Chelmsford 0 Boreham Wood 0: Excellent Point, Excellent Day

A vital away point, a clean sheet and my brother wins the raffle? I got a lot more than I bargained for on my first trip to Chelmsford City.

As with most non-league visits, this one began in the pub. I was joined on my trip to Melbourne Park by two Toms - a brother and a friend. Forgoing all normal decency and meeting in the nearest pub to the station (this was surprisingly lovely however), the two Toms were introduced and the drinks began to flow (I had given my brother a truly special treat for his birthday - a day at Chelmsford City with a few beers thrown in). Soon, it was time to catch a taxi to the ground, taking in the view along the way. I had been warned that Melbourne Park wasn't in the most desirable area of Chelmsford, but was pleasantly surprised when we got to the ground. This was a professional looking setup, and the swelling attendance of over 1,000 only added to this.

After paying for entry (£11.50 standing, £12.50 for the privilege of a seat), we sought a programme seller, but were met with a fine man called Bill, who would turn out to be a lucky charm for our day. Bill is one of those people you would only find at a Non League ground - a true custodian who did a bit here, a bit there and had been around for years. His role today was to sell raffle tickets for the draw, and his charm and quick wit had convinced my brother to buy an extra ticket off him, with me and the other Tom waiting behind to grab one ourselves. After some more decent banter exchanged, we went inside to sample the club bar.

Now this was nice - a large open bar, with a queue system and a variety of decent drinks on tap, including Chelmsford's own 'City Ale', which although coming in at a cheeky 6%, was a big hit with Tom A (for the sake of not calling him 'other Tom any longer. I know far too many Toms for the record). With a couple of pints consumed, we made our way out to pitchside for the game to kick off.

In my last post, I had expressed how concerned I was at the prospect of watching a game from behind a running track, so imagine my delight when I discovered that you could stand behind either goal in a designated area which was inside the running track! Hooray! We took our place in the away end (I think there was 10 of us?) for the first half, behind the goal which Boreham Wood were attacking.

'Attacking' is somewhat of an understatement, as Wood were on the backfoot for 95% of the game. This was expected, as Chelmsford were heavy favourites who were looking to end a poor run of form, and despite Wood's excellent win against Welling nobody was really giving us a chance. In what was a phenomenal defensive showing, Boreham Wood managed to keep Chelmsford at bay and come away with a fantastic away point, and almost as important, a clean sheet. Working as a unit and at times riding their luck big time, this was the best defensive performance I have seen from Wood by a country mile. With O' Loughlin and Wilkinson now firmly established as the first choice pairing at centre back, and with Charlie Hunter (who continues to impress at right back and might just be a find in that position) and Daniel Brathwaite excelling in their roles at full backs, this looks like the makings of a very settled Wood defence. Add to that the defensive cover of captain Justin Cochrane and new boy Chez Issac,Boreham Wood look to have a very solid core to the side for the time being.

The first half was a blur of almost relentless Chelmsford attacking, with Michael Jordan being called into action on more than one occasion to deny the hosts, for whom Cliff Akurang, Kezie Ibe and Ricky Modeste were threatening throughout. Wood were fortunate to go in at half time on level terms, with Chelmsford having at least six decent chances to score. Wood's best chance being a snap shot from Nathan Koranteng, which was a welcome distraction from Chelmsford's constant possession and chances, including a succession of corners which required two goal line clearances from either full back to keep the scores even. This was one way traffic, make no mistake, but Wood were holding firm and frustrating City. Wood's main outlet was David Bryant, who gave another tireless performance upfront, chasing and harrying play without any real support. With my brother expressing the now traditional opinion on the standard of play, we crossed the ground to get a half time burger (cheese and Bacon - 8/10) and pints. On our way we saw Bill, with whom we exchanged some more banter, before getting the round in.

Bill returned about 5 minutes later with the board detailing who had won the pre-match raffle. Of course, it was my brother who claimed the prize, with his winning ticket being the extra one he bought because Bill had been such a good laugh. I don't think I need to tell you that if he hadn't of done that, I would have been £135 better off, with my number being next.

As my brother sauntered off to pick up his winnings in the boardroom (he was presented with his winnings by the Chelmsford Chairman - pictured above), we had a chat with a couple of local disgruntled fans about the game, many of whom bemoaned Chelmsford's lack of sharpness in front of goal (with good reason). Switching ends, as in tradition, we awaited the second half.

The second half was much the same as the first, and it took another goal line clearance from Daniel Brathwaite to save Wood's skin. However, as the game went on, Wood grew into the game and actually managed to push forward. Sensing blood, Ian Allinson threw on Inih Effiong for Darren Currie, who took his frustration of being subbed out on an unsuspecting water bottle. I'm not going to criticise Currie as it was obviously frustration, and if a player was happy at being subbed then you probably wouldn't want him at your club. Sadly Inih had resorted to his past form, of making one good contribution and then sauntering around without too much exertion. Wood's best chance came to Sam Hurrel, who managed to round Chelmsford keeper Carl Pentney but managed only to find the side netting, much to the away supports frustration.

