Releases, Realisations and Rants: Pre-Season continues, Arsenal XI preview

In my first few weeks of following Boreham Wood, I have made some initial judgements on a number of players who I have been impressed with, as well as those who have not been that easy on the eye as of yet. This is the thing with going from watching Premier League football to Non League - I haven't seen these players before, or know that much about them outside of the odd opinion you hear now and again. And of course, you are bound to get some things wrong. And boy, have I. Thankfully I am big enough to admit when I have made a mistake, so let’s look at them shall we.

Last Saturday Wood went to Billericay and came away convincing 4-1 winners. I was not at the game, but inside the official site's report (which can be found here), can be found a couple of examples of initial reactions being not quite what they seem.

You will remember (hopefully) from my post covering the Dagenham and QPR games that I was extolling the virtues of Elliott Brathwaite, a young, tall, strong centre half who looked like he could be something if he ironed out the creases in his game. I also touched on how Lawrence Yaku was possibly older than time itself and had missed an absolute sitter to the sound of laughter/frustration from the crowd. So it was with mixed emotions that I read the following:

'Lawrence Yaku and Elliott Brathwaite were released from the Club midweek as part of the long term plan. '

Now, I fully understood the Yaku release - he was very old and not good enough for the Blue Square South, and this seemed to be an opinion shared by many outside the club as well. But Brathwaite was quite staggering, to me at least. Here is a player who looked like he could have a real go at making a name for himself, only to be released. Now, I don't know anything that goes on behind the scenes, so maybe there are other reasons behind his release, but minus a few blips he had impressed me in pre-season. Incidentally, both turned out for Hendon last night, and by all accounts acquitted themselves rather well. I wish them both all the best in their futures away from Meadow Park.

Joining Brathwaite and Yaku for Hendon last night was one Elliot Godfrey, which was as much a surprise to me as Brathwaite's release. Quickly dashing to open up a new browser on my laptop, I checked the Boreham Wood website to see if they had any statements up, but nothing. Thankfully, the great guys who man the Hendon FC Twitter page informed me that a non contract player such as Godfrey can have dual registration, as long as the two clubs in question are not in the same league. Fascinating stuff, and I would be interested to see how the mechanics work as to who has the player when etc.

The egg was well and truly on my face when I delved a bit deeper into the Billericay match report and discovered the following:

'Two minutes later and Wood were flying into a two goal lead thanks to a quite fantastic piece of skill from Noto. Deep in his own half he spotted Morgan off his line and struck the ball from the edge of the centre circle fully sixty yards into the net.'

So yeah, the flashy man with no end product who looked like being surplus to requirements with Daryl McMahon becoming the key influence in the side decides to score from 60 yards. Well, I'll stick to my guns here - in the games I've seen him play in, bar the free kick he hit against Watford he has not impressed, so I sincerely hope this will be the start of a purple patch of form, where he scores backheels and 60 yard lobs in every game, and makes me look like a complete fool (not a hard task) for the rest of the season. Go on Mario!

Wood followed up their four goal haul with another at Potters Bar on Wednesday night, with Charlie Hunter amongst the scorers with what was by all accounts a wonderful free kick. The match report can be found here.

So onto tonight - Boreham Wood vs Arsenal XI. I've discussed how odd these fixtures can be in a prior post, and with the Emirates Cup taking oplace this weekend, I can only assume we will get to see the likes of Sanchez Watt and the reportedly Newcastle bound Henri Lansbury strutting their stuff tonight. It's a strange on for me as I am instantly put in a position where I have my two teams facing off just a matter of weeks after deciding to support Wood this season in a fit of anger at an Arsenal team that had been underperforming for years.

Now, friendly, kick about or Champions League final, I want Arsenal to win every single game they play in. But this one is a bit different. It almosts brings to ahead why I am doing this in the first place - a chance to go and shout at the Arsenal youngsters, 'I'd rather be here than at The Emirates'. A chance to sit there and shake my head at a team that will likely consist of players who may get a Carling Cup run out at best, yet still have a lavish lifestyle and if careful can be pretty well set up for life if they spend a few years in the reserves, plodding along until their eventual release. It's not a reaction at the players per se, but a general backlash at the lifestyles that they are afforded, when a player who at 18 has never cleaned a a pair of boots but can drive around in a top of the range sports car, despite the fact that the closest they have got to the first team is occasionaly training with them.

And this is the crux of where this whole project is coming from. As reserves, they are just cogs in the huge machine that Arsenal have become: the tours to China, the bastardisation of the club crest, the fawning to the middle and upper classes who not only don't know any of the players but never see out a match, leaving before the final whistle. I don't want to try and make myself out to be a working class hero because that is far from the truth, but I will take great pride in sitting in the east stand at Boreham Wood tonight, watching my home town team, and for the 90 minutes they are on the pitch, friendly or otherwise, 11 vs 11 against Arsenal. It will make no difference to anyone at the club that I am at Meadow Park instead of The Emirates, none at all, but personally I had to take a stand. And I don’t think I'll be the last one either.

I hope you have enjoyed and continue to enjoy reading this blog. Please spread the word! I can be found on twitter @wearethewood or on the comments section below. Feedback as always is appreciated, so untikl next time:

WE ARE THE WOOD!

