United start the new year with a win

Although the match finished with a win at lowly Holmer Green and a good second half performance, United were made to work hard in the twenty minutes leading up to half time with the hosts’ Kizzy Kahart and Oliver White lively and causing the visiting defence problems.

Woodley started positively with Kevin DeBarros and Connor Richardson seeing a lot of the ball and dangerous in their play. The eight minute saw DeBarros cross into the penalty area that relied on a defender making a timely headed clearance that prevented Shylow Johnson-McNally receiving the ball. This was followed two minutes later by Richardson having a shot cleared for a corner kick following a quick throw in by Tahir Carmichael.

The thirteenth minute saw Green win a corner that United cleared at the second attempt and retain the ball that resulted in Richardson opening the scoring sixty seconds later when William Mabukwa pass found the winger unmarked to shot pass home keeper Matt Messer one on one. The lead was extended in the eighteenth minute when Richardson’s shot was headed clear but fell to DeBarros, who from sixteen yards shot pass Messer.

Woodley continued in the ascendency moving the ball quickly and using the width on the heavy pitch but in doing so allowed space for Holmer Green to counter attack with Kahart dangerous on the right wing. It was Kahart’s low cross into the visitors’ penalty area to Lewis Cousins that led to the goal as Cousins laid the ball off to White to score pass Alex Londors in the thirty first minute to reduce the deficit.

Buoyed by the goal Green put pressure on the United defence and it was not until the final five minutes of the half that Woodley regained composure and looked the most likely of the two teams to score. Richardson and DeBarros thought they had been fouled for penalty kicks in quick succession with DeBarros heading wide on the stroke of half time.

Woodley started the second half as they finished the first and saw Mabukwa shot wide from distance and Messer tip a goal bound shot over the cross bar from Johnson-McNally. Their third goal came nine minutes into the half when good play between Richardson and Tahir Carmichael saw the latter cross into the penalty area when Kasper Hok shot first time pass Messer for his first goal for the club.

Londors saved comfortably from Long during a spell of Woodley pressure that resulted in Richardson scoring his second in sixty fourth minute when he received a pass from Bakai Manneh close to the touchline, cut in towards goal withstanding the challenges of three player to slot the ball pass Messer from a tight angle.

Ryan Hennesey forced a save from Londors in the seventieth minute followed by Richardson heading to Messer and putting a shot wide of the home goal as he looked for his hattrick.

The scoring was completed as the match entered stoppage time with Hok heading his second goal of the game from Manneh’s free kick to the far post.

Londors, Davies (G Smith), Carmichael, Creech, Nwokobia, Hok, Johnson-McNally (Suckling), Manneh, Mabukwa (Jeczalik), DeBarros (Brandao), Richardson (Ojong)