With the game reaching it's closing stages Chelmsford won a hotly disputed free kick near the edge of the area after what seemed like a fantastic Luke Wilkinson challenge. With all of us fearing the worst after the Truro match, thankfully the ball was cleared and Wood held onto a precious point, much to my delight. It was a disciplined and professional performance from a team that had been sloppy for the opening stages of the season. I cannot express how solid and committed the back four were, and they have every right to feel proud of themselves. A draw was probably not the right result in terms of chances and possession, but was definitely earned with a classic backs to the wall performance from Wood.

Wood lined up as follows:

Team: Jordan, Hunter, Brathwaite, Cochrane, O’Loughlin, Wilkinson, Lechmere, Isaac, Bryant, Currie (Sub – Effiong 58 mins.), Koranteng (Sub – Akinola 90 mins.).

Subs (Not used): Sankofa, Beckford, Putnins.

With the game over and the side applauded off the pitch, we again returned to the bar to have a chat with the locals (including Bill of course), and I even managed to catch a great 10 minute chat with left back Daniel Brathwaite, where we discussed the game, his brothers progress at Hendon and general thoughts on the season so far. Daniel was a great guy to chat to, answered any questions and was very honest - just a shame I didn't have anything to bloody record our chat with! This was the essence of what makes this level so different to the higher leagues. Here we were, in the away bar, mingling with other fans and chatting with the players. It was so refreshing to be a part of, and hopefully it will continue as the season goes on.

A massive thank you to all at Chelmsford for making us feel welcome and for a great day out. If you ever get a chance to go down to Melbourne Park, I would highly recommend it. With crowds of over 1,000 there is a great atmosphere, coupled with good beers, good burgers, pic and mix sweets and with lots of kids wearing Chelmsford kits, a real family feeling around the ground. Highly recommended.

Wood travel to Slough on Saturday in a FA Cup qualifier, as I travel to St Austell for a wedding. Nevertheless, I shall write a brief preview tomorrow morning before I set off.

Thanks as always for your support, comments, shares, RTs etc, it is always appreciated. I can be found in the comments section below or on twitter @wearethewood.

Until next time....

WE ARE THE WOOD

Wood defeat Welling, Cruel Fate and Chelmsford Preview

Life is cruel for most people. For a wannabe Non League fan in his first season of following his hometown team, it can be a proverbial kick in the balls.

When I first decided to buy a season ticket and follow Wood, I expected there to be a few clashes initially with the social calendar. A wedding here, a festival there, a moving day the following week. Plans had been made well in advance, tickets had been booked, trains had been paid for, my apparent whim could not disturb these. Despite making every home game, I had not been to anywhere near as many away games as I would have liked (a measly one, the 4-0 destruction at Woking), but I was at every home game, shouting, gesticulating, weeping.

Imagine my surprise then when I was struck down with a bug on Sunday evening, thus leaving me incapacitated for the home clash with Welling, who were clear leaders of the Blue Square South.

A game which I didn’t have much hope for Wood to be honest, coming off yet another loss away at Eastbourne.

A game which Wood, OF COURSE, went on to win 2-1 in what has to be the shock of the season so far.

This was a massive win for Wood, and I felt so terrible that I wasn’t there to see it. I don’t feel justified in writing a report about it so you can read the official one here. I’m just really really gutted that the first time I have been ill in AGES, this happens. The win brought Wood up one place to 19^th in the league, albeit for one day, before dropping back into the relegation zone. Darren Currie kept his nerve to score 2 penalties, Justin Cochrane returned to the side as captain for the day and there was a debut for yet another new face, Nathan Korateng, who joins Wood on loan from Woking (where else). What a game to have missed.

All is not lost though - as you can enjoy EXTENDED MATCH HIGHLIGHTS here:

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/wellingutd/videos/boreham-wood-v-welling-united-18045.html

I return to live action tomorrow afternoon, in a game I have been craving since the fixtures came out – Chelmsford away. As I have stated before in this blog, my oldest brother is somewhat of a local to Chelmsford, so this gives us a chance to catch up, have a pint, and then spend 90 minutes hurling abuse at each other from opposing ends of the ground (I actually have no idea who he is going to support on the day).

Chelmsford have a good reputation at this level, and their ranks contain a man many Wood fans will be familiar with, Greg Morgan. I wrote one of my very first articles about Greg and how he ran rings round me in a work game once, so I can only pray that the same thing doesn’t happen tomorrow afternoon (provided he plays of course). I was very sad to see Greg go at the beginning of the season, and I feel his pace and delivery, as well as his eye for goal would have been a real asset to Wood in their games so far this season. Another former Wood man now plying his trade at The Clarets is Joe Benjamin, whose loan spell at Wood in 2010 brought 6 goals in 6 games. Again, let’s hope he has left his shooting boots at home, or at least swapped with Inih Effiong. Looking through the squad lists, the only other player who stands out is Aiden Palmer, who is getting his life and career back on track after 22 months in prison for gang related activity. Since his sentence he has spent time at Cambridge and Watford most notably, before joining The Clarets this season. Sadly not in the crowd tomorrow will be Caroline Barker, host of the excellent BBC Non League Show (did I tell you I was on it before?) and a Clarets fan, but here’s hoping I’ll be able to tweet her an update of a Wood victory.

