A tight, competitive, and frankly uneventful encounter was decided by a late Shortwood winner, who were certainly the protagonists throughout. Wood were missing players through injury and personal reasons and gave debuts from the bench to Owen Scrivens and Zack Marshield, Both players came through the Reserves and Zack has featured for our U18 side this season – once again showing that the club ethos of progressing from within works.

It took twenty minutes or so for either side to look like threatening the opposition goal, Dan Gayner heading Nathan Payne’s cross wide before Jack Gardner stung the palms of Harvey Need from range.
A goalmouth scramble looked to have earned Wood a penalty on the half hour mark, Need holding Gayner as he attempted to finish, but the forward was adjudged to have committed a foul himself moments beforehand.
By far the clearest chance of the game fell to Payne just before half time, Elliot Martin’s shot-cross from the right falling to Payne at the far post with Need nowhere to be seen, but the winger’s hesitant shot clipped the outside of the post.

Much of the second half followed the pattern of the first, with Shortwood dictating the flow of the game but struggling to create much danger. Olly Whelan couldn’t connect properly with a volley at the far post following a free kick from wide, and Joe Williams’ shot from the edge of the box was well saved after some nice interplay between he and Gayner.
With under half an hour to play, Saracens finally registered a chance worthy of the name, and it was a presentable one too, catching Wood on the break through Kai Mahon, who played right to Lucas Price beyond the backline, but Joe Wright was on hand to keep it goalless.
The visitors were unable to sustain anything following that, though the seemingly inevitable drift to a 0-0 was arrested by the arrival of Ollie Price at the back post, turning home Fin Byrnes’ low cross after Jay Wells’ missed clearance.
Saracens’ late pressure resulted from winning several free kicks in the Shortwood half, but strong defending looked to have quelled the threat, right up to the point where the other Price, Lucas, stole in at the back post and tucked home. Thankfully the assistant’s flag came to Wood’s rescue and the three points were secured.

Shortwood: Wright, Williams, Price, Byrnes, Tryner, Whelan, Gardner (Marshfield), Kent, Payne (Scrivens), Martin (Davis), Gayner