A controversially awarded penalty on the half hour mark was all that stood between the two sides at Kingfield on a Saturday that pretty much saw all four seasons, from sunshine through to torrential downpours in the 90 minutes.

Hayes & Yeading, fielding an unchanged XI, started the game well and went close in just the fourth minute when Luke Williams picked out Kudus Oyenuga, the United top scorer taking a touch before driving a volley from 25 yards that only just cleared the Boreham Wood crossbar.

We then had to wait until almost the midway point of the half for the next opening and again it came from Oyenuga from distance. Having shown quick feet to create an opening for himself, Oyenuga again let fly from 25 yards but sadly the result was the same, just clearing the visitors goal.

Six minutes later came the first threat to Matt Ingram in the United goal as David Hutton played in Mark Jones on the left flank, his low centre just evading the toes of a sliding Inih Effiong in the United six yard box.

On the half hour mark the somewhat controversial award of a spot kick to the visitors stunned the sparse crowd into disbelief. Chez Isaac collected the ball just inside the United area on the right side, Daniel Wishart appeared to try to "stand him up" but with contact appearing to be minimal between the two players Isaac took a tumble and the assistant referee flagged for a penalty which referee Wood duly awarded. Riza stepped up and although he sent Ingram the wrong way, he was fortunate in that the ball struck the inside of the post and went back into the net.

Four minutes later United were almost level but as luck had gone with Riza earlier, it was against Tom Cadmore at the other end. Cadmore, in the pooring rain, thundered a free-kick past all and sundry only for it to smash back into play off the inside of the far post.

The final effort of the half fell to the visitors as an angled drive from Effiong just cleared Ingram's goal.

Just past the hour mark and United's day was pretty much summed up. Cadmore, who was up for a corner, nipped in front of a defender in the area to recover the ball and appeared to be tripped from behind, again the whistle went but only for referee Wood to award a free-kick to Boreham Wood and to caution Cadmore for simulation, a decision that appeared very harsh albeit from a distance.

Twenty minutes remained and Ingram had to make what was effectively the first save of the game, at either end, when he palmed out a Graeme Montgomery drive after he had been set up by Isaac. Seconds later Wood keeper James Russell finally got his gloves dirty as United substitute John Goddard forced him to tip over his well struck effort from just outside the box.

With just seven minutes remaining a Williams corner was met at the far post by Pelé but again Russell was equal to it as he turned the ball around the post. As the full time whistle approached United continued to push for a deserved equaliser, Tobi Joseph was off target with a header from Wishart's cross and then Williams played Jerome Anderson through only for the United attacker to be denied by Russell who closed him down quickly and blocked the shot away for a corner.

The final chance of the game was to go the way of the visitors in stoppage time, Montgomery collecting a throughball and running into the United area but with just Ingram to beat he fired across the face of goal and wide of the target.

Report by Kevin Watts.




Photos by Ray Peploe.




United Man of the Match: Pelé.




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