As for the ground - quick moan here (there’s a surprise) – I really dislike grounds with running tracks around the pitch. I appreciate that some clubs need to be used for athletics, but it detaches the fans from the action, and at this level where there can be, shall we say, periods of quiet, I like to be as close to the players as possible. On the plus side Melbourne Park, home of our opponents tomorrow afternoon, are doing a ‘pre match special’ of £2 a pint for IPA or Fosters. It would only be rude not to partake and get my moneys worth (6 pints?).

Blue Square bet have Chelmsford as unequivocal favourites at 8/15, with Wood being offered at 9/2. The draw comes in at 11/4. Wood are coming off their best result of the season, but desperately need to start finding some more consistency. Chelmsford meanwhile, despite sitting 6^th in the table threw away a two goal lead at Tonbridge in the last minute last time out, so will be looking to get back on track with a win.

PREDICTION

Oh boy, this really is a tough one to call. Wood can get real momentum if they pick up a result here, yet Chelmsford have a fantastic record on their home turf. In a possible moment of weakness I am going to go for a 1-0 AWAY WIN, purely because I can picture the taunts I can give my brother afterwards. Of course if you were a sane, betting man you would likely put the farm on Chelmsford, but this isn’t a Chelmsford blog now is it?

There hasn’t been much of an update this week as I have been ill and then busy with work. There hasn’t been much coming out of the club in way of news, unless you want to enrol your kids on a football course? Hopefully now that this illness is out of my system I’ll be able to get a few more pieces up. For some alternative reading, why not try my friend over at Whitmarshwhiskers, whose excellent blog on Hendon and all things Ryman league comes very highly recommended, or for something from the top end of the football pyramid, have a look at Where were you when we were sh*t?, another good friends account of QPRs first season back in the premier league.

I’ll be back next week with a FULL MATCH REPORT, hopefully with pictures, and any other business that comes from the game. As always, thanks for your views, shares, Re-tweets, links etc, it is really appreciated. I can be found on twitter @wearethewood or in the comments section below.

Until next time….

WE ARE THE WOOD!

Weekend Preview: Eastbourne away

Tomorrow afternoon Wood make their way to East Sussex to take on a team that should be known as 'The Pensioners', Eastbourne Borough FC.

I once went to Eastbourne as a child, and remember being quite bored. The highlight was catching an episode of 'Why Don't You?' on the telly in our hotel room (showing my age). It was full of old people. It still is. This is probably the most sweeping of generalisations about the place (although facts do suggest that is has a larger proportion of +60 year old people than the majority of the UK), but if we played a game of word association and I said Eastbourne you would most likely say 'old people', and not 'Eastbourne Borough FC'

I digress. Eastbourne Borough FC, having suffered relegation from the Conference last term, have got off to a mixed start, with only 10 points from their first 8 games, and they find themselves in 15th place. There have been some notable performances from the sea side club, namely a 5-0 victory over the Bromley side that stuffed Wood so comprehensively at the start of the season, but these have been matched with some disappointing results, highlighted by a 3-1 home defeat to Chelmsford City.

Having a look through their team, the name that stands out is that of Gary Hart, who plied his trade for many years at Championship pace setters Brighton and Hove Albion, and actually scored against Eastbourne in the first game at Brighton's new Falmer Stadium, where the Gulls Reserves beat Eastbourne reserves to win the coveted Sussex Senior Cup. Hart is seen as somewhat of a legend at Brighton, and was released and then brought back to the club on more than one occasion. A versatile player, he can play anywhere from right back to Striker (which is his listed position on the Eastbourne Website), and his experience should pose a threat to a Wood side lacking in confidence after the current string of results.

Prediction

With both teams looking for some consistency after a rocky start, this is a really hard one to call. Wood have found it hard to score this season, (joint lowest in the league), but Eastbourne seem to have quite the leaky defence which could be exploited with some better finishing (Wood could have been 5 points better off at least with a bit more killer instinct in front of goal, although that would have only have put us level with Eastbourne in 15th!). If Wood can keep there heads for the first 20 minutes and not concede, then surely there has to have been enough positives from the Truro game that can encourage them forward.

As it is I'm going to go for a plucky 1-1 draw. Eastbourne are 4/5 favourites (with good reason), with Wood being 11/4 outsiders. Draw is 13/5 (all odds are taken from Blue Square). I'm mainly going for a point here because I can't sit here with a straight face and expect us to beat Welling on Monday - more of that before the game.

