Boreham Wood 2 – 1 Wealdstone
Boreham Wood2 - 1
WealdstoneNailed
“Today we welcome Gordon Bartlett and everyone connected with Wealdstone
I’d like to express my admiration of their Supporters, whose continued efforts keep this once mighty Club going, as they constantly prove. Today they organised their own Sponsored Walk on behalf of the Club to raise money, and i hope they achieve their ambitions of once again occupying their own ground, as its nothing more than they deserve. If we can help them in any small way, we will” read the programme notes by Boreham Wood Chairman, Danny Hunter. Help they did, by laying on food for the 50-odd walkers, and he also made a donation of £100 to the fund. An admirable gesture for which I’m sure we are all grateful.
Today, the walk was far more important than the result, but Stones lifted their performance and took part in a good competitive match which football at this level could be, albeit losing to a last minute goal, the side can take pride from their performance as can the walkers.
Both sides started brightly and had a couple of half chances but on 15 minutes Phil Dicker gave away a penalty. Up stepped Lawford but to no avail, an excellent save from Watts preserved the 0-0 scoreline. As the half progressed their was little doubt that ‘Wood were the more dominant in terms of possession but effort combined with some stoic defending kept Stones in the game, while Jones and Norman caused problems on occasion at the other end. The score remained 0-0 at half time.
In the second half Wood pressed hard, limiting Stones to an occasional break. From one of these a good piece of skill from Tilbury forced a home defender to knock the ball out for a throw-in, only for the Linesman to signal the throw in ‘Wood’s favour. They took it quickly and the ball was played across the field, a run deep into Stones half and a deep cross found the waiting Hammett, a former Stone making his debut for Boreham wood, and he made no mistake making the score 1-0.
Stones battled on and on 84 minutes won a corner. Pressuring the home defence, their was a scramble in the six yard box and an important touch from Tucker knocked the ball to Stones debutant sub, Micheal Barime who scored to equalise.
It was not to last however as on 90 minutes Stones conceded a needless free kick and the excellent delivery was headed home to give the home side a 2-1 win.
Honest Opinion? The scoreline reflected the possession and possibly the chances, but Stones deserved to take something from the game for their efforts.
Wealdstone: Watts, Joyce, Tucker, Dicker, Reed (s73 Walker), Lamb, Carter, Jones, Norman (s57 Morgan), Burgess (s68 Barima 84), Tilbury,
Watford Observer?
Boreham Wood 2 – 1 Wealdstone
Ryman League Division One
A group of Wealdstone supporters completed a ten-mile charity walk at Meadow Park last Saturday, and Wood know that their own road back to the premier division is a long and gruelling one, their progress along it not helped by recent results.
But following this last gasp win over the struggling Stones, new boss Graham Roberts, said: “We’ll get there!”
For the second home game in succession, Wood’s bacon was saved by an injury time strike after earlier missing a penalty, but this was a very different side with a new philosophy.
Roberts betrayed his initial top level education at Tottenham when he observed: “I like to play football and pass the ball, get it down and get at people; but we should have won the game earlier Youness hit the bar and we missed other chances. If you don’t take your opportunities when you’re on top you’ve got a problem.
“When we went 1-0 up I thought the game was over, but we played too much in the wrong areas and hit the self-destruct button for their equaliser.”
Roberts said that his men “had wanted to win so badly,” and home intentions were clearly announced in the ninth minute when Nabil cracked a tremendous 25-yarder against the woodwork.
John Lawford was just wide with a shot on the turn, but the visitors had their first chance on the quarter hour, when former Stones keeper Noel Imber produced a flying save to deny Danny Tilbury.
A minute later Wood were invited to take the lead from the spot, as Lawford was brought down in the box, but he picked himself up to see his weak penalty saved low down by Darren Watts.
The scoreline remained blank at the interval, but the hosts could reflect on the lion’s share of the play after an even start.
Their neat and precise passing game was at odds with the direct style of late, but they are still handicapped by a lack of ruthlessness in front of the opposition’s net.
Wood remained on top as the second period began, and gained their reward just before the hour as debut boy Bryan Hammatt capitalised on good work by both Andre Delisser and Dominic Grime to head his new team in front.
Wealdstone substitute Marvin Morgan missed badly minutes later, as he beat the offside trap to bear down on goal, but with only Imber to beat put his shot wide.
With the match seemingly meandering towards Roberts’ first win bonus, his insistence on cultured football, and home possession was relinquished on the halfway line, with the Stones forcing a corner.
The flag kick caused panic in the Wood penalty area, and in the resulting scramble an attempted clearance crashed into visiting sub Michael Barima and looped gently into the net for one all.
A desperate Wood now threw bodies forward, but their chance of maximum points appeared to have gone when Hammatt sent a free header over the top.
But in a season of frequently waiting for the fat lady to clear her throat, the latest episode of the late late show sent the locals home happy.
Fittingly, the winner was fashioned by two men their manager described as “outstanding”, and with the watch ticking past the 90 minute mark, Micky Engwell swung over a superb free kick which was headed powerfully home by skipper Garry Wotton.
Roberts praised his men afterwards, saying: “The whole team did well I want to play 4-4-2 and move away from the five at the back that they have been playing. We have some very good players here people like Nabil and Delisser have got all the ability in the world, but they’ve got to channel it into the right areas sometimes they do too much.”
He said, adding ominously: “But wait until I’ve had them for a couple more weeks they’ll know just what I want then!”
WOOD: Imber, Grime, Engwell, Wotton, Polston (Paris 51), Holsgrove, Hutchings, Nabil (Kelly 80), Lawford (Samuels 71), Hammatt, Delisser.
By.DAVE RAWLINGS and DAVE COLMAN