Thurlow Nunn Division 1 South - Friday 24th October
NW London 1-2 Coggeshall Town
Tyler Hayes 22' (Coggeshall Town)
Joshua Ambrose 36' (Coggeshall Town)
Emmanuel Okoko 88' (NW London)
NW London hosted Coggeshall Town under the Friday night lights, aiming to halt a run of three consecutive defeats. With up to ten first-team players unavailable, manager Wasim Khan was again forced into changes. 18-year-old Fidel Aghati was handed his full league debut, while Guilhermey Santos also started. In goal, Fernando Turriel stepped in for Will Barker, who fell ill shortly before kick-off.
Coggeshall were the sharper side in the early stages, delivering a number of threatening crosses into the box. Turriel was called into action more than once, producing a pair of solid stops to keep the game level. NW London did manage to venture forward on occasions, but their attacks lacked conviction.
The visitors made the breakthrough midway through the first half, heading in at the near post from a delivery on the right. Their lead was doubled soon after, when a long ball over the top sent the striker through on goal. Turriel blocked the initial effort, but the rebound fell kindly and was finished at the second attempt for 2–0.
NW London competed well but struggled to create anything clear, resorting to long-range efforts that didn't trouble the Coggeshall goalkeeper. With five attackers missing, the lack of cutting edge in the final third was evident.
The second half began with little goalmouth action as Coggeshall worked to manage the tempo, while NW London tried to find a spark. The visitors increased the pressure late on, hitting the bar and going close again, only to be denied by Turriel.
Just before the 90-minute mark, Emmanuel Okoko curled in a superb free-kick to halve the deficit. However, a tired NW London side were unable to mount a late surge, and Coggeshall held firm to take all three points.
The Gorillas will look to regroup quickly, with a trip to Barkingside on Monday night offering the chance to respond.