Hope you have a great weekend, whomever you support *cough*, and here's hoping for a better result from Wood.

I can be found on twitter @wearethewood, and as always thanks for your support and feedback.

Until next time....

WE ARE THE WOOD!

Injuries and Injury Time Defeats - It's hard being a fan sometimes (Wood 1 Truro 2)

This post has been a while coming, mainly because I have been so busy at work and at home (oh to be a journalist, where I could waffle on for a living), but partly because I didn’t really want to go over Saturday’s game at all. It was, and this is the first time I have felt this since following Wood, pretty devastating. The result did detract from what was a really great game of football and a nice day all round, so let’s get into it, shall we?

I took my now usual place (behind the home dugout, about 7 rows up) for kick off, where I struck up conversation with a gentleman who turned out to be centre back Charlie O’ Loughlin’s dad. A fine man, we spent most of the game passing comment on the action and discussing Charlie’s various moves around the country, what brought him to Wood (a chartered surveyors job in Welwyn Garden City) and his thoughts on the people behind the scenes (‘They are good people here, I can tell from a mile off if they aren’t’). I was worried that if there was any defensive howlers, I would have to bite my tongue, but Mr O’ Loughlin was first to acknowledge if his son was not up to scratch, which was very rare in his defence!

With Wood ravaged by injuries (much more on that later), it was quite the experimental side put out by Ian Allinson. New signing Mark Jones, an experienced left back from Braintree started at right back, Luke Wilkinson was pushed into a holding midfield role and out wide Sam Lechmere made his home debut, having also joined Wood from Braintree alongside Jones.

Despite the arduous journey that Truro had to make to Meadow Park, they shot straight out of the blocks with some flowing interchange that wouldn’t have been out of place in the Champions League, let alone the Blue Square South. With Barry Hayles working as the target man up front, this allowed Andy Watkins and Les Afful the opportunity to drag the Wood defence all over the pitch. Despite only being able to play with the ball at his feet, Hayles had that extra little bit of class I had feared, and gave his side time to move into threatening positions whilst he expertly held the ball up. Together, Watkins and Afful were a different class and looked threatening right from the off. It was therefore no surprise when Wood conceded their now customary early goal, with Marcus Martin allowed time and space to head in Scott Walker’s cross in the third minute. Wood were yet again caught cold from kick off, and this has become a real problem already this season. Whether this is down to sharpness, a lack of concentration or whatever, it needs to be eradicated soon because this season Wood have often found themselves with mountains to climb after only 10 minutes, particularly with clubs who can effectively shut up shop after taking a lead, as was seen with Havant in the opening game of the season.

In all honesty, Wood could have and should have been 4-0 down within the first twenty minutes. Unable to cope with the fluid passing and quick movement of Truro, Wood were carved open time and time again and Michael Jordan was called upon on more than one occasion to make a crucial save. In a unfamiliar role of holding midfield, Luke Wilkinson at first struggled to find his feet and positioning, but as the half went on he grew in confidence and drove the team forward. However, Wood were really on the cosh and myself and Mr O'Loughlin both agreed that if Wood could get to half time only one goal down , then perhaps things could change in the second half, particularly with the strong wind that would be supporting them. Our wishes were answered and Wood could not get down that tunnel quick enough after quite an abject first half performance.

Big changes were needed at half time, and Ian Allinson was brave enough to take a chance in the hope of salvaging a result. Daniel Brathwaite, who spent most of the first half making me think the wrong brother was released, was replaced by Inih Effiong, he of all attitude and no effort from my last visit to Meadow Park. With Mark Jones switching to his natural left back position, Charlie Hunter dropped into right back with Daniel Bryant dropping back into midfield to partner Wilkinson. The changes were bold, but they paid off and Wood looked like a completely different team in the second half, with Effiong do a superb job of leading the line. Constantly encouraged by Assistant Manager Darren Currie, Effiong put in the sort of performance that made you understand why there was so much fuss around his transfer from St Albans. Always looking for the ball, Effiong held it up well, kept play flowing and had an array of tricks and flicks, all of which amazingly came off. It was fitting then that he was the man to equalise for Wood, running through from a long ball from Charlie Hunter to finish with the utmost of calm, chipping the onrushing keeper without breaking stride. A fantastic goal and a glimpse of the sort of player that lurks inside Effiong when he wants to play.

With much more of a natural balance in the team following Hunter's move to right back and Jones to left back, Wood began to dominate proceedings, and should have put the game to bed. Sam Hurrell blasted over when well placed, and perhaps the best chance of the whole game fell to Sam Lechmere, who had all the time in the world to pick his spot, perhaps too much time, but fired his shot wide from 15 yards out. By this point you could sense that if Wood didn't finish Truro off soon it would come back and haunt them, and this was only reinforced when Luke Wilkinson, who once he had found his feet put in a sterling performance, drilled a shot from 25 yards only an inch wide. Wood had Truro on the ropes, but could not finish them off. Almost predictably, the Cornishmen had managed to play rope a dope and were soon to deal a knockout blow.

