Flackwell show spirit in comeback against Northwood as Marlow extend winning run

Chris Ayres. Photo: Charlie Carter

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Flackwell Heath 2, Northwood 2

Flackwell Heath fought back for a 2-2 draw at home to Northwood on Tuesday night, with manager Chris Ayres reflecting that a point was probably about fair on both teams.

The Heathens got off to a ‘horrific start’ as they looked to rediscover some form following a run of just one win in 10 matches.

They trailed inside the opening two minutes when Dan Williams capitalised on a hashed clearance to score past Henry Upstell. The dust had barely settled on that when the visitors made it 2-0 in the fifth minute. Again, Flackwell’s defending was questionable with an indirect free kick cleared to the edge of the box where Daniel Vincent was waiting to return the ball with interest past Upstell.

Ayres feared his side might retreat into their shell and go through the motions of accepting another disappointing performance. But instead, they scrapped their way back into the contest with Eli Grant scoring from a Jack Shakespeare cross in the 26th minute to begin the salvage operation. A second goal might have followed for the hosts before half-time, but they kept plugging away and scored their equaliser on the hour mark, Lucas Wynn sliding in to make it 2-2.

The hosts, however, weren’t quite able to capitalise on this momentum as both teams pushed for a winner in an incredibly open final half an hour.

Flackwell boss Ayres admitted afterwards his side could have won the match but could also have lost it as he tried to sum up his post-match feelings.

He said: “I don’t know really. I guess we’re glad to get a point after being 2-0 down after four minutes.

“It was a horrific start. To come away with a 2-2 draw it’s probably positive to get a point from the game. Could we have won it, did we deserve to win it in the end? I’m not so sure, but you just can’t start games of football like that.

“They showed character to come back. They could have gone into their shell, and the game could have just drifted away. Instead, we’ve dug in and we got something out of it so that is a positive.

“The start from us was just awful and they were off on the front foot.

“Their centre forward is lively, a threat and he runs in behind. We didn’t cope with that in the first 30 minutes.

“But we came back into it once we got the goal and we missed a good chance before half time. We then got the equaliser, and the game became more open. It was end to end, so a point was probably a fair reflection of the game.”

This result follows a 1-1 draw away to the London Lions on Saturday and suggests the Heathens may be regaining some of the resilience that has deserted them in recent weeks. The result leaves them 15th in the table on 17 points ahead of next Tuesday’s home game with Beaconsfield Town.

“We’ll train Thursday and then Saturday they’ll be doing a run to keep themselves ticking over,” added Ayres. “A few of them need a rest after a tough few weeks but we’ll be ready for next Tuesday which will be another tough game.”

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Marlow 3, Rayners Lane 2

Elsewhere in the Southern League Central Division on Tuesday night, Marlow maintained their solid recent form with an entertaining 3-2 win over Rayners Lane at Oak Tree Road.

For the fourth game in a row, the Blues scored three or more goals as they overcame a dogged and determined Rayners side.

After an electric first half performance in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Barton Rovers, this was a cagier affair and, after a goalless first half, the Blues fell behind when Ilyas Khader (46') scored just after the restart. Naheer Nawaf poked home Mitch Parker’s cross to make it 1-1 in the 57th minute before Alfie Agar picked out Flavio Gyawu-Kyem, who forced his way past challenges before finding the net with a wonderful strike in the 64th minute.

Rayners refused to roll over and accept defeat, however, with Guiseppe Delgaudio (69') scoring to make it 2-2.

But at the third bite of the cherry, Shamar Moore rifled the ball into the back of the net in the 76th minute after Nawaf’s close range attempts.

The visitors dragged a late chance wide of the mark, enabling Marlow to celebrate their fourth straight win and their fifth success in seven matches.

They appear to be finding the kind of consistency needed to chase down a top five spot. This win lifts them to within eight points of the play-offs, and the Blues have a game in hand on several of the teams above them.

They’re back on the road at Milton Keynes Irish on Saturday, the team they leapfrogged with Tuesday’s win.

Reflecting on the win, Bartley said: “In the first half I don’t think we were as fluid as we have been in the last few weeks.

“We were wasteful in possession, and we gave the ball away a lot. It looked a bit scrappy. But second half we looked a lot better, particularly after we went a goal down which was frustrating.

“We’re a bit frustrated with the goals we’ve conceded today but we’re happy to get the three points on a Tuesday.

“We’ve been quite good at the front end. I think we’re creating good chances in every game.

“It’s taken a wonder goal from Flavio to ignite us, but the front men have been working very hard to create opportunities. But in games like today when we weren’t playing so well, the leadership at the back was also needed. Flavio got man of the match, but I thought Overs (Chris Ovenden) was my man of the match. He was repelling everything and making good decisions, going long when he had to.

“But yeah, I’m happy with the three points and that’s four wins in a row for us now.”

He added: “Everyone is getting a chance to play at the moment. I think what we saw in the first half today is that we should have made a couple more changes to the line up because we looked a bit leggy from Saturday. But when players go in they have to deliver what we want.”