Easy 3 points for Town

Woodley, with six first team players absent for various reasons, faced Didcot Town Reserves, for the third time this season and the second time in three weeks.

The game was played on Didcot’s immaculate pitch at The Loop in high winds and with Woodley playing with the wind in the first half it took four minutes for them to open the scoring when the ball broke twenty five yards out and Nick Edwards hit a low left footed shot into the right corner.

With both teams struggling to cope with the conditions, the following ten minutes saw little action for the two goal keepers other than a couple of shots that they easily smothered, but on sixteen minutes the outstanding Luke Williams got his first goal of the game from another twenty five yard effort that hit the goal stanchion before rebounding back onto the pitch such was the force of the shot to give Woodley some breathing space.

Didcot created a good chance that saw Adam Bruce force excellent save from Ben Rose in the Woodley goal, before Rose was called into action again on twenty three minutes as sloppy play allowed Paul Powell to run at goal and although Rose saved the first shot, he was helpless for Powell’s rebound from close range.

Playing the better football and with Luke Williams looking dangerous every time he got the ball, Town imposed themselves in the Didcot half of the pitch. Luke Williams saw his shot go wide following a long run before he scored his second on thirty one minutes with another long range strike that went in off the far post.

Dan Jewell had a shot go marginally wide after a mazy run while Carl Davies had a decent chance at the near post, after Luke Williams picked him out with a cross, but he could not direct his effort goal wards.

James Varndell had the ball in the net after rounding the goalkeeper but unfortunately the referee failed to play the advantage and pulled play back for a foul on Paul Wilder, while Tom Williams had a chip shot just over the bar and Richard Thomas went wide from thirty yards.

As the half ended Rose denied Powell with his legs and pushed a Bruce shot away for a corner.

Woodley knew they would have to work hard in the second half against the strong wind and with a formation change, the away side looked solid and untroubled at the back as Didcot pushed them back with Luke Ingram being particularly dangerous and needing a last gasp tackle by John Breeney on sixty minutes to deny him a shot.

It was not until the final fifteen minutes that Didcot had their first chance of the half when Powell’s effort was tame and Rose saved comfortably and soon after Jewell was required to make a last ditch tackle to pinch the ball from the ready to shoot forward.

Luke Williams completed his hat trick with three minutes remaining. Davies was felled near the goal line and Williams stepped up and spotted the keeper advancing off his line and he curled the ball into the net at the near post from a tight angle.

Didcot did pull one back with a close range finish from Bruce in the dying minutes, but Woodley were good value for their victory and will look to continue their run up the table with Chalfont Wasps at home next Saturday.

Rose, Jewell (Garnes), Thomas, Edwards, Nightingale, Breeney, Varndell (Bennett), T Williams (Peters), Wilder, Davies, L Williams