Marlow 3 v 0 Northwood

Saturday 29th December 2018
Isthmian League South Central Division
Alfred Davis Memorial Ground, Marlow
Admission : £8.00
Programme: Online only
Attendance: 158

Having made do with fairly local revisits either side of Christmas, today I decided to venture further, to visit my penultimate ground in the Isthmian League South Central Division, and one that I'd wanted to visit for some time but has always proved elusive.

The Alfred Davis Memorial Ground is about a ten minute walk from Marlow train station, and what a joy it is to visit, a proper old-school non league ground which is a little rough around the edges, and is all the better for it. Spectators enter through a turnstile block in one corner of the ground, and then pass along by changing rooms to the right, before reaching the pitch. Straddling the half way line is the standout feature of the ground, the tall main stand which dates from the 1930's and is very pleasing on the eye, painted in white with Marlow F.C. spelt out in blue along the front roof. With the clubhouse located on the ground floor of the stand, the seating area is reached by climbing a flight of stairs and with no obstructing pillars, this stand offers really excellent elevated views of the action. Either side of the main stand there are a number of small wooden buildings, which were either not in use or served as a store room, with hot food available from a burger van. A few rows of uncovered terrace stretched most of the length, behind the far goal and along the other length, with stands to covers the middle portions. There is just flat standing along quite a narrow path behind the goal closest to the entrance. Old fashioned floodlight pylons complete the feel that one has stepped into a refreshing timewarp of a traditional non-league stadium, that is becoming all too rare these days.

Marlow took the decision to no longer print programmes at the start of this season, instead it is available via the club website, or via a QR code which can be scanned at the ground to download it onto one's phone or tablet. Although I am very much in the category of those who really bemoan the phasing out of the printed matchday programme, always wishing to keep a souvenir of my club visits, as well as having something to read on the journey home, I have to admit there are merits to the online equivalent. It is probably a more relevant and interesting read on the way to the match, the pdf can be stored and looked back at in the future, and there is no worry about the programme being sold out or not produced. And it certainly helps when an excellent programme is still produced, as Marlow do, consisting of 43 pages and plenty of interesting articles to read, as well as more than enough stats and facts.

Despite losing their last two games, Marlow are having a very decent season, coming into this game in fifth place, following nine wins and six draws from their opening 18 league games, but are just two points adrift of top spot. Northwood were in tenth place, following seven wins and five draws from their 17 league games, and so were only seven points adrift of Marlow with a game in hand.

On a mild but very overcast afternoon, the game started off quite evenly, with good football along the floor not helped by a bobbly surface, although the home side started to exert their authority from about the 15 minute mark, when a low drilled shot  from the edge of the area went just wide. But they did take the lead in 19 minutes with a terrific goal scored by Junaid Bell, fired into the top left corner from 25 yards. On 25 minutes, Marlow almost scored another spectacular goal, when Samuel lobbed the ball from just inside the Northwood half, and with the keeper scurrying back, the ball hit the top of the bar and was helped over by the keeper. It felt like only a matter of time before Marlow would double their lead, which they duly did on 38 minutes. Following a corner, the ball was headed against the crossbar by Adam Richards, but the rebound was kind for him to head home. And Marlow comfortably saw the half out to retain a good lead at the break.

After Marlow started the second half on the front foot, Northwood gradually got back into the game, creating some decent chances around the 70 minute mark, but they couldn't find a way through to halve the deficit and make the game interesting. And any doubt about the result was put to bed on 79 minutes whem Marlow scored their third with a very soft goal. After a defensive mix-up, the goalkeeper was dispossessed wide of his goal, and Marcus Mealing won the race to tap the ball home from close range. The final scoreline was a fair reflection of the match, which Marlow dominated and the result took them up to second place in the table.