Rafa shines as Pedro nets twice

Woodley completed 2021 by extending their unbeaten run to three games and moving two places up the league table to sixteenth position in a match which they deserved the three points.

Despite the hosts kicking off, United was immediately into the attack with Daniel DeFreitas shooting weekly at Carl Dennison in the first minute followed by Tahir Carmichael seeing a free kick deflected for a corner while the sixth minute saw good play by Ciaran Carolan and Jordan Goddard put man of the match Rafa Brandao in on goal for Dennison to save the forward’s shot.

Pedro Monteiro forced a corner which Dennison caught in the thirteenth minute before the game whet through a niggly period with United still enjoying better possession which saw them force three succession corners as Woodley made it difficult for the hosts to clear their penalty area in the twenty fourth minute.

Two minutes later following a Chalvey free kick a forward got free to beat Ashley East only for the goal to be disallowed for offside. East was called into action in the twenty seventh minute as he was forced into a diving save from Michael Croker. Monterio responded by shooting over the home crossbar while Liam Batchelor-Morgan withstood Tahir Carmichael’s challenge on the half hour to shoot wide of the Woodley goal.

United’s good play was rewarded in the thirty second minute when Monteiro converted a penalty kick following a foul on Brandao. Two minutes later the forward went to round Dennison to be bundled to the ground with an open goal only for the referee to deem the Woodley player guilty of an offence and award Chalvey the free kick.

East was called on to deny Sports before Dennison tipped Caleb Lucas’ shot over the crossbar as Woodley finished the half with a couple of corners and a Brandao free kick at goal.

The second half got off to an explosive start with Brandao again fouled in the penalty area and Monterio burying the spot kick Dennison’s top right hand corner in the first minute of the restart.

The fifty second minute saw Lucas concede a corner kick, taken by Connor Shingleston which Crocker headed past East to reduce the deficit. This goal galvanised Chalvey as Woodley’s play became erratic and they were forced to defend. Ex-Woodley play Luke Wayborn forced East to parry the shot only for the oncoming forward to put over the bar, East again save full length for a corner while Croker mishit a shot closer well wide when in a good position to test East in the sixty eight minute.

United’s best chance fell to Brandao who saw a shot blocked and then put the loose ball over the cross bar with eighteen minutes remaining. Chalvey did not help them self when Shingleston was dismissed for a second yellow card two minutes later which took some of the tempo out of their game. The eight-fifth minute saw East concede an indirect free kick which United defended for a corner to be followed shortly afterwards by DeFreitas being dismissed to leave both teams with ten men only for Chalvey to be reduced to nine players with Max Laschok sin-binned in stoppage time.

With Sports pressing for an equaliser they were vulnerable to the counter attack which saw Dennison deny Archie Swell for a corner and block Monterio when one on one to deny the midfielder a hattrick who also had a goal disallowed while Swell hit the upright when one on one with Dennison shortly before full time was blown for.

East, Gough, Carmichael, Monteiro, G Smith, Williams, Lucas (Swell), Goddard, Carolan, DeFreitas, Brandao Subs not used: Reid and R Smith