2009/2010 Season

Samuel Bradley’s sublime second half penalty wasn’t enough for Woodnesborough to take points from a skilful and well organised Kennington Juniors on the first day of the new season.

Woodies sprang into action from the first whistle with Harpo Randall and Edward Harlow marauding down the wings, stretching the home defence and creating chances for strikers Marley Wickham and Samuel Bradley who both brought fine saves from the Kennington keeper.

Woodies continued to press for much of the opening period but Kennington threatened on the break and brought a series of brave saves from keeper and man of the match Lucas Moran.

The deadlock was broken in controversial style when a Kennington long range shot crashed against the right post and was sent spinning across the goal mouth onto the left post and into the arms for the keeper. The ball was adjudged to have crossed the line bringing thoughts of goal-line technology to a silenced Woodies crowd.

Woodies began the second half as they had begun the first with Harry McLean rampaging down the right and rattling the crossbar but Kennington were dangerous on the break and brought a series of fine saves from the keeper before winning a foul on the edge of the box. The exquisite free kick proved impossible to defend - curling around the two-man wall and into the top right-hand corner of the goal.

Two-nil down Woodies responded valiantly with Eliott Fox controlling midfield and Aaron Chana and Sam Cott solid in defence. Samuel Bradley continued to torment the Kennington defence before winning and converting a penalty with ten minutes remaining. At 2-1 Woodies continued to press for the equaliser and were unfortunate to concede a third when a well taken, short corner found its way into the net through a crowded penalty area.

Newly promoted Woodnesborough will look to build on a fine performance in their first game in the top division.

Newly promoted Woodnesborough U10s faced a tough challenge when they hosted Division 1 Champions Canterbury Youth. In a tight opening period, Boro’ resisted the pressure put on them by a skilful Canterbury side with player-of-the-match Millie Siddall demonstrating outstanding grit and determination.

Eventually, the Woodies’ defence was beaten when along-range shot curled into the bottom corner of the net. Canterbury extended their lead to 2-0 before half-time, capitalising on a rare lapse in concentration in the Boro’ defence.

Woodnesborough began the second half with a changed formation and for a while, it looked like they would halve the deficit with a series of attempts by Samuel Bradley that went narrowly wide. Some heroic goalkeeping from Lucas Moran kept ‘Boro in the hunt but a third goal for Canterbury Youth mid-way through the second half sealed victory for the visitors.

Woodnesborough U10s secured their first victory of the season away to Margate, coming back from a 2-0 deficit. Despite dominating the first half, ‘Boro fell behind to two unfortunate goals against the run of play. The first was a well-struck penalty following a handball in the Woodies’ defence and the second was a deflected shot that deceived the Woodies’ ‘keeper Lucas Moran.

Despite this, ‘Boro maintained their composure and played the sort of passing football that helped to secure promotion last season with Sam Cott marshalling his defence with confidence and assuredness. Eventually, with five minutes to go in the first half, this paid dividends when a long goal kick was knocked-on by the ever-industrious Harpo Randall into the path of player-of-the-match Elliot Fox who calmly slotted the ball home.

‘Boro began the second half as they had ended the first and within two minutes of the restart, they equalised when a long throw by Fox was touched-on by Randall and struck goal-ward by Marley Wickham. Three minutes later, Randall himself scored when he latched onto a through-ball by Fox and finished-off with clinical precision.

For the remainder of the match, Woodnesborough threatened to extend their lead with a series of long-range efforts although when the final whistle blew, they were delighted to settle for a 3-2 victory.

Woodies survived an early scare to take control of this first round cup game only to conceded two late goals and go out agonisingly on penalties.

