Defeat for Town

Woodley hosted Milton United and the two teams were near the top of the form table this month.

It was a bright start to the game by both sides with Oneal Garnes catching a cross under his cross bar while Richard Thomas forced Milton keeper Steve Howe to catch the ball on his goal line before Jim Nightingale blocked a Danny Isaiew shot for a corner.

Adam Jeffrey scored the opening goal of the game on ten minutes. He was set free on the break, dribbling into the Milton half and then pulled out a delightful chip into the far corner to beat the scrambling

However, it was an incident involving Jeffrey that changed the game. After receiving a strong arm to the throat, Jeffrey volleyed abuse at the offending player and was given a straight red that saw Town having to play fifty five minutes with ten men

Milton had a lot of possession with the man advantage and pinned the home side back for long periods. Garnes saw one shot from range fly past the post while a double point blank save and goal line clearance from Thomas saw Town to the half time break with the lead in tact.

Woodley knew it would be a long second half and with Jamie Fairchild injured, Steven Campbell was introduced as the home side looked solid for the majority of the half.

Milton kept coming forward with attack after attack, but Woodley were resolute and restricted the away side to long range efforts with the whole side working tirelessly and were fortunate to avoid conceding a penalty when a rare lapse let Isaiew get to the ball ahead of Garnes and when the striker tumbled the referee waved away the appeals.

Tom Williams and Luke Williams looked dangerous on the break for Woodley and on three occasions, they very nearly broke clear on goal as Town entered the ninetieth minute still leading.

Just as it looked like Milton had run out of ideas Milton equalised when Jon Christopher turned his headed clearance into his own net.

With the match in the second minute of stoppage time Garnes claimed the ball from a free kick on his goal line and with the ball comfortably in his grasp a Milton player bundled him over his own goal line for an embarrassing undeserved winner.

It was a cruel way to finish the game after playing for so long with a man down and Woodley will take a lot from the performance because Milton barely created anything in the time they had the advantage and did not actually score the goals themselves with two own goals.

Woodley will look to get back to winning ways with a trip to Finchampstead next Saturday.

Garnes, Christopher, Thomas, Edwards, Nightingale, Breeney, L Williams, Hiscock, Fairchild (Campbell), T Williams, Jeffrey, Subs not used: Varndell, Bennett