Henry Woodcock’s online research pays off to give Fareham Town chance of ending 29-year wait for silverware

The 32-year-old goalkeeper dived to his left to beat out Steve Ramsey’s penalty during Tuesday’s 1-0 Wessex League Cup semi-final success against AFC Portchester.

That meant a far happier ending than on his previous Reds appearance, when he had been sent off at Shaftesbury for a second bookable offence.

Woodcock said: ‘I’m always trawling the internet and looking on YouTube to see how players take penalties.

‘I knew he (Ramsey) would do a stutter in the run-up, and when he did I could tell from his body shape that he could only be going to my left.’

Fareham’s ‘El Creekio’ success was a formbook shredder, with the Reds having only picked up one point in their previous seven Wessex Premier games against a Royals side who had lost just twice in the league since November 20.

But Woodcock told The News: ‘We were confident.

‘We don’t go into any game expecting to lose. Take the Baffins game, for example - they were third in the league when we went there and beat them.

‘You know what you’re going to get with Portchester - a lot of long balls, physicality, they like a tackle. But we knew if we could run our legs off we will always score.

‘I only had to make a couple of saves, it was the best I have ever seen Fareham defend. We kept our shape, the full backs made good decisions, Archie Willcox and Garry Moody in the middle were fantastic, and we had good cover from midfield.’

Woodcock’s clean sheet in midweek was only the 10th Fareham have kept in 45 league and cup ties this season. Of the others, two were in the Portsmouth Senior Cup against Hampshire Premier League opponents, one against a very youthful Horndean in the Wessex cup and three against the two relegated Wessex Premier teams.

Tuesday was only his fifth game for the Reds and only his second at Cams Alders, having made his debut at home to Portchester on January 3.

Still, Woodcock has seen enough in his short time at the club to be impressed.

‘The fans are amazing,’ he said. ‘I have never seen fans like it at step 5 level, and I’ve played in men’s football for 15 years. It’s a special club.’

It’s been an eventful season for the keeper, who lives near Andover. Dual registered with Basingstoke Town, he picked up a calf injury in his only first team appearance this season against Stockbridge in a cup tie.

Playing for Fareham at Baffins in late January, he suffered a recurrence of the problem in the first half - but completed the 90 minutes in his side’s crazy 5-4 win.

Due to Tom Price having Covid, Woodcock returned to the starting XI against cup final opponents Shaftesbury on March 5. ‘I wasn’t fit, I shouldn’t have played,’ he recalled. ‘I had a poor game and got sent off!’

Price has played most of the Wessex games in recent weeks, but is ineligible for the Wessex Cup having turned out for Moneyfields earlier in the season.

Reds boss Pete Stiles was alerted to Woodcock’s ability in early December when he played for Amesbury AGAINST Fareham.

Woodcock conceded five goals before being substituted after coming off worse in a collision with now team-mate Stuart Morgan - an injury that required a trip to hospital.

Amesbury ended up losing 8-0 and Woodcock remembered: ‘At the end I was in a daze and Pete Stiles asked me where do I live? I don’t recall too much of the conversation. Anyway, Fareham then put in a seven days notice of approach for me.’

Still dual registered with Basingstoke, Woodcock has played for three Wessex Premier teams this season - he started off at Alton. He also had a short spell at Andover Town in 2019/20 after recovering from a broken ankle, but insists: ‘If I play Wessex League next season it will only be for Fareham.’

The Reds travel to face Bashley this Saturday with their hosts having jumped into the play-off spot on Tuesday with a New Forest derby success at Brockenhurst. Ethan Jones and Curt Robbins are injury doubts.