The Eagles started brightly, winning a penalty after three minutes only to see a well struck shot brilliantly saved by Woodies keeper, Lucas Moran. The save proved to be the turning point of the first half and minutes later a long-range shot from Eliott Fox rattled the underside of the Eagles crossbar with predator Samuel Bradley tucking away the rebound. Woodies continued to attack with Harry McLean and Sam Cott bringing great saves from the Eagles keeper but both defences held firm until Edward Harlow intercepted a goal kick on the half way line and crowned a surging run by sending a long-range shot into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

Woodies continued to press in the second half with Eliott Fox hitting the crossbar for a second time and Harpo Randall shaving the post. The Eagles played on the break but were held at bay until, with ten minutes to go, a fine passing move was finished off with a well-placed shot into the bottom corner. The final minutes were end to end with Woodies striker Aaron Chana testing the keeper and the Eagles pressing for an equaliser – which came in the final minute when a long range shot crept in under the crossbar, taking the tie to penalties. Once again the Eagles were saved by the ‘woodwork’ with Woodies first two penalties hitting the post and crossbar. Lucas Moran then cut the deficit, diving low to the right to save his second penalty of the match. Woodies drove home their last three penalties but the Eagles held their nerve to win 4-3 and take their place in the draw for the second round of the cup.

Woodnesborough’s season ignited with a convincing 8-3 victory away to Deal Town Rangers with goal ace and player-of-the-match Sam Bradley bagging four. Ten minutes into the match, a long throw from Elliot Fox was headed-on by Marley Wickham and forced over the line by Millie Siddall.

Within five minutes, the visitors had doubled their lead when Edward Harlow made a penetrating run down the left wing. His cross was met by Bradley who turned his defender and buried the ball in the net. The last five minutes before of the first half saw a flurry of three goals for Boro’, with Bradley leading the way with a low shot from an impossibly narrow angle, confounding players and spectators alike. This was followed by a rocket by Harlow from the edge of the penalty area that shot into the top corner of the Deal goal. Harlow completed his brace with a goal on the stroke of half-time, forcing the ball over the line from close range.

Boro’s outstanding attacking display was matched by some solid defending from the trio of captain Aaron Chana, Sam Cott and ‘keeper Lucas Moran who made some spectacular interceptions.

Deal began the second half with new resolve and this was rewarded within five minutes of the restart when they capitalised on a loose ball inside the Woodnesborough half and struck home from inside the box. A second goal for Deal came under almost identical circumstances five minutes later and it started to like as if a come-back may be on the cards.

However, Boro’ kept their composure and extended their lead once again when a long-range free kick by Cott was headed past the keeper by Fox and into the net. Despite this, Deal remained determined and their very next attack led to a coolly converted penalty kick.

With the score at 6-3 to the visitors, Boro’ stepped their game up again in the closing minutes. A neat passing combination between Bradley and Fox enabled Bradley to complete his hat-trick with a low finish. Bradley’s outstanding afternoon was completed when he received the ball outside the Deal area and with a first-time left-foot wallop, sent the ball flying into the top-corner of the net.

Woodnesborough U10s suffered their third league defeat of the season away to a well-organised and determined Ramsgate FC side. The game began well for Woodies when, after a sustained spell of pressure, a shot from the left wing by Samuel Bradley was parried by the ’keeper into the path of Elliot Fox who netted from close range.

Ramsgate responded immediately, levelling the score within a minute but ‘Boro regained the lead shortly before the break with a well-worked corner kick, delivered by Harry McLean and swiped home at the near-post by Marley Wickham. Once again, the lead was short-lived as Ramsgate capitalised on a lapse in concentration in the Woodnesborough defence and at the break, the 2-2 score was a fair reflection on a balanced and well-contested half.

In the second half, the visitors struggled to keep their shape and there were only rare glimpses of the penetrating passing football that characterised their win the previous week. Ramsgate took advantage of this loss in form, taking the lead within five minutes of the re-start and extending the lead two minutes later. Despite occasional attacks, Woodnesborough were unable to close the gap and the match finished 4-2 to the home side.

This match was a real thriller and 2-2 was probably a fair result. But it really started when second-in-the-league Trinity lost an early goal thanks to a great corner by Samuel Bradley which was headed in by Elliot Fox.

