On a murky afternoon, United travelled to local neighbours Eversley & California for their final game of 2024 and returned with a well deserved and much needed point against a team who have been in good form of late that included inflicting a rare defeat on title chasing Windsor & Eton.

In the line ups, both teams had three players who had previously played for the day’s opponents.

From their kick off, United immediately attacked with Ramon Rose forcing the Boars’ keeper Josh Selby to parry the ball to Dylan Clark whose goal bound shot was blocked. The hosts countered and Woodley goalkeeper Jake Simpson was required to tip Joe Pantony’s shot from the edge of the penalty area over the crossbar for a corner kick.

The sixth minute saw Rose shot straight at Selby when the ball fell to him from a clearance of Mackenzie Creech’s free kick. With Rose dangerous on the right wing and Woodley showing greater determination than in recent games the visitors enjoyed the better of the opening thirty minutes of the match which included ex-Eversley players Ben Anderson and Nathan Mindomba combining for the latter to shot wide in the twenty sixth minute.

United survived a scare in the thirty third minute when James Griffiths was allowed to head the ball over the crossbar when unchallenged from a corner kick. Both teams went on to exchange free kicks that went straight to the opposing keeper and as the half came to a close Simpson turned ex-Woodley player Max Laschok’s shot away for a corner. From the result kick Woodley struggled to clear the ball and Simpson was required to block a goal attempt by Luke Cox that saw the teams go into the break goalless.

From the restart of the match, Eversley were positive, forcing a corner in the first minute that was followed two minutes later by Ollie Noyes shooting at Simpson and United’s Enow Ojong being flagged offside. The hosts took the lead in the fifty fourth minute when Simpson parried a corner kick that saw the ball fall to Laschok to shoot into the net from close range.

United levelled from the penalty spot ten minutes later. Rose crossed the ball into the host’s penalty area which Clark kept in play and passed to Mindomba. The midfielder ran into the penalty area and wad adjudged to have been fouled in a defending challenge as he shot. The resultant spot kick was converted by Clark as he put it to Selby’ right as the keeper dived left.

Rose was denied by Selby with fourteen minutes of normal time remaining and as the match approached ninety minutes play became scrappy and interrupted by a series of free kicks with Eversley looking for a second goal and United keen to preserve the point they had, which they successfully did with six minutes stoppage time played.

Man of the match for Woodley was left back Filip Podgorski whose never give up attitude was an example to his teammates.

Simpson, Adam, Podgorski, Mindomba (Tait-Toussaint), Maylen, Debayo, Rose (J Van Spall), Creech, Ojong (Cardoso), Anderson (Darboe), Clark D Su/b not used Preedy