Northwood 2 – 0 Wealdstone
Northwood
2 - 0
WealdstoneA first half in which just about nothing happened was followed by a second half of similar fare in the end of season encounter. The difference being that most of the few things that did happen, happened for Northwood as Stones went missing.
There really was nothing to report in a sunny first half, but proceeding were lightened slightly at half time when ‘my mate Kev’ won £105 on the Northwood 50/50 draw!
Northwood started the second half brightly and could have scored in the first minutes had Deam been just an inch or so taller and able to get to a quick cross, but it wasn’t to be.
On 55 minutes they did take the lead from a corner – Stewart was marking Dean but just before the corner was taken he (was) moved out to mark a player coming into the back of the box – lo and behold the corner found the now unmarked Dean who scored from 8 yards……
Six minutes later they made it two when Gary Burrell was caught in possession in stones box. the resulting move saw a pass to Gavin Hart who slotted home from close range. This at least sparked some action on the Stones bench with Carl Martin and Dave Ryan brought on – Ryan up front -and he proved to be Stones best player for the remainder of the match.
Brian Jones on at half time created a couple of chances with some good footwork, but to no avail as one attempt was headed out from under the bar by Hart and then moments later Robin Tucker hit the post from close range. They were Stones only two real efforts on goal, both in the last ten minutes of a performance which must make a number of players look very closely at their performances which were much below par.
Harrow Times – Steve Paull
WEALDSTONE plumbed new depths with this unbelievably dire performance on Saturday.
True, there was little to play for with relegation now only a remote mathematical possibility, but something is seriously wrong with this group of players if they can perform as poorly as this.
Northwood are a very ordinary outfit when compared with their championship winning side of two seasons ago.
They mustered little of note and for a time, Wealdstone had the upper hand, producing some neat passing in midfield.
But there never looked like being any real end product as nobody got forward to support the isolated front pair, who were having difficulty controlling the ball.
Wealdstone had just one solitary shot at goal in the first half, but it was so wide of the target that Richard Morton’s embarrassing effort cleared the high leylandii trees behind the goal.
When the influential Northwood captain and centre-back Evans had to go off just before the hour, Wealdstone should have seized their chance for victory.
Up until then, the defence had coped perfectly adequately with the almost zero threat the Northwood forwards presented.
Yet within two minutes of Evans’ departure Wealdstone fell behind to the simplest of goals. The less than gigantic Dean barely needed to get off the ground to head a corner right in the centre of the goal.
The second followed soon after, scored by Hart after a neat sidestep and shot.
Andy Carter saved a stinger from Moore before Northwood shut down for the day, job done.
Finally the Wealdstone machine shook off some of the rust and creaked into a bit of life.
Dave Ryan’s flick over keeper Bullivant would have found the net but for Hart’s intervening nod over his own bar.
In the last minute, when Richard Jolly’s shot was palmed away, Robin Tucker’s follow up hit the outside of a post, but these incidents only masked a dreadful Wealdstone display.
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