Woodley United FC earned three points at the Rivermoor Stadium with a clean sheet victory against free scoring London Samurai Rovers.
London Samurai Rovers, who include the division’s leading goal scorer in Morrison Hashii in their starting line-up, drew their first blank of the season as Woodley win a third consecutive league match at home.
While United won a corner in the first minute the first chance of the match fell to Rovers in the sixth minute when they put a freekick from the edge of the home penalty area wide of the goal.
The home team survived a scare shortly afterwards when a free kick was awarded a free kick on the edge of Woodley’s penalty area and on another day the foul perpetrator could have been dismissed.
Sid Gbla had the ball in the net only to be flagged offside in the 22nd minute followed by Abdul Afolabi shooting wide and being denied when one on one with the visitors’ keeper Hubert Szczech who cleared the ball from outside his goal area.
Sam Dabinett made what was to be his only save of note shortly afterwards as Woodley continued to enjoy the best of the half.
The only goal of the half came seven minutes before half time when good play by Gbla on the left hand side saw the winger pass to Suckling who struck the ball low from the edge of the penalty area inside Szczech’s right hand post.
The second half was barely three minutes old when United doubled their lead. A multi pass move from the right wing saw the ball passed to Gbla in the left hand side of the visitors’ penalty area.
He laid the ball to Rafa Brandao on the edge of the penalty area who struck a shot past Szczech into his top left hand corner.
Buoyed by the goal United pressed creating further chances but unable to convert any. Gradually Rovers started to enjoy more possession through Tokiya Hirosawa and Hashii dropping into midfield but the home defence stayed organised under centre backs Dan Watkiss and Mark Williams leaving Dabinett with little to do.
A good run by Afolabi saw his shot blocked on the goal line with Afolabi then blocking the rebound shot by Gbla.
As Rovers looked for a goal they left themselves exposed in defence and Szczech was lucky to only be cautioned for handling the ball outside his penalty area,
From a 70th minute free kick Woodley substitute Ben Lambourne saw Szczech gather the ball at the second attempt to be followed shortly afterwards by Suckling finding the side netting from a Ed Thomas pass and Gbla shooting wide with only the visiting keeper to beat.
With the game in second half stoppage time, Rovers had two shots from distance go wide of the home goal before Woodley comfortably saw the game to full time and three league points.
Woodley United: Dabinett, DeSousa, Massaquoi (Barrocas), Chigona (Lambourne), Williams, Watkiss, Gbla. Brandao, Afolabi (J Downes), Suckling, R Griffith (Thomas) Sub not used: Parkes
Goals: Connor Suckling, Rafa Brandao