Deep into injury time, and with both sets of fans likely happy with a point after an end to end battle, Wood gave away a free kick about 25 yards out from goal. Do I really need to tell you what happened next? Well, I suppose I have to.

Turning to Mr O' Loughlin, I expressed my concerns with language that would likely not be allowed pre-watershed, and he responded with, 'I would be absolutely gutted if this went in'.

Truro's Scott Walker then proceeded to curl a beautiful freekick into the top corner.

My stomach sank and I held my head in my hands. I was absolutely gutted. It was at this point that I realised that I had actually begun to form an emotional bond with this team. The final whistle went shortly after and I applauded a proud effort, despite massively hurting inside. I said my goodbyes, stopping to chat to Colin Perry who became the first person to recognise me from this blog, and I can only apologise Colin if I wasn't great company. Colin himself is a local lad, whose blog Stag of Herts is a very good read, mainly focusing on Mansfield Town's trials and tribulations. Check it out. As I made my way back to the station, I rang my dad to tell him about the game, and even he could detect how gutted I was. It was another example of how cruel football can be, at all levels of the game. And no, I won't be making any jokes about how the sun ain't gonna shine anymore.

The main positives from the game were Inih Effiong's excellent showing, which I hope is kept up, and the composure of Charlie Hunter when switched to right back. His ability to find a forward with a cunning pass was much needed in the second half, and he wasn't afraid to get stuck in as well, despite his lack of height, especially going in on established veterans such as Barry Hayles. Other notable performances came from Luke Wilkinson, Mark Jonesand Sam Lechmere, who look to be astute signings from Braintree. One last shout out to the travelling fans from Truro, who sung their hearts out and are a credit to their team. I look forward to the return match!

Wood lined up as follows:

Team: Jordan, Wilkinson, Jones, Hunter, O’Loughlin, Smith, Lechmere, Brathwaite (Sub – Effiong 45 mins.), Bryant, Akinola, Hurrell.

Subs (Not used): Scott-Morris, Yala, Currie, Putnins.

The news only got worse for Wood as it was confirmed that Marion Noto, Daryl McMahon and Luke Garrard are all out until possibly December, which is obviously awful news for the club. Noto has never fully recovered from the injury picked up in the friendly against Arsenal, and it seems as if the only course of treatment is for him to have an operation on his ankle. Joining him under the knife is Wood's other main creative source, Daryl McMahon, who has also had some problems with his ankle, this time with a ruptured tendon. Thankfully it doesn't look like Luke Garrard will need surgery, but will still need some hard rehabilitation before rejoining the team, possibly in late November.

For any team to have their two main creative midfielders and their main holding midfielder out is cruel, and Wood are really feeling it. Despite Luke Wilkinson's impressive efforts in the holding role, he is a centre back out of position and is needed back at the heart of the defence. Noto and McMahon are desperately missed going forward, particularly in dead ball situations. Their losses are also felt because they are three senior players in a young team, with Noto and Garrard being Team and Club Captains respectively. In a rare piece of good news, Elvis Putnins is close to returning after a back injury, and was on the bench vs Truro, and Osei Sankofa, whose energy at right back was missed in the first half against Truro, should soon be joining him after recovering from a groin strain.

To help ease the pain of these losses, Wood Chairman Danny Hunter has loosened the purse strings to bring in a number of fresh faces. Joining Mar Jones and Sam Lechmere will be Karl Beckford, formerly of AFC Wimbledon, Kettering and Aldershot, as well as Chez Isaac, who has joined the club on loan until January from local friends Watford. It was mentioned in the programme notes on Saturday that Justin Cochrane had returned to Meadow Park, although I am waiting for this to be confirmed with my own eyes, as no mention of this has been made on the website. I welcome all of these players to Meadow Park, and hopefully they can help Wood move in the right direction. With Isaac and Beckford both signed to fill roles left vacant by the injuries detailed, this should hopefully bring a better balance to the side. More on the injuries and new signings here.

Wood travel to Eastbourne next, with a preview up tomorrow. As always, thankyou for your continued views and support, and please continue to share this blog amongst friends, bloggers, boards and rich Saudi investors. I can be found on twitter @wearethewood, as well in the comments section below.

Until next time....

WE ARE THE WOOD!

Match Preview: Truro Come to Town

After the thrills and spills of meeting Ian Selley, passing a project management course and going to a festival, I finally return to Meadow Park this Saturday for somewhat of a historic game, as Truro City FC become the very first side from Cornwall to make the trip to Boreham Wood.

