Woodley Town made it a hat trick of away wins in March

Woodley Town made it a hat trick of away wins in March against the league’s top three teams with a comprehensive victory at third placed Milton United and in truth the score line could have been wider but for Neil Howarth’s point blank reaction save from Paul Holloway and Paul Wilder shooting over the bar with the last kick of the game with only Howarth to beat.

The first half saw the visitors start the stronger and created the best chances to open the scoring with Sam Cripps’ cross eluding Danny Isaiew on ten minutes and five minutes later a Cripps pass to fellow full back Dan Jewell, saw Jewell’s shot spilled by Howarth and cleared for a corner despite the best efforts of Dominic MacKenzie to convert the loose ball. From the Adam Jeffery’s corner, Warren Baxter saw his header flash across the goal line.

United responded and it needed Baxter to block a shot and Cripps to clear the home team’s corner off the goal line on twenty two minutes.

Town withheld the pressure but created little apart from a weak Isaiew header to Howarth from a Jeffrey cross until the final five minutes of the half when a corner was one and Town kept the pressure on the home goal, that resulted in the ball being passed to the corner kicker Jeffrey to cut in from the left and drive a shot into the goal area that was deflected by a defender into his own goal on forty three minutes.

From the restart Jewell committed a foul on the edge of his own penalty area only for James Clarke to see his free kick headed to safety by Richard Thomas.

The second half saw Milton change formation and start strongly with the game being stretched and both teams having chances to score. United saw a move break down due to being off side while Howarth again spilled a shot, this time from Jamie Fairchild but Nick Edwards was unable to convert.

Milton’s last real test of keeper Oneal Garnes came on the hour mark when he caught a goal bound header from a corner, but after this Town dominated with Jeffrey having his best performance of the season on the wing and the midfield winning second ball, notably Paul Holloway, to keep the pressure on the home defence.

Jeffrey’s cross field pass allowed Isaiew to break free of the back line and extend Town’s lead by lobbing Howarth on sixty three minutes from twenty yards and the winger was again involved in the third goal five minutes from time when his cross allowed Edwards to feed substitute Henry Durrant to score his first goal for the team.

Next up is the visit of Rayners Lane this Saturday as the team prepares itself for five games in eleven days.

Garnes, Cripps, Jewell (Varndell), Edwards, Thomas, Baxter, Jeffrey, Holloway, Fairchild, MacKenzie (Durrant), Isaiew (Wilder) Subs not used: Godwin, Hiscock

Attendance: 45