SOUTHERN LEAGUE CENTRAL DIVISION
North Greenford United 3 Uxbridge 6
Centre-back Stewart was sent packing by referee Hillier just seconds into the second half for foul and abusive language, the third time this season he has been given his marching orders. Several other home players were booked for dissent on a night when they produced some attacking threat only to be defensively shambolic.
They remain just two points above the drop zone, but have now gone three months without a league win, a run of 12 games from which they have gleaned just one point. Uxbridge by contrast have now won five in a row, scoring 21 goals in the process and must be left wondering where this form was earlier in the season.
Unsurprisingly, Reds boss Tony Choules named an unchanged team from Saturday’s 5-0 win at Chertsey, while United were looking to build on the positives of their narrow weekend loss to title chasers Daventry. After an untidy opening the goal-fest began on 14 minutes when Uxbridge’s leading scorer Matt Woods beat the offside trap and rounded United keeper Asen Agov before cutting back inside and unselfishly chipping the ball across for Matt Smith to nod into an empty net.
Three minutes later it was 2-0 when Knight’s shot was spilt by Agov leaving the predatory Woods the simplest of tap-ins. The hosts briefly rallied as Daryl Brown hit the post from Anton Robinson’s 25 minute cross from the right, but barely 60 seconds later Uxbridge should have gone further ahead when Dave Thomas somehow headed wide from almost under the bar following Wayne Carter’s free-kick.
Knight then danced around the floundering Agov only for his shot from an acute angle to be scrambled behind. It was a shock when United pulled one back on 38 minutes. The hosts won a free-kick in the D and when the ball was floated in Thomas pushed Stewart in the back leaving Hillier to award the penalty.
Danny Vincent kept his cool and sent Paul McCarthy the wrong way from the spot. But no sooner were they back in it then United conceded again as Agov’s miserable night continued when he missed a cross from the left leaving Smith to tap in at the far post for his second of the night. Controversy followed a minute from the break as Danny Bennell’s challenge on Woods was deemed to be in the box allowing Craig Tomkins to make it 4-1 from the spot.
Bennell was booked for his protests on the way back to the centre-circle. Those hoping it would not get worse for the hosts were disappointed when a minute after the restart Stewart was penalised for a push as he jumped for a ball in the Uxbridge box. His verbal response brought instant retribution as the red card was brandished – a long ban awaits.
Carlos Enwiya was lucky to escape a similar fate for an awful tackle on Kevin Warner before Tomkins added a fifth on 55 minutes, slamming a shot low into the corner after his initial free-kick have rebounded off the wall. To United’s credit they showed more heart with 10 than 11 and reduced the arrears on 70 minutes when Vincent found Anthony O’Connor with an excellent pass and the striker took a touch before firing a low shot beyond McCarthy.
Sadly they conceded straight from the restart from a slick Uxbridge move ended by Max Hubbard’s sweet strike. There was one more consolation for when substitute Harry Walker headed in Vincent’s excellent free-kick delivery with five minutes left, but new boss Paul Palmer knows he will need more new faces on this evidence if United are to beat the drop. They visit Egham on Saturday while the rampant reds entertain Aylesbury.