Wood go into the game in, to be frank, an utterly dire patch of form. Last Saturday not only saw them lose 4-1 to Weston Super Mare (two goals in added time for the home side gives a bit more of a gloss to the scoreline than it first seems), but also saw their injury list reach Arsenal heights with the walking wounded including Elvis Putnins, Mario Noto, Luke Garrard, Daryl McMahon and Luke Wilkinson, who effectively make up Woods spine, as well as Osei Sankofa, who has been steadily improving so far this term. Without making too many excuses, the injury crisis has been very cruel on Wood, and the sooner we can get these players back fit and playing the sooner we can really kick off our season, as Wood currently find themselves in 20^th position, only a point ahead of the only team we have beaten (Thurrock) and 3 points clear of bottom side Hampton and Richmond Borough. For a team that has invested in the way that Wood have over the summer, results need to pick up quickly otherwise the pressure could really be on Ian Allinson in the Boreham Wood hot seat. As I have said before I can’t really comment too much on a game I wasn’t at, but the official report can be found here.

Thankfully, Boreham Wood’s opponents this weekend Truro are on a terrible run of form themselves, with four consecutive defeats seeing them drop to 13^th in the table after a good start to the league in which they won their first three games. This is a very exciting time for the men from the land of clotted cream, as they have reached the Blue Square South after an astonishing 5 promotions in 6 seasons. The change in fortune for Truro came after the introduction of Kevin Heaney as owner and chief financier of the club. Somewhat of a Non-League Abramovic, Heaney has steadily invested in the club to bring them where they are now, as well as heading up a consortium to buy Plymouth Argyle for an alleged £6 million pounds (The consortium would own Home Park and the land around it, whilst selling the football club itself to the ever popular Peter Risdale for 75p and the promise not to pay Seth Johnson £45,000 a week). Where this would leave Truro is they were to be in the same league as Plymouth is up for debate, but I assume there would be no conflict of interest as Heaney would only own Plymouth’s ground and the area around it, not the footballing operation. Perhaps there could be room for a future ground share? Who knows, but for the meantime Truro have the luxury of a sugar daddy, but the disadvantage of playing their home games on the edge of the known universe, making any away fixture a decent 5-6 hour journey on average. On the other hand, I suppose this can work in their favour as most teams will likely not have the finances to travel down the night before, stay at a hotel and then come back afterwards. In fact, looking into going to the away game in March (On a Tuesday night. A TUESDAY NIGHT AWAY AT TRURO), I discovered the best way to get to their ground would be to first fly into Newquay airport (it does exist) then make my way from there!

Looking through the Truro squad, one man stands out, and that is former Fulham star and Jamaican international Barry Hayles. Despite pushing 40, Hayles has been in great form since he joined Truro, notching 21 goals in 31 appearances, and if fit will pose real problems for a Wood backline already troubled with injury.

PREDICTION – With both teams in such bad form I imagine a bore draw is on the cards, but I am going to stick my neck out and go for a plucky 2-1 home win. Wood are actually 13/10 favourites for the game with Blue Square Bet, but 5/2 for the draw is definitely worth a fiver.

In other news:

• Wood’s youth team picked up an impressive win in the FA Youth Cup, destroying Hoddesdon Town 8-0, with the winners of Brentwood vs Ilford awaiting them in the next round.

• Any Wood season ticket holder (all 17 of us) can get free entry into the WSL Continental Cup Clash between Arsenal Ladies and Lincoln Ladies on Sunday at Meadow Park. See you there.

• Wood are currently a cool 33/1 to win the Blue Square South with Blue Square Bet. £5 e/w anyone?

I’ll be back with a full match report of the game next week. Once again thank you for all of your views – the Ian Selley piece set records in terms of pageviews, and it has been much appreciated, as well as all of the recommendations, re-tweets and nice comments I have had so far. I can be found on here or on twitter @wearethewood and I am always glad to hear from people.

Until next time….

WE ARE THE WOOD!

From Arsenal to Non League: A Chat with Ian Selley

I wasn't at Wood's 2-1 loss away to Staines on Bank Holiday Monday (bad fan), as I travelled to Tooting and Mitcham to see the home side take on Kingstonian FC. After Kingstonian's 4-1 win and in keeping with original theme of the blog (Arsenal and Non League), I spent twenty minutes with their skipper and former Arsenal midfielder Ian Selley to discuss life in Non league, life at Arsenal and the difference between the two. The chat came the day after Arsenal's mauling at the hands of Man United, so the topics of strengthening the side and where they had gone wrong the day before were up for serious discussion. This is what Ian had to say:

Having started at Arsenal, what was the biggest difference you noticed when you started playing at this level?

It's a tough league, people expect the players who have played at the highest level to come in and for it to be easy for them, but it's not. Y'know, you've got to work hard, it's quite physical and it's tough. It takes a while to adjust really, it took me 6 months to fully adjust, and if you come with a bit of a reputation teams just want to boot you all over the place.

For you though, was it hard coming down to a level where players aren't as good as the ones you are used to playing with?