From The Other Side: A Hendon Fan's Perspective on the Wood vs Hendon Friendly

So yes, as mentioned in the last blog post, sadly I missed the friendly between Boreham Wood and Hendon due to a prior commitment in Manchester. Thankfully, THANKFULLY, my friend and Hendon supporter Phil Rogers was there, and kindly agreed to write up a report for me. It's always good to get opinions from other fans, and with Phil being a lifelong Hendon fan and therefore very knowledgeable about this level of football, I was delighted to get his take on the game at Meadow Park. Without further ado, here is Phil Rogers on Boreham Wood vs Hendon:

As a somewhat committed non-league fan, there's usually a sense of anticipation for me about the start of pre-season. While many see July and August as full of pointless fixtures with between teams of trialists and mismatches between teams half a dozen divisions apart, to me it provides a good chance for a first sight of new signings and to visit clubs I'd never get the chance to travel to; one of the best away days of recent years for me was an all day 4 team pre-season tournament at Amersham Town... a club we'll most likely never face in competitive football in my lifetime.

And so it was that I ended up looking forward to the announcement that Hendon would be starting our pre-season this year at Meadow Park - not only less than five miles from my flat, but also tied in with the chance of meeting up with Rich (WeAreTheWood), with whom I formed a formidable defensive partnership for 3 non-competitive games in 2010 and have shared far more sambucas than is good for any aniseed hating man.

Unfortunately, plans to meet up beforehand for a few brews went awry when it turned up that through a spectacularly bad piece of planning, this was the one pre-season fixture that Rich wasn't going to be able to make - leaving me to concoct something approximating a report in his absence. With the relatively short distance involved, I decided this might be a good time to dust off the bike and cycle over to Borehamwood, neglecting to remember that I hadn't cycled for two years and virtually the whole journey was uphill. Nonetheless, 25 minutes later, and with a great deal of effort expended, I arrived early enough to spot both squads warming up in Meadow Park. A quick look for new faces warming up with the Hendon squad (spotting surprisingly few) and a wander past the 3G pitch on which Wood's PASE side were in the middle of a game of their own (4-1 down unfortunately) and I headed in - through the exit gate so I could keep hold of my bike - and round to the far side to await kick off.

Wood lined up with what looked to an unseasoned observer to be a strong side on paper, including a combination of both names known to me previously - the likes of Ali Chaaban, Luke Garrard and Daniel Braithwaite all having lined up against Hendon more than once in the past - and trialists previously unknown to me, although with no worse a pedigree; Luke Wilkinson and Moses Ademola all having recently turned out previously at Farnborough, Dagenham & Redbridge and Woking respectively. The visitors only had two new faces in the first eleven, midfielder James Archer and former Wood defender both on trial.

The home side unsurprisingly started by far the stronger with 180 minutes of football already under Boreham Wood's belt, while Hendon looked as ring rusty as you'd expect from a side who haven't played in over two months and Chaaban was at the centre of much of the early play. It took just three minutes for him to force a save from visiting 'keeper Barclay Laurencin and within three more minutes he had the ball in the net. Charlie Hunter threaded the ball through to Ademola who reached the ball just ahead of a hesitant Laurencin. Ademola was brought down just inside the area and Chaaban made no mistake with his penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way.

Wood continued to dominate the early exchanges and spurned several chances to extend the lead, with Chaaban continuing to pull the strings on the right wing, delivering a number of dangerous balls into the box. Around the quarter hour, yet another delivery from wide found Ademola in the middle of the penalty area and the trialist had the presence of mind to play the ball behind him to help it to David Bryant, unmarked at the far side of the six yard box. Unfortunately for the home side, Bryant spurned the chance and blazed over when it looked easier to score before Daryl McMahon made Laurencin plunge to his left to prevent the second.

Midway through the half, the Greens began to find a little rhythm and began to compete, with the remainder of the half largely being seen out in midfield. Boreham Wood certainly still dominated possession, but the leaks in the visiting defence had been plugged so they were reduced to long range pot-shots which failed to trouble the goal.

The second half saw a raft of substitutions that Sven Goran Eriksson himself would have been proud of, Hendon making seven changes and Boreham Wood three at the interval. Both sides were evidently weaker overall for the changes, but the match opened out, with the odd chance being created at either end. Hendon's best spell came early in this period, with a couple of comfortable saves forced from Michael Jordan, but more impressively, despite the lack of work throughout the game, the keeper had stayed alert enough to be able to intercept a dangerous through ball to young forward Aaron Morgan - had the bustling striker got there first, he'd have been favourite to equalise.

Six more changes were made between the two teams on 70 minutes, five for Wood and old fan-favourite Junior Lewis making his return for Hendon after the best part of a decade at a whole series of clubs with Peter Taylor. The changes certainly reinvigorated the home team, with Lewis' first contribution having to be a thumping defensive header to clear a dangerous looking set piece, and Simeon Akinola forcing Laurencin back into work. However, neither side managed to bother the other unduely in the remainder of the game, the only real points of interest late on being a further three substitutions - Hendon replacing the remaining two outfield starters, and sub keeper Cameron Baker-Owers getting a couple of minutes at the end of the game, only to remain rooted to his line as three consecutive corners into the six yard box were capably dealt with by his defenders.

Certainly not a classic game, by any measure, but it was a reasonably absorbing 90 minutes for such an early pre-season tie. Both sides will take positives, with Hendon getting those early minutes out of the way and settling in and Boreham Wood taking away a clean sheet. Perhaps early signs of things to work on too though - neither side was able to force the pace particularly following those initial twenty minutes, and for Wood there could be a worry that the inability to put away the early chances could haunt them come the start of the season. Both managers appeared happy at the final whistle though, and there's plenty of time to iron out those early issues.

