[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!
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