I think the lower you go down the leagues after the premiership, where you have two or three options to pass it, and if you give away the ball you're a bad player, whereas lower down the leagues you can take a touch, look up and you might only have the one option, and at this level sometimes you won't have anybody and you've got to take another touch and another touch and that's when you probably give it away. It's hard, it's not an easy league and you just have to be consistent really - the teams that have done well have just ground out results.

The thing I have noticed about this level is that if you have a decent, organised team then you are going to get a result, and the better teams tend to be able to shut up shop.

Yeah, you really have to work hard for the 3 points.

You played some really good stuff today, is that the sort of play encouraged?

It is, the management likes ball players, but even though we haven't started too well, we've played some good football, created chances but they haven't gone in, but now it's starting to click. It's a new team, it takes time to gel and if we can carry on from today, touch wood we'll be in the playoffs.

One thing that we noticed today was Martin Tyler on the bench! What's it like having him on the sideline?

He's enthusiastic, he cheers the lads on and obviously he knows the game obviously with how many Premiership games he has covered so he knows what he is talking about, and in the changing room he is a great help, particularly for the young boys out there.

Have you ever heard him lose his rag?

Errrr...touch wood not yet, no! He's gone close a couple of times but I've not quite seen him throw the cups around the changing rooms just yet!

So what's your weekly routine like, because you're coaching over at Woking as well aren't you?

Yeah, the manager sorted us out 3 days a week over at Woking academy, for the 17-19 year olds, as well as the work over at Kingstonian, so just filling my week up really.

Do you enjoy it?

I really enjoy it, it's one of those things that when you come towards the end of your playing days you think, 'Are you going to be any good at coaching?', and I think if I gave up football completely the missus would start to hate me! (laughs)

Gets you out of the house!

Yeah yeah, I've enjoyed it, and as well I've had a lot of injuries in my career so that's why I'm trying to get into coaching as well now, and as long as I can get through games as well now it's good.

So how's it been going trying to play regularly? Because you've had a couple of really, really bad injuries...

I've broke my leg, I've done my achilles so..

90 minutes is a good run out then?

Yeah, I'm at the age of 37 now, so I take each game as it comes now, and as we play Saturday and Mondays it's obviously quite hard, so with the coaching side of it, it stops you from just standing about and loosens the body up a bit.

Good lads down at Woking?

Yeah, they have a really good set up, with 90 kids over there so lots of coaching.

Their first team won 6-3 today

Oh really? They've had a decent pre-season and I expect them to do well.

Bamos - One of the things I noticed today was that compared to Tooting, your players had a good two inches on them. The subs you brought on really helped with their size.

Yeah, I think it's useful to bring those lads on if you are chasing a game as they are a real handful. We've got two ways of playing - we can knock it about a bit but if we need to go direct we can. We haven't scored that many but we are creating more and more chances.

It was never really in doubt today though

No, but I think they'll be there or there abouts at the end of the season.

How about the set up down here? Obviously you don't have the day in, day out facilities that you had before - what's your normal training week like?

We train Monday evenings and Thursdays, we train at Kingston College which has good facilities, the pitches are nice etc. Kingstonian try and do it the right way, I think they are trying to run it as full time a professional outfit as they can but it's difficult - you do your Mondays and Thursdays but when the games start coming in, Thursday you work on your set pieces and get yourself a bit loose really. I've been around the Conference and Non League for a while now, and the clubs I tend to go for are ones that are obviously run the right way. I went to Croydon because one of my friends was running it down there, and even though it was a lower level league it was run the right way in terms of facilities - lots of clubs don't have the money so they try and do the best they can to run it the right way, and if they do that then they'll attract the bigger players anyway.

In terms of your Non League career, what's been the highlights?

Probably the time I had at Woking, I spent four years there, and with me being from the area we had some good times, it was a good squad and the team always socialised together, it was good times and I had a lot of friends there.

Do you get more of a team spirit down here? More camaraderie?

Yeah, that's what the manager is trying to get going down here, he wants the team to go for a curry every two or three weeks, let the lads have a night out and it goes a long way. I think a team needs to go out and have a social side to them, when it gets to winter and you know you are up against it, you know you'll want to be able to rely on a mate.

Going onto Arsenal - yesterdays result....

It was shocking, I've watched it again now and there just doesn't seem to be the passion there. They have the privilege of putting on the Arsenal shirt and they should be going out there and fighting, do what ever they can. I know they had a lot of players out and it's against Man United, but it's 11 vs 11 out there.

No disrespect but I wouldn't expect Kingstonian to go up there and lose 8-2..

Exactly, it was just the way they did it, a lot of the players just looked disinterested. It's even more disappointing as someone who has played there, you now what is expected and you at least go up there and get in someones face and make yourself a nuisance.

It's completely different from your time at Arsenal, I mean, there seems to be a real lack of character there. As someone who played under George Graham, obviously the team wasn't known for being the best in terms of style but they were always tough to play against and got results when it mattered.

That's it.

Do you keep in touch with any of the lads from that team?