Now just that cycle ride home to think about...

For more info on Hendon, Phil can be found as one of the team manning the Hendon Twitter page. Many thanks again to him for his words, and best of luck to all at Hendon FC next season.

Pre-Season continues: Dagenham and Redbridge, QPR XI Reports.

This post has been a long time coming, so I hope I haven't kept you all on tenterhooks waiting for my latest insight into the latest goings on at Meadow Park. I didn't want to turn this blog into effectively just another news site, as there are numerous sites that provide such a service as well as the fact that I don't think my writing style really lends itself to that sort of thing. Anyways, on with the show, apologies for the delay, and I hope you enjoy what I have to say.

I always find pre-season a strange mix of exciting and downright tedious to be honest. When it comes times for friendlies, the old bug gets going and you realise that even though it hasn't been that long since the previous season has ended, you've missed football and you need it back in your life. But outside of that, pre-season is achingly dull (as I type this, Sky Sports News has 'Breaking News' that Nigel Reo-Coker is in talks with Bolton) for me personally, as boring transfer sagas roll on day after day, with various tabloids somehow managing to spin new stories out of 'Barcelona in for Fabregas' or 'Tevez - I QUIT'. This is another reason why I am finding the step back into Blue Square Football so bloody refreshing, as I know that I probably won't be subjected to 'Lewes eye swoop for key man' or some such. The only real transfer saga, and I don't know if you could even call it that, was surrounding Adam Birchall's slightly protracted move to Gillingham, which caused a decent amount of ill feeling from those on the south coast. Maybe that is doing it a disservice to those who were angered by the move, but after years of having to put up with the rumour mill I am finding it a lot less infuriating.

Anyways, mini rant over - back to the action eh?

I suspect that after the Watford game, my spirits were slightly too high and I could have been accused of jumping the gun somewhat in terms of what Wood could achieve. But hey, it was my first game of the season, I was full of hope, and a bit of optimism never killed anyone, did it? (I assume there are many instances of optimism leading to death, but leave me be) So when I headed back to Meadow Park, via my parents house (too late to catch dinner, sadly) for the visit of Dagenham and Redbridge, only a few days after the draw with Watford had filled me with early season excitement, I was expecting a Wood victory.

And this is where the reality check kicked in. Despite the fact that at times during the Watford game Wood dominated possession and played some great football, I had to still understand that the teams visiting are actually professional footballers, who do it day in, day out as their sole job. Most of the team at Meadow Park are not (and for those who are, their jobs are involved on the coaching side with the PASE scheme). So why there will be spells where Wood will show that they are talented, the fact of the matter is that the extra bit of sharpness, as well as class will always be the difference in the end. This was definitely evident against The Daggers.

The Dagenham game saw Wood very flat after the previous weekends showing against Watford. The Daggers were first to every ball, had a good tempo about them and most importantly took their chances when they came. Damien Scannell (who, after checking, is indeed the brother of Crystal Palace's Irish international Sean) was extremely impressive, and gave the Wood defence a number of headaches with his mazy runs and all round play. Whilst it is obviously never fun coming up against players willing to take you on and beat you, it's a good learning experience for some of the younger players in terms of positioning and jockeying (what a ludicrous word), which they will hopefully learn from in the forthcoming season, as well as the more senior heads, who were at times given a bit of a run around, all things told.

One of the young defenders on show for Wood was Elliot Brathwaite, who I have been very impressed with in the games I have seen him in. Only 21, the centre back has most of the key attributes it takes to succeed at a higher level. Tall, strong and good in the challenge, Brathwaite cuts an imposing figure. However, and of course, there is always a however, there are parts of his game that need improvement, but with age on his side he should be fine. The first of these is his temperament, which flared up in the Dagenham match with a huge roar of 'FUCK OFF REF', which luckily for him only brought him a yellow card. The red mist can descend on all of us, but aggression needs to be controlled on a football pitch. Of course, you see the Rooneys and Gerrards of the world regularly scream obscenities in a referees face, but that is another matter for another blog.

The second of these, and crucial to the Dagenham result, was a hesitancy to take control of a defensive situation. After 16 minutes, there was a breakdown in communication between Brathwaite and Michael Jordan (who as both keeper and the senior player in this situation should have taken responsibility) on the edge of the area led to a hashed clearance straight to Medy Elito who finished into an empty net from 25 yards. An absolute shambles of a goal, but hopefully one that won't happen again.

The Daggers second was an example of the extra piece of class I was alluding to earlier that separates Wood from their League Two counterparts. Gavin Tomlin, who along with Scannell had been causing the Wood defence all sorts of trouble, took the ball down on the left hand touchline halfway inside Wood's half, and proceeded to beat three men before curling a shot into the top corner that left Jordan with no chance. The 80 odd in attendance were unanimous in their appreciation.

