the area to take his tally into double figures for the season.

It was a hard task to get back into the game from there for the visitors. Some good work by Oppong after 69 minutes saw him get on a cross which was well cleared by Ajanlekoko and then a free-kick saw Kyal Williams curl a shot to the near-post but Hosier caught it safely.

On 75 minutes, Northwood notched a third. Josh Williams started the move, beating his man and getting in a cross from the left that Tingey partially blocked but the loose ball dropped to Jalloh on the right side of the six-yard box. He neatly managed to square the ball back across where Josh Williams had found some space and he poked it home for his second goal in consecutive matches.

At the other end, Kyal Williams had another opportunity from a free-kick more central this time but again Hosier was equal to it and then some excellent approach play from Josh Williams and Jalloh presented Ashbourne with another chance from distance and though he hit his strike well, it flashed over the top.

Unlike in midweek, there was a few late substitutions from the Woods as they looked to see out the game. Josh Williams, who had a great second-half, threatened again and saw two efforts blocked, though it was Leighton who had the last effort on goal when Hosier dived to keep out another effort from Kyal Williams.

The whistle signalled celebrations amongst the best crowd of the season as well as from the players who had once again produced an excellent performance. The three points has taken Northwood to fifth from bottom, above the free-falling Kings Langley, the side that they face in their final home match of the season next Easter Monday, 3pm at the Skyline. Mathematically, the Woods still need four points from their final three games to be safe, the first is away at bottom club North Leigh next Saturday.

REPORT by Alan Evans

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