Boreham Wood v Woking
Vanarama National League
3pm on Saturday 29 August 2015
The Cards have made a great start to the season, winning four out of their opening five games and playing some very attractive football in the process. Garry Hill would love to keep the winning run going at Boreham Wood on Saturday, followed by a home game against Welling United on Monday afternoon, but he’ll know that both clubs are more than capable of tripping up the Cards if they don’t apply themselves fully. Garry is hoping that many Cards fans will make the relatively short journey to cheer the side on to three more points.
WOKING
The Cards continued to make light last Saturday of their injury problems in attack. Gez Sole was sidelined with a hamstring injury but Kadell Daniel came in to play a major part in the 5-2 demolition of Chester, with Bruno Andrade and Ben Pattie also joining in the fun from off the bench. Although the Cards were playing against ten men for three-quarters of the game, the quality of their football was nevertheless often eye-catching.
Barring any further injury problems, the expectation must be that Garry will start with the same eleven again.
BOREHAM WOOD
The Wood came through the play-offs last season to gain promotion to the National League: a terrific achievement for a club with limited support. Almost inevitably, the pundits marked them out for a quick return to the lower level but they have made a good start, especially given a very tough opening set of fixtures. They had an opening day win over FC Halifax Town but this was followed by defeats at the hands of Eastleigh, Gateshead and Forest Green Rovers, although it is clear that they were very much in the hunt in all those games against much-fancied sides. They produced the shock of the day last weekend when they beat Tranmere Rovers 2-0 away, with goals from Graeme Montgomery and Harry Crawford.
The Wood’s success last season owed a lot to the goalscoring exploits of Lee Angol, who was on a season-long loan from Luton Town and who has now joined Peterborough United. But Allinson has managed to secure the services of experienced striker Charlie MacDonald, perhaps surprisingly released by Barnet. MacDonald has been injured but is reported to be returning to match fitness. Other signings include Danny Woodards, Scott Doe and Luke Howell – all with plenty of League experience. Doe and Howell were team mates of Brian Saah’s at Dagenham and Redbridge. Other additions include ex-Chelsea youngsters, midfielder/striker Billy Clifford and striker Conor Clifford (unrelated), while 19 year-old striker Jamie Lucas is on loan from Bristol Rovers. Lucas pulled a hamstring at Tranmere and will presumably be missing. Ricky Shakes, formerly with Ebbsfleet United but also with plenty of League experience, missed much of Wood’s last season but should be a useful performer for them at this level.
GETTING THERE
Meadow Park
Broughinge Road
Borehamwood
Hertfordshire
WD6 5AL
Website: www.borehamwoodfootballclub.co.uk
By Coach
The Cards Trust coach leaves the Laithwaite Community Stadium at 12.30pm and costs £13 for members and £22 for non-members, with accompanied U16s at £7/£9 (a maximum of two with one adult). Phone or email (shop@wokingfc.co.uk) the Club Shop today to book your place.
By Car
Head for M25 west bound and exit J23, A1 Southbound to London. Exit slip road to Borehamwood. Join A5135 and go straight over two roundabouts. At third roundabout take second exit into Brook Road. Away supporters’ car parking is in the Brook Road car park. There is also parking in the Civic car park about five minutes’ walk away. The AA gives the journey time from Woking as about an hour but it would be wise to allow longer on a Bank Holiday weekend.
By Train
Nearest station: Elstree & Borehamwood on the Thameslink line
Take the train to Waterloo and then go by tube to St Pancras International or Kentish Town to pick up the Thamselink train to Elstree and Borehamwood. Direct trains from St Pancras International go from Platform B at 10, 24, 40 and 54 minutes past each hour and take 22/24 minutes.
Walking from the station to the ground takes around 20 minutes. When you come out of the train station, turn right and walk down Borehamwood High Street until you come to McDonalds on your left. Turn left into Brook Road. After about 500 yards turn right into Broughinge Road.
Trains back are at 08, 23, 38 and 53 minutes past each hour.
ADMISSION PRICES
Adults: £16
Over 65s: £12
U16s: £8
The game will be segregated, with away supporters occupying the South Stand, which can be accessed only from the entrance and turnstiles in the Brook Road car park.
Boreham Wood have provided the following useful document for supporters -
BorehamWood-Woking.pdf
LAST TIME OUT
Woking 2 Boreham Wood 1
FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round
26 October 2014
The Cards maintained their record of never having been beaten by the Wood but it was a close-run thing against the Conference South high-flyers. An end-to-end frantic first half saw chances for both sides, with Wood’s Lee Angol and Graeme Montgomery a constant threat, but neither side could quite apply the finishing touch, partly due to some fine goalkeeping from Jake Cole and James Russell.
Woking finally made the breakthrough in the 56th minute, with Gez Sole scoring his 100th goal for the Club – with a towering header!
Almost immediately, though, the Wood were back on terms, Ricky Shakes ghosting into the box to tap in the equaliser. But a few minutes later the Cards re-took the lead when Chris Arthur made a fine run, picking out Sole, who finished neatly into the corner.
Woking lived dangerously as the visitors piled on the pressure towards the end, with Shakes heading home only to be ruled offside.
Woking: Jake Cole, Adam Newton, Joe McNerney (c), Josh Payne (Joey Jones 70), Keiran Murtagh, Scott Rendell, Giuseppe Sole (Jack Marriott 86), Kevin Betsy, John Goddard (Theo Lewis 70), Chris Arthur
Unused subs: Mike Cestor, John Nutter, Dean Morgan, Andy Little
Goals: Giuseppe Sole 56, 61
Boreham Wood: James Russell, Luke Garrard, Jason Brown, Sam Cox, Josh Hill, Callum Reynolds, Mathew Whichelow (David Moli), Ricky Shakes, Lee Angol, Junior Morais, Graeme Montgomery (Scott Thomas)
Unused subs: Mario Noto, Austin Lipman, James Courtnage, Ryan Johnson, Greg Morgan
Goal: Ricky Shakes 57
Attendance: 1,107
COMING UP
The Cards are at home to old foes Welling United at 3pm on Bank Holiday Monday (31 August). A big crowd is expected – come and join us!
Come on, you Cards!
P.S. Don’t forget that BT Sport are showing highlights of National League games in their new show at 9.45pm on Sunday.