I think Ian Allinson summed this game up perfectly when he commented to the clubs official website that it felt 'like the day after The Lord Mayor's show'. Wood were pretty lifeless, not creating much and second to every ball. This is all quite understandable as we are talking about a Non League team playing their 2nd game in four days after a summer break, so I was not ready to be overly critical of the performance, especially against a team that is looking to bounce back into League One following relegation. My only real grievance, apart from the sloppiness of the first goal, was Mario Noto's performance for the first 65 minutes. As I mentioned before in a previous article, and this of course is purely a first impression I am getting, it again appeared that Daryl McMahon's signing has seen Noto threatened as to his role in the team, with McMahon being the main creative focal point. Whilst I appreciate players always wanting the ball and wanting to be involved (which is very useful at this level), Noto was out of position far too many times, and it definitely seemed to irk Allinson, who had to remind him of his duties one more than one occasion. He improved in the second half, and at times looked the only player capable of getting on the score sheet for Wood, so hopefully it will just be a blip and by the start of the season he will be on the same wavelength, as he has lots to offer.

Wood lined up as follows:

Team: Jordan (Sub – Lewis 82 mins.), Kamara (Sub – Matthews 45 mins.), D. Brathwaite (Sub – Walker 65 mins.), Garrard, O’Loughlin (Sub – Hunter 57 mins.), E. Brathwaite, Akinola (Sub – Yaku 65 mins.), McMahon, Bryant, Noto, Godfrey.

After missing the Hendon game due to being in Manchester to see Icelandic international Bjork (shit fan etc), I returned to Meadow Park this last Wednesday to see Wood take on a QPR XI. I was accompanied to this game by my good friend Brooner, who was enjoying his first taste of The Best Ground In The Blue Square South, to give it it's official title.

The funny thing about matches versus *Insert Club* XI is that you genuinely don't know what sort of team is going to be on display. The first time I saw an Arsenal side come to Borehamwood, it contained Nicolas Anelka. I've seen Dennis Bergkamp strut his stuff at Meadow Park. But most of the time you get a mixture of under 18s and reserves turn up. Sadly, this was the case for the QPR XI when they came to take on Wood. This could have been the youngest side I have ever seen put out in a friendly. Taking my seat, I had a glance at the team to see if there were any faces I recognised from the R's championship winning side. I couldn't see any. Danny Shittu? Nope? Come on, at least Patrick Ageymang must have made the trip? Sadly, he was not there. Instead, the QPR team had an average age of what looked like 12, but was around the 18/19 mark at most. Now, I'm only 26 but it still didn't stop me shaking my head and looking at my belly, cursing these young kids. I mean, they were all born in the 90's for crying out loud. That's just wrong.

Whilst they looked like they would laugh and deride me if I asked them if they remembered Euro 96, this group of youngsters were certainly not at Meadow Park to get rolled over. Before the game started, I said, somewhat confidently (and this should be a good sign of the complete opposite happening) to Brooner, 'Whilst I expect QPR to be faster and better on the ball, Wood should be able to impose themselves physically on the game'. I was very wrong. From the off, QPR were strong, fast, good on the ball and Wood were a distant second for the first half hour. Despite the fact that they were academy and reserve players at a Premier League team, even I was surprised at the level and tempo that QPR were playing at. They worked hard for each other, always looking for the ball and not afraid of taking on their counterparts. It was all very impressive, and I had obviously done the young side a great disservice by thinking that they could be knocked about. Wood looked a bit shell shocked by the quality of the opposition, who were at times light years ahead of the home side. This was emphasised when Daryl McMahon committed a reckless and cynical challenge from behind which would have seen an instant red in a league game, and in truth probably should have seen the same here. It was a shame as McMahon was again the Boreham Wood man of the match by a wide margin, with his wide range of passing on show, as well as his ability to retain possession whilst looking to create making him the standout performer again.

QPR didn't take long to open the scoring, and when it did it elicited a slight yelp from yours truly. I'm sure I am not the only person who, when watching a game, will scream 'HIT IT' when a player finds himself in space 25-30 yards out, and in the 9th minute I found myself making the very same plea (even though I shouldn't really) when Brad Simmons found himself with time to unleash an absolute piledriver into the top corner. 1-0 QPR, and very much deserved.

With Antonio German leading the line magnificently for The Hoops, Wood were finding it extremely hard to get any sort of foothold in the game and on 22 minutes they were further behind. Bruno Andrede, who my brother told me to keep an eye on, skipped past two challenges before being felled with a rash challenge. It was a clear cut penalty, and German sent Jordan the wrong way with minimal fuss.

Thankfully this gave Wood a good old kick up the arse, and they started to get the ball down and play some good stuff. McMahon was instrumental in all the good play, including an Arsenal-esque 8 pass one touch move which led to a goal scoring chance.On 41 minutes, Elliot Godfrey reduced the deficit with an exceptional back heeled goal from Ali Chabaan's driven cross. It was deserved for their improvement in the latter parts of the first half, but QPR went in with the lead at half time.

