Away day joy

For the second successive Saturday Woodley returned home with a win, this time a league victory against a competive and skilful London Samurai Rovers who are showing signs of improvement after a slow start to the season.

The home team kicked off but United enjoyed the opening five minutes with Connor Richardson shooting across the goal from the left hand side and Sid Gbla seeing an effort from a tight angle blocked for a corner kick.

However, the main story of the half was the number of free kicks both teams conceded and the stop start nature of the half that saw neither team able to gain momentum or urgency in their play while United struggled with keeping the ball when they had possession. Samurai, as is their tradition, when in possession moved the ball well with players running of the ball but their best chance of the half came after twenty four minutes following Kasper Hok blocking a pass for a corner. The resulting kick was cleared to Shuto Kohno whose attempted lob of Fin Rushton went over the cross bar.

On the half hour Tahir Carmichael headed Connor Suckling’s corner goalward where Hok then headed to ball that home keeper Tim Wallace caught easily. Gbla shot over the bar while Wallace saved one handed from Suckling with no Woodley player close enough to take advantage of the loose ball.

The second half was played at a quicker pace which saw Gbla tackled on the edge of the opponents’ penalty area a minute after the restart with Shinsei Morishige shooting wide a few minutes later which led to a period to Rovers’ pressure.

Wallace again saved one handed, this time from Gbla and as before no Woodley player was able to take advantage of the loose ball which Wallace gathered. However, the Rovers pressure continued and in the space of six minutes recent new Samurai signing Jordan Ikala headed over the crossbar, Cougar Debney was denied by Rushton while Sho Oyama saw an effort turned away for a corner kick by the away keeper who was also called upon to deny Eduardo Ramirez.

A change in formation following the introduction of Mark Williams for the injured Dan Watkiss saw Woodley weather the pressure and wrestle back control in the game, with Gbla’s touch failing him when well placed shoot in the eightieth minute.

It was becoming increasingly likely that a single goal would win the game which proved to be the case. A free kick by Rushton just inside the Woodley half saw Williams out jump a defender in the home penalty area with the ball falling to Gbla to control and short past Wallace from close range in the final minute of normal time.

The nine minutes of stoppage time saw Wallace replaced in goal by an outfield player due to being injured as he attempted to stop Woodley’s goal. Reiss Corr was allowed run unchallenged from defence to be denied when one on one with Rushton while William Mabukwa had a shot tipped over the cross bar in the seven minutes into stoppage time. This was the last meaningful action with United seeing the game to full time and secure the win.

Rushton, Adu Essah, Watkiss (Williams), Carmichael, Hok, Nwokobia, Suckling (Carolan), Manneh (Mabukwa), Gbla, Lambourne, Richardson Subs not used: Jeczalik, Smith