First half lead allowed to slip

Playing their first game at The Rivermoor in 2024, Woodley started positively to have a half time lead, but gave a lack lustre second half performance against Brook House who competed and work hard once they had equalised.

The opening ten minutes saw Brook House defending resiliently with a Money Mills-Chandler cross cleared to safety, Kevin DeBarros forcing a save from visiting keeper Adam Childs and Ornildo Shehu’s shot being deflected for a corner kick.

However, Brook House served notice that they were going to be dangerous on the counter attack which saw the ball moved quickly from defence to attack and twice shooting wide.

DeBarros won a corner kick in the twenty first minute when having beaten Childs in a one on one situation a defender made a last ditch challenge to prevent the Woodley winger shooting into an empty net. From the corner Josh Nwokobia headed over the cross bar. Brook House once again responded on the counter attack and again shot wide.

The opening goal came ten minutes before half time. DeBarros picked up a loose ball just inside the Brook House half and passed to Connor Suckling on right wing. Suckling’s run saw him pass the ball along the edge of penalty area where an unmarked DeBarros shot first time to Childs’ left and inside the post.

United saw a Brook House free kick hit the home wall for a corner kick in the forty second minute and then required Alex Londors to tip a shot over his cross bar, two minutes into stoppage time, when Woodley lost possession on the edge of their penalty area.

The first ten minutes of the second half was end to end action that saw Londors clear the ball outside his penalty area and save low to his left and Mills-Chandler twice heading wide.

The visitors levelled in the sixty second minute when a rash challenge by Manny Abu-Essah resulted in the defender conceding a penalty kick. Despite getting a hand to Jacob Adeyemi kick, Londors could not stop the ball from entering the net to his left.

Mike Koscien forced Londors to block a shot while Connor Richardson and DeBarros both saw balls into the visitors’ penalty area cleared to safety. Koscien made a good run from the half way line to again be blocked by Londors. A long Richardson throw into Brook House’s penalty area resulted in Childs making a reactionary save from a shot in the eighty first minute which was followed shortly afterwards with Shakur Farah showing good close ball skill only to put a low shot wide of Londors’ right upright.

The winning goal came with three minutes of normal time remaining. Adeyemi held on Nwokobia’s challenge to pass the ball to sub Jade McCrea who unmarked shot low past Londors’ from twelve yards.

Luca Albanese forced Childs to make a save a minute later while the game ended with United wining number of free kicks deep in the Brook House half but which the home team were unable to score from due to resilient defending.

Londors, Abu-Essah (Davies), Richardson, Creech, Hok, Nwokobia, Suckling, Donville, Mills-Chandler (Mabukwa), Shehu (Albanese), DeBarros Subs not used: Bossman, Ojong