The second half was a completely different story, with Wood dominating from the off and having the majority of the possession. It was encouraging to see the side regroup and focus on what they do best. As noted, McMahon was the instigator of most of the good play, and had a fantastic effort tipped over from the QPR keeper Deane. Further pressure followed in the closing 20 minutes, with Wood having an effort from Akinola cleared off the line, before Lawrence Yaku, the oldest man in Britain, shinned an absolute sitter wide from all of 4 yards out (may be a slight exaggeration). It really was an abysmal effort, and I am confident if it fell to any other player on the park, or indeed any spectator in the stand, at least a save would have been required. (Incidentally last night I was discussing Yaku with Hendon Phil, and he was perplexed as to why he was still at this level)

It was a shame then that, somewhat against the run of play, QPR scored a third. Connor Hubble glanced a beautiful header from a cross down the right, leaving Cameron Baker-Owens rooted to the spot. It was cruel on Wood after their industrious play during the second half, and I was left shaking my head at the fact that the goalscorer was probably not old enough to shave yet (although I've been shaving since I was 12, so maybe my judgement is clouded). All in all this was easily the most entertaining of the three games I have seen so far and was well worth the £10 admission fee. Wood had picked themselves up from the Dagenham match, and showed everybody that when they get it down and play, they are a very good team. If I was a QPR fan, I would be excited about a number of the team on display, most of all German who looks like he could be a real star in a few years. Keep him away from Patrick Ageymang at all costs. All in all, I left Meadow Park encouraged after feeling let down following the Dagenham match. More like this please Wood. Brooner and myself returned to my parents house for a brief visit, where we enjoyed a cup of tea and pleas from my mother to shave my beard off. A good evening.

Wood lined up as follows:

Team: Jordan (Sub – Baker-Owers 81 mins.), Sankofa, Kamara (Sub – Hunter 45 mins.), Garrard, Smith, E. Brathwaite (Sub – D. Brathwaite 45 mins.), Matthews (Sub – Ademola 45 mins.), McMahon, Chaaban (Sub – Yaku 73 mins.), Godfrey (Sub – Akinola 73 mins.), Delgado (Sub – Lawal 45 mins.)

But wait, I hear you cry (I don't hear it), what about the Hendon game? Well, that is covered in the very next blog, with Hendon Phil Rogers giving us a view from the other side of the fence.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog, and have not been too sad waiting for it. As always, feedback is always welcome, and please tell all your friends, relatives and church groups about me. Hell, even put it on forums for derision (probably shouldn't have said Hell after saying church groups).

I can be contacted here, or on twitter @wearethewood, so get in touch! Until next time:

WE ARE THE WOOD

Boreham Wood 2 Watford 2 - Encouraging Start (plus brief D&R preview)

'Are you having breakfast?'

Ah, yes. Pre-Season has finally begun, and my first visit to Meadow Park this year was preceded by an excellent fry up courtesy of my good mother. Hopefully this will be a recurring theme of the new season (I must ring her to remind her I'm at the Dagenham game….).

Following our feast, the good lady and myself wandered the 5 minutes down the road to Meadow Park, home of Boreham Wood FC. Following her shock of having to pay £12 to see my local team (but that is a different story for a different day) we took our seats. The first thing to strike me was just how busy it was in the stand, with us being fortunate to find a pair of seats together. Between us, we managed to estimate there were around 350 there, and I was rather stunned when I later found out it was in the region of 850, which should signal a very healthy return for The Wood, especially when residuals such as food, drink programmes etc are taken into account.

After watching the teams warm up, and listening to requests for a silver Vauxhall to be moved from the car park immediately, the teams came out to mildly rapturous applause, and the pre-season fixtures were finally underway. Boreham Wood lined with 4 of their new signings on display - Jordan, Smith, O'Loughlin and McMahon, all of whom I was very interested to see perform after writing my last article. Watford's XI was mainly made up of youngsters, with the notable names on the teamsheet being Lloyd Doyley and Cult Hero John Eustace.

Watford immediately put Boreham Wood under pressure from the kick-off and had their first real chance in the third minute, with Marvin Sordell blazing the ball out of the stadium from approximately 5 yards. Maybe he was distracted by the demands from the PA that if the silver Vauxhall wasn't moved it would be clamped (his Vauxhall?). Wood soon fought back and started playing some great stuff of their own, and it was at this point where I realised that Daryl McMahon was playing at a different level to his Boreham Wood team mates. His first touch after 2 minutes was a sharp Cruyff turn to avoid a challenge, and most of Wood's good play was coming through him. After some good skill in and around the area from McMahon, Wood won a free kick on the edge of the box in the thirteenth minute (the attempted Watford clearance went straight into the back of the referee's head - one of the simplest joys in life). Mario Noto stepped up and curled and absolute pearler into the top corner, leaving the Watford keeper no chance: 1-0 Boreham Wood.

Wood were to hold this lead until the half hour mark, although Watford did have their chances to level before then. Debutant Michael Jordan kept out a deflected effort that looked like it had him beaten, as well as a couple of chances that demanded last minute blocks from The Wood's rearguard. Their quality in possession was beginning to show, with their passing game constantly stretching the home side. That being said, Boreham Wood weren't afraid of knocking it about themselves, with a lovely move resulting in David Bryant having a shot turned round the post. Again, Daryl McMahon was instrumental in most of Wood's better play going forward.

However, the equaliser was coming and when it arrived it was both spectacular and deserved. A half cleared landed on the barrel chest (hark at me) of John Eustace, who controlled well and volleyed in from 25 yards, leaving Jordan no chance. 1-1.


Shortly afterwards followed a spell of real domination from Watford, with Jordan being called into action twice to make good stops. On the counter, Wood nearly nicked the lead with a great effort from McMahon, who was causing real problems for the championship side. Shortly before half time, Watford were made to pay for their wastefulness when Jordan's long clearance made it's way to Chaaban, who finished well to give Wood the lead going into the break. Despite Watford's possession and chances, Wood were value for the lead, as they were really taking it to their championship opponents who were perhaps taken aback by the tempo set by the home side. It was a very entertaining first half after not really expecting too much exertion in the opening friendly fixture.