Man of the match Lucas Moran made some outstanding saves and it looked like Woodnesborough would go into the break ahead but it wasn’t to be. Minutes before half time Trinity equalised so the half-time score line was 1-1.

Trinity dominated most of the second half but the defence of Millie Siddall, Elliot Fox and Levi (plus debut player Ben James) and Lucas Moran in goal stood firm until the pressure got to them a bit and a low shot into the bottom corner saw Trinity into the lead.

After that Woodnesborough started attacking again but not until another of their goals did they impose real scoring threat. Trinity were caught on the break when Samuel Bradley got the ball from Harry McLean, got past a defender and put the ball past the keeper into the net.

Woodnesborough continued to frustrate Trinity further and further but they couldn’t find the winner. Though both teams had their half of the possession no-one could find a winner and so 2-2 was the fair and final result.

written by Elliot Fox

Woodnesborough suffered an 8-1 defeat at home to league leaders Folkestone Invicta. The Woodies’ fate was sealed early in the match when they struggled to cope with the visitors’ strength and organisation and were 4-0 behind within the first 10 minutes. The remainder of the first half was all about damage limitation and by half-time, ‘Boro found themselves 6-0 down.

The Woodies’ regrouped during the break and throughout the second half, they recaptured the passing and control that has underpinned their promising start to the season. The defensive trio of ‘keeper Lucas Moran, Levi Wolseley and player-of-the-match Aaron Chana stood firm and Sam Bradley was outstanding in a new, holding role in midfield.

Moran pulled off series of outstanding saves, even saving one of two unsuccessful penalty attempts by Folkestone. Eventually, the pressure proved too much even for the rejuvenated Woodies and in a 10 minute spell midway through the half, the visitors extended their lead to 8-0.

Undeterred, Woodnesborough continued to press for a consolation goal through a series of penetrating attacks. Eventually, their effort paid-off when a shot at goal was handled on the line and skipper Chana stepped-up to covert the resulting penalty. Despite the final scoreline, Woodnesborough took heart from their much improved second-half performance, recognising, as many others have this season, that they were up against a supremely able opposition.

After a weather-enforced break of nearly 2 months, Woodnesborough U10s hosted Margate in a typically well-contested affair. Woodnesborough took some time to find their groove, conceding two goals in the first five minutes. However, the Woodies soon found their form and mounted a series of threatening attacks. Eventually, they got their reward when Elliot Fox’s intelligent throw threaded its way through the Margate defence and Samuel Bradley made no mistake with the low shot into the bottom right hand corner of the net.

Boro’ drew level when Bradley returned the compliment, setting-up Fox with a low cross which he slotted home, under the diving Margate ‘keeper. Some determined defensive work by the trio of ‘keeper Levi Wolseley, skipper Aaron Chana and player-of-the-match Sam Cott helped to keep Margate at bay for the remainder of the half and with the score at 2-2, it was all to play for in the second half. Margate seized the initiative, with a re-shaped Woodnesborough struggling to recapture their rhythm and composure.

Within 5 minutes of the restart, Margate pulled ahead once again when a low shot deflected off a Woodies defender and squirmed past the diving Wolseley. Despite this set-back, the Woodies remained in the hunt for much of the second half, although their task became an insurmoutable one when Margate scored again shortly before the end to complete a 4-2 win.

Woodnesborough got back to winning ways this week with a resounding 7-1 victory at home to Deal Town Rangers. Although it was a result that reflected well on the midfield and attack, it was the exceptional defending of player-of-the-match and former Deal Town Rangers player Levi Wolseley who received all the plaudits. Much of the damage was done in the first half with Millie Siddall getting the Woodies off to a flying start, scoring from close range within the first 2 minutes.