Watford effectively had a brand new team out for the second half, and their freshness was evident from the start. On 49 minutes Piero Mingola fired a low shot through a crowded penalty area, and from then on in Watford had the lions share of the possession. From here on in, the game unfortunately lost it's rhythm as substitutions came thick and fast leaving the game stopping and starting at regular intervals. This was not helped by the PA system having a bit of a meltdown leaving it impossible to know who was coming on. Of those who did come on, I was impressed with Charlie Hunter's ability on the ball, but fear for the physical side of his game. However, he is still extremely young so hopefully this will come before he is thrown in at the deep end. Akinola showed good energy when he made his appearance from the bench, but wasted a good chance to win it with a header wide. Watford continued to press and Jordan was called upon twice to make very good saves, as Boreham Wood eventually hung on for a 2-2 draw.

Overall, it is obviously a good result, friendly or not. This was Boreham Wood holding their own against a Championship side, who, although not full strength, showed their ability in large portions of the game. Of the debutants, Daryl McMahon was the standout and looks like he will be a fantastic signing for Wood next season. His ability on the ball is of a level higher than BSS (with all due respect), and he also has that extra few seconds on the ball that decent players seem to have. If Borehamwood use him as their primary playmaker next season they should be fine in terms of scoring chances created. In contrast, despite his goal (and it was exceptional) Mario Noto seemed almost threatened by McMahon, and there were a couple of times where it seemed to me he was trying to prove something by playing a flashy long ball (which never came off), as well as a shot from 30 yards which ended up in the car park behind the ground. Ian Allinson looked extremely annoyed at times with him, and had to remind him to keep to his role so that the team weren't stretched.


Michael Jordan had a busy debut, and pulled off some great saves, so his performance must be counted as a positive. However (there is always a however), he did not look comfortable with crosses at all and this could be a problem as the season progresses. I'll happily reserve judgement for now and look at the positives, as his shot stopping was first rate. Charlie O'Loughlin and James Smith both looked solid if unspectacular on their debuts (they are defenders after all) and the return of Ali Chaaban was welcome, as was his goal and all round display. Luke Garrard looked solid sitting in front of the defence as well, composed on the ball and in the tackle. So all in all, a lot of positives to take from the game, even if it died a bit in the second half (I caught the other half looking at her Kindle on a couple of occasions) The Wood lined up as follows:

Team: Jordan (Sub – Baker-Owers 81 mins.), Kamara (Sub – Matthews 45 mins.), D. Brathwaite, Garrard, Smith (Sub – Walker 75 mins.), O’Loughlin (Sub – E. Brathwaite 62 mins.), Chaaban (Sub – Yaku 45 mins.), McMahon, Bryant (Sub – Akinola 71 mins.), Noto, Godfrey (Sub – Hunter 62 mins.).

Tonight sees the arrival of League Two side Dagenham and Redbridge, who should again pose a stiff test for The Wood. Having been relegated last season, The Daggers will be looking to hit the ground running, so it should make for an interesting evening. I would expect to see a fair amount of rotation, as a few players played the entire 90 minutes on Saturday and so I doubt they will do the same tonight. Last season saw The Daggers win in a 4-0 rout, but I'm sure Boreham Wood have enough in them now to match or even better Saturday's result. I'm going to sit on the fence and say a 1-1 draw (as I did last week), but hopefully we will see an entertaining 90 minutes at Meadow Park. I would be very surprised if McMahon was involved as much after Saturday, so this could give Mario Noto the chance to remind everyone what he is all about, as well as seeing some more of the younger players at Boreham Wood give manager Ian Allinson some food for thought.

That's it from me for now, I'll be back with a report of the game and a look at Wood's highly successful PASE scheme. As always feedback is most welcome, and you can find me on Twitter @wearethewood. Please continue to share the blog, we've had over 500 views so far which is fantastic.

We are the wood!

New signings, Watford preview (ish) and Mark Kinsella

[Opening NB: This post will probably be a bit dry, as you have to understand that I am just beginning to get to know the squad. Please accept my fullest apologies if this reaches tedious levels, but persevere with me. RB]

This summer has already been a busy one for The Wood, both in signings, retention of current players and staff, and departures.

Looking to build on last seasons solid progress, manager Ian Allison, along with assistant Jason Goodlife and first team coach Martin Paine all signed new deals at Meadow Park to bring an air of stability in a level of football where, like their league counterparts, changes can come all too frequently. This platform will hopefully allow The Wood to build a more consistent team who will look to make some real noise in the Blue Square South.

To facilitate this the club has been busy in both recruitment and renewal of players. Following on from last season's 14th place finish, the club secured the futures of Elliot Godfrey, Gareth Risbridger, Nicky Nicolau, Team Captain Mario Noto and Club Captain Luke Garrard. This news was warmly received as for a club to move forward and progress, a core of players who have been together for a while is crucial.

Noto has become a firm favourite at Meadow Park since his arrival from Chelmsford, and many will be relieved at his decision to stay with The Wood. Last season saw Mario , who started his career at Tottenham and also has had spells at Reading and Crystal Palace, pick up 4 awards at Boreham Woods traditional end of year ceremony, including “Supporters Player of the Year”, “Players’ Player of the Year”, Leading Goal scorer and a 100 appearances award. His abilities were key to helping BWFC settle in the Blue Square South after a rocky start to their life in the league, and here's hoping for more of the same next season from the team captain. Praise must also be reserved for Club Captain Garrard, who picked up both 'Manger's Player of The Year' and 'Player's player of The Year' last season. Garrard, who also doubles up as a PASE coach alongside Noto, will be an instrumental figure both on and off the field in the forthcoming campaign.

Joining those who have re-signed are four exciting talents who will surely help Boreham Wood over the coming 9 months. The first of these is Charlie O’Loughlin, who signs for The Wood from Blue Square North Solihull Moors FC. Standing at an imposing 6' 4", Charlie started his career at Port Vale before moving to Hertfordshire via Hinckley (loan), Nantwich Town, Ilkeston and finally the aforementioned Moors. His height and presence will be useful both in defence and attack next season.

The quartet is made up by the exciting triple signing from rivals Farnborough. The first of these is goalkeeper Michael Jordan (must not make Basketball pun, must not make Basketball pun…), who started his career at The Home of Football, Arsenal, where he represented England at both under 17 and under 19 level. Following his release from The Gunners in 2006, Jordan had spells at Chesterfield and Lewes (where he picked up a Blue Square South winners medal in 2009) before joining Farnborough in 2009, where he tasted success in the Zamaretto title winning side of 09/10, before tasting cruel defeat on penalties in last seasons Blue Square South play off final against Ebsfleet, after finishing the season in 2nd. A Non League keeper of real pedigree (although in conversations I had with a Woking fan over twitter I have heard he's can be weak on crosses - must have learnt that at Arsenal) , Jordan should be a great investment for The Wood.

Joining Jordan in the back line will be England C International (and sometime Captain) James Smith. Smith comes with an impressive Non League record, having tasted success in the FA Trophy in 2008 with EbsfleetTown as well as his international honours. Starting his career with Cambridge United before joining Ebsfleet via a brief loan stint at Margate, Smith was part of the defence that saw Farnborough nearly clinch promotion last season. At 26 years of age, and with a 2 year deal in the bag, this is a fantastic signing for The Wood.

Finally, and possibly the biggest cop of all, Boreham Wood's midfield next season will be bolstered by the signing of Daryl McMahon. Ranked by The Non League Paper as one of the top 20 midfielders in all of Non League football, McMahon comes to Meadow Park with a fantastic reputation. Beginning his career with West Ham, the Dubliner left Upton Park for Leyton Orient, where he notched up over 70 appearances before joining Stevenage Borough. His time at Stevenage was a successful one, where he picked up a FA Trophy winners medal in 2009, a year after fellow signee James Smith tasted victory in the same competition. His switch to Farnborough coincided with their rise to runners up in the Blue Square South and eventual play off loss, with the creative midfielder pulling the strings. This is a magnificent capture again for The Wood, with the player approaching the peak of his career at 27, we can only hope he can help drive Boreham Wood forward in the 2011/12 season. McMahon's role will not only be on the field however, as he also joins the PASE scheme as a coach, passing on his experience to tomorrows stars at Meadow Park.

Tomorrow sees the Pre-Season campaign kick off in style, with the arrival of Watford FC to Meadow Park. In a fixture that has been played many times down the years, it is always a pleasure to play the Hornets. With Watford having gone through a few big changes over the summer, namely the departure of manager Malky Mackay to Cardiff and star striker Danny Graham to Swansea, it is again a period of transition for the Hornets.

Personally, whilst I am very excited to get pre-season underway after a hellish gap since the end of last season, I'm not expecting too much from the game. Both teams will be wanting to impress their respective managers ahead of the new campaigns, but I often find these matches to be slow paced (for fear of injuries early in the season) and broken up by the numerous substitutions that allow the squad to get a decent run out. It will be good to see the new signings on display, and of course with a decent Championship team visiting it should push the squad on to show Watford that they are no pushovers. I'll be there, with my (soon to be long suffering) girlfriend, whose first taste of football with me involved Watford at Meadow Park.

One night we were walking to my folks house when I noticed a match was in progress at Meadow Park. Popping my head in to see who it was, I discovered that Watford reserves were meeting their Charlton counterparts. Excited by this (after all I had spent a while following The Addicks, as mentioned elsewhere) we sat down to watch what was, of course, a tepid affair. But we stayed until the end because I wanted to get a team sheet signed by then Charlton reserve coach Mark Kinsella, as a birthday gift to my good friend and long time Charlton fan Tom. As the final whistle blew, I approached Kinsella and asked him to sign for my friends birthday. After four abortive attempts at using my girlfriend's pen (which resulted in a look from me which was colder than some Siberian sunbathing), Kinsella told me to wait for ten minutes so that he could give the team talk, after which he would sign my sheet.

So we waited….and we waited. Despite please from the missus I stayed, because dammit, Mark Kinsella was a good man, and he wouldn't stand me up. After about 25 minutes he called out to me, and as I approached him I realised he had a Charlton shirt with him and a marker pen. Asking for Tom's name, he wrote 'To Tom, Happy Birthday. Best Wishes, Mark Kinsella'. He shook my hand, thanked me for my fledgling support and even said it was a pleasure to meet my girlfriend (well, it was). So when people complain about the Rooneys and the Terrys of this world, I always like to think that there are still some Mark Kinsellas left in modern football.