Three minutes later, Elliot Fox set-up the second goal with a cross from the left flank that was knocked on by Edward Harlow to Harpo Randall who slotted home. A minute later, Boro’s lead was extended when an outstanding cross from Randall put the Deal defence under extreme pressure, forcing a headed own-goal. The next 5 minutes saw Fox, playing in an unfamiliar striker role, complete a hat-trick. The first of the three came when a Boro’ corner was half-cleared to Randall whose blocked sot was then forced over the line. Fox’s second goal also came from close range when he met a low cross from Harlow. Minutes later, a quick throw from Wolseley set Fox up for a penetrating run through the Deal defence and a low finish into the corner of the net gave the ‘keeper no chance. Shortly before half-time a rare lapse in the otherwise immaculate Woodies’ defence led to a goal for Deal and even this was after ‘keeper Lucas Moran had saved the first attempt magnificently with his legs.

Within 2 minutes of the restart, Woodnesborough extended the lead to 7-1 when a cross from Harry McLean was turned-in by James Ball, scoring his first goal since his return to the team earlier in the season. The remainder of the half included a series attempts from McLean, Ball and Marley Wickham come close to extending the lead but in the end, the Deal defence showed sufficient resistence to keep them at bay.

Despite suffering one of their heaviest defeats of the season at home to Ramsgate, Woodnesborough put in a highly committed performance in an entertaining and fiecely-contested match. Certainly, the 2-6 scoreline was not a true reflection of the balance of play and Woodies’ considered themselves unfortunate to have lost the game at all.

In a fast opening few minutes, Boro’ opened their account when a throw-in by James Ball was met by player-of-the match Edward Harlow (for the second successive week) who fed it throug to striker Elliot Fox. Fox took the ball wide of the keeper and found the back of the net despite the narrow angle. Although Woodenesborough continued to apply pressure, it was the visitors who scored next when they capitalised on some loose marking following a corner kick. In a ‘mad’ 10 minutes, Ramsgate found themselves 4-1 ahead, once again taking advantage of some uncertainty in the Woodnesborough defence.

In the dying seconds of the first half, the Woodies reduced the deficit when Harpo Randall was first to react to a parried shot from Harlow and hammered the ball into the goal.

The second half was as competitive as the first and very evenly balanced. As Woodnesborough mounted a series of attacks, Ramsgate remained dangerous on the break. Eventually, an unfortunate handball on the edge of the area resulted in a penalty for Ramsgate that was saved brilliantly by Lucas Moran. However, it was Ramsgate who were first to the rebound and despite his best efforts, Moran was unable to stop the second shot. With the score now at 2-5, Woodnesborough surged forward in search of the goal that their second half performance deserved but they were caught on the break and the Ramsgate striker made no mistake with his finish.

In a thrilling encounter with league leaders Trinity, Woodnesborough considered themselves unfortunate not to have secured any points from the match. The early action gave a signal of the excitement to come, with both teams striking the post in the first five minutes. On the quarter-of-an-hour mark, ‘Boro took the lead when an outstanding corner by Harry McLean was headed home by joint man-of-the-match Marley Wickham. Within five minutes, the visitors drew level, capitalising on some uncertainty in the Woodies’ defence.

Despite a series of attacks by Woodnesborough, the score remained at 1-1 through to half-time, with joint man-of-the-match Edward Harlow in particular ensuring the hosts retained the lion’s share of possession.

Six minutes into the second half, Trinity took the lead for the first time breaking into the Woodies’ half and forcing the ball home. The visitors doubled their lead within five minutes but they never looked like running away with the game. Indeed, it was the red-shirted Woodnesborough who carved out the majority if the goal-scoring opportunities although it was one of those afternoons when good fortune was in short supply.

With 5 minutes to go, however, some hope of a salvaged point was rekindled when Elliot Fox, surging through the Trinity defence, was brought down in the penalty area just as he was about to let fly. Samuel Bradley was calmness personfied as he converted the spot-kick, making the score 2-3 and setting-up a rousing last few minutes.

The Woodies piled on the pressure with a series of corner kicks but Trinity held on and the home side were denied the point that their spirited performance had deserved.