I hope this hasn't been to longwinded and painful for you, and thanks for all the feedback so far. I'm going for a 1-1 draw tomorrow afternoon, and will update as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter, where I will no doubt make some awful puns in the name of Non League Football. Please help me spread the word by sharing this blog with your friends or enemies.

Next week, I shall be reviewing the Watford game as well as taking in the Dagenham and Redbridge friendly, and will also be taking a look at Boreham Wood's hugely successful PASE system. Until next time....

WE ARE THE WOOD!

Greg Morgan: We Hardly Knew Ye

I know things haven't been as fast moving in this blog as I would have liked, but I have been busy trying to immerse myself in as much Boreham Wood and Blue Square articles and news as possible. One wouldn't want to be ill informed before the season starts. So, no apology needed really. I'm trying to write the best blog I can, dammit.

My knowledge of the current Boreham Wood squad is mainly made up by my pitiful attempts at managing them on Football Manager 2011 (much like most peoples knowledge of foreign players linked with any club. I'm sure we all know at least one of our friends who is like this). The only player I knew outside of that was a player I actually came up against.

In my first job after leaving University, I worked at a fairly large recruitment company (No, I was not a recruitment consultant, just a head office number monkey) whose name I won't say for fear of them appearing on the side of my blog in the adverts, thus causing me to pull out my teeth in anger. After about 8 months in this role, and weekly 8 a side games on a Monday night, it was decided that after much bragging and taunts, an 11 a side match would be arranged between our floor and the floor directly beneath us.

There was only one small flaw in this plan - our floor were accounts and business services. These people do not make for the most athletic of footballers. The floor below were processing (and if I have made a mistake I apologise to any of you reading this, I have tried to black out my time at A***** through numerous binge drinking, Hypnotherapy and Fight Club sessions), and were on average about 8 years younger, 98% fitter and played football on a far more regular basis. Still, the spirit of the underdog dwelled deep within our team, and we planned what would be a unlikely, yet triumphant victory.

A few days before the big match, word had gotten around that the floor below had gotten in a ringer. He was a temp in the office, which may have been against the rules, and also - he played for Boreham Wood. This was completely scandalous, as he was a semi professional footballer and we were on average at least 3 stone overweight. Of course, it was down to me to mark him. The next 90 minutes were torturous, as he ran constantly at me, knocking it past me, even nutmegging me on one occasion (in frustration I tried to kick him, but of course by the time I had swung my leg he was bearing down on goal). We kept the score respectable, but we were still soundly beaten. I had one brief moment of satisfaction as I won the ball from him with a somewhat lunging tackle. They scored from the resulting corner.

A few years have passed now but I always kept an eye out to see if he was still in and about the team. Sadly, the first thing I learned after immersing myself back into the Boreham Wood footballing world that he had failed to agree on a new deal and had joined Chelmsford (my oldest brother's local team). So, with that in mind - good luck Greg Morgan. I hope you don't torment the Boreham Wood full backs as badly as you tormented me.

Fixtures!

Fixture List Day!

Every fan looks forward to it, even if they don't care to admit it. Who you have on the first day of the season, who's selfish wedding planning has caused you to miss an away day at Port Vale and what corner of the country you'll be seeing in your birthday in whilst your team wishes you many happy returns by losing 4-0 and putting in a performance so abject that you don't even get abused by the away support. Ah, fixture list day. Footballs back soon. I don't have to pretend to like Cricket any longer.

Having expected to see the fixture list for Boreham Wood's new campaign delayed due to Rushden and Diamond's rather tragic fall from League One to financial meltdown, it was quite a relief when they withdrew their appeal against demotion and the fixture list went live. Now, I am pretty sure that I would get some rather hefty charges/threats/hired goons levelled my way if I was rude enough to copy and paste the fixture list, so here is a link to the official Blue Square South fixtures for Boreham Wood next season.

Once I got over the excitement and scanned for any potential clashes with pre-arranged activities (although I fear a wedding will cost me a game in the FA Trophy or worse yet, an FA Cup qualifying round), I started to piece together my season:

• First Game: Home to Havant and Waterlooville (Saturday 13th August): Brilliant, always good to start off at home, and H&W briefly held a lead at Anfield, so there is a measure of warmth towards them from yours truly.

• First Away Game: Bromley (Tuesday 16th August) : Got to get into the frame of mind of midweek away trips, and a trip to Bromley should sort that out sharpish.

• Chelmsford away (Saturday 24th September): Big one for both me and the team, as Chelmsford are a very good side and more importantly, my brother lives nearby. I might bring a huge flag and plant it into his front garden as a warning.

• Boxing Day (The day after Christmas Day): Home to Sutton. The perfect way to round off Christmas festivities with a Turkey and Stuffing sandwich and a trip to Meadow Park.

• New Years Day (You should know the date): Away to Sutton. Odds are I may not be there.

• The Longest Journey: away to Truro (Tuesday 13th March). Pray for me.

• Last Home Game (Saturday 28th April): Tonbridge Angels. Hopefully there will be something to cheer on rather than the loss of £160.

So there you have it - now I am anxiously awaiting the 2011/2012 season. Just over a month to go, but with the first pre-season friendly on Saturday against Watford, the bug has bitten once again. Come on the Wood!

In my next blog I'll start looking at the comings and goings at Meadow Park over the summer, starting with a man who left for pastures new, but left a mark on me from a previous life.

Cheers.