Woodnesborough u10s suffered a hugely frustrating draw away to Ashford Borough FC in division 1 of the Molton EKYL. Despite close on 20 plus shots and attacks on the Ashford goal, the Woodies found themselves 1 – 0 down at the end of the first half.

Woodies sustained pressure in the second half led to a penalty which was impressively converted by Sammy Bradley. Shortly after this, Bradley converted another opportunity to put Woodnesborough 2 – 1 up.

With the Ashford keeper in fine form, Boro were unable to extend their lead and to top it all, Boro conceded a late own goal in the dying seconds of the match which meant a share of the points. Harry McLean was rewarded Player of the Match for his fine midfield performance throughout the game.

In their penultimate match of the season, Woodnesborough suffered a 3-4 defeat at home to a very competent Kennington side. Throughout the first half, ‘Boro failed to ignite and were mere spectators as the visitors took an early 2 goal lead. A break down the left wing by Samuel Bradley resulted in a shot that was deflected into the net by a Kennington defender, providing Woodnesborough with some hope of getting back into the game.

Despite a couple of rare examples of some incisive one-touch football, Woodnesborough struggled to get into their stride and suffered a few knocks along the way, notably to skipper and man-of-the-match Aaron Chana. Their job became even tougher when, on the stroke of half-time, they lost possession deep in the opposition’s half and a quick break-away resulted in a 3rd goal for Kennington.

Things didn’t look too different at the start of the second half, although this time Kennington were unable to capitalise on the uncharacteristically ragged performance by the Woodies. With 20 minutes still to play, the home team sprung into life, galvanised by a lightning quick combination between Edward Harlow and Elliot Fox which resulted in Fox’s low, powerful drive beating the Kennington keeper’s full-length dive. This was rapidly followed by a passage of pressure play by Woodnesborough, the likes of which have not been seen throughout the rest of the season. A relentless series of corners and long throw-ins pinned the visitors to their goal line and eventually, Bradley managed to get a toe-end onto one loose ball to tie the scores.

As Woodnesborough looked to seize the initiative and rescue all three points from this most dramatic of matches, the final twist was still to come when Woodies ‘keeper Lucan Moran was adjudged to have handled the ball outside the area whilst taking a goal kick. With only seconds remaining on the watch, Kennington were able to fashion a goalscoring opportunity from the free-kick and as the ball trickled over the goal line, the home team couldn’t help but feel they had been robbed of at least some of the spoils from the match.

With 6th position secured, Woodnesborough entered their final match of the season in the knowledge that the result would have no bearing on their final standing. These circumstances seemed , however, to affect their performance with a series of defensive lapses resulting in a 5-3 defeat.

The match got off to a lively start with Elliot Fox putting 'Boro ahead in the first minute when he and Harpo Randall combined intelligently in a swift move. The lead was neutralised a minute later following a penetrating move from the visitors who then scored their second goal in as many minutes with a breakaway attack.

Despite a fairly even game in terms of possession, the score remained at 1-2 for much of the first half with Woodnesborough unlucky not to convert a series of chances from corner-kicks. When Ashford managed to extend their lead to 4-1 shortly before half-time, Woodnesborough sensed that things were started to get away from them. In response, they mounted a final surge on the stroke of half-time with Edward Harlow playing the ball into Samuel Bradley who finished well to make the half-time score 2-4.

For the first 20 minutes following the restart, both teams struggled to threaten the 'keepers but this all changed when Ashford pulled further ahead. This galvanised Woodnesborough into action and the hosts dominated the final 10 minutes, peppering the Ashford goal with a sequence of shots and headers that narrowly missed the target. Joint man-of-the-match Marley Wickham was particularly effective down the right wing.

Eventually , Woodnesborough pulled back a deserved goal when Bradley played the ball through to joint man-of-the match Aaron Chana who turned on a sixpence and shot low to 'keeper's right. However, it was all too late to affect the final outcome and this Woodies squad had to accept that despite a good season in the top flight, their last competitive 7-aside match would end in defeat.