I keep in touch with a few of the old boys, yeah. We play a charity game every now and again on a Sunday, lads like Paul Davis, Chris White and Perry Groves, even Ralf Little turns up every now and again (at this point you can hear me groan). It's fun, we get a few trips away and the club tends to look after the old boys a bit. Brian Hornsby runs the team, and he always has some tickets when we want to go up there and see a game, so I've gone with the wife quite a few times.

Been up recently?

Yeah, we normally get box tickets. We were in the directors box and that's a different world in there!

I went once to a match and sat in a box and when I came out I said the first thing I'd do if I won the lottery would be to get a box there!

(laughs) exactly, it's a lovely stadium and you're not going to find any better than that.

In terms of your career highlights at Arsenal - Parma in 1994?

I think Parma, beating Spurs in the semi final of the FA Cup at Wembley in 1993, and it all came so fast as I broke into the team when I was 18.

I was actually at your first game against Blackburn. I was seven years old.

Oh was you? Blimey (laughs) - cheers for that (laughs). Blimey, long time ago.

Any stories that you can commit to tape? Did you used to go out with the Tuesday club?

Well I was only young, so I was in and out of it, not really a regular like Tony Adams and Ray Parlour!

Do you think that sort of thing is missed now?

The thing is, when the boys used to go out you could pretty much do what you wanted, but nowadays there is too many press about, too many kiss and tells and to be fair you have to be fit nowadays because the game is totally different. When we used to play at Highbury, win lose or draw Tony would come in with two crates of beer down on the bench and you'd tuck into a few cans of lager, and then you would go upstairs to the lounge to see your family and friends and you would have another few beers and then you would normally end up going out. You'd never see that now, it's completely different.

You were there when Arsene Wenger came in, weren't you?

Yeah I had six months under him, and even though I left the club he was always fair with us - I knew deep down that with the players he was bringing in I wasn't going to be a part of his plans, he was up front and said Fulham have come in and made an offer for you and we've accepted.

What was the main difference when he came in?

The training. No disrespect to George Graham because he gave me my chance, but he'd do work on keep ball for an hour, hour and a half and after ten minutes the lads would lose interest. Under Wenger took over it was five minutes, stop, get a drink, five minutes etc. At the peak you'd be flat out, whereas George would drag it out. Arsene changed the game when he came over.

Do you think it's gone too far now with Arsenal? I mean, you see all the injuries they pick up..

Well yeah, but the game is a lot quicker these days and you have to be the elite of the elite really. He's under pressure to bring players in at the moment and I don't think there is anything else he can do at the moment, when he is quizzed on it he seems to stutter, I know he has signed a lad from Monaco, but you look at someone like Cahill and they are offering 7 million below his valuation and sometimes you think just give them what they want. Normally he is spot on but I don't know if he has played it right this time..

Bamos - where do you think they'll finish this year?

I still think they'll be in the top six, but they need to get started really - I think the fans are getting despondant, and when they start to turn it's trouble. If he starts pulling players in and out then fair play, but I don't now what players are out there to bring in.

If you had to sign three players for Arsenal now, who would they be? Ian Selley from Kingstonian?

He's past it (laughter) I don't know to be honest, the whole Nasri and Fabregas thing got dragged out for far too long, there is no point having players there who don't want to be there. I don't understand why he dragged it and dragged it.

As someone who has played for the old guard, what's your opinion on the modern premiership footballer?

It's totally different - like I've said you have to look after yourself and you can't get away with anything.

Think they get paid too much? I suppose we would all like to earn it....

We all say it but if someone offers you five times your salary are you going to tell me you would say no? It has gone mad, but if clubs can pay it and can afford to pay it, then it's up to them. You can't blame the players for demanding money, everybody wants a payrise. The real problem is that there is no loyalty at clubs anymore.

Look at Jack Wilshere, young lad and a local, loves the club.

There is a lot of weight on his shoulders, he's a quality player and will be a world class player one day. He's only 19 and people are expecting him to run the show.

Did you feel much pressure when you came into the team?

Not really, it was more of a shock. I went to Norway in pre-season, did well, and after some lads went down with injuries George threw me in. I didn't play particularly well on my debut, but George was always fair with us. If I played well in the reserves and did well in training, he always gave me another chance. It was a good club to be at, hopefully they can turn it round now. I'm pretty sure they can, but it's going to take a lot of hard work and a few new players in.

Do you think there will be another time when you'll have so many local lads in the team?

I think they should limit it to the amount of foreigners they do play to help the young talent come through. It's hard because do you want to go out and spend or let the talent come through? The easy option is to go out and spend it on getting someone else in when there is talent in the squad already.

Any crazy gang stories from your time at Wimbledon?

A lot of the boys were leaving when I first got there, but there was still fires in the changing rooms and tires let down, and that was the sort of stuff you would expect when you first joined a club like Wimbledon back then. But I don't think it would happen anymore.

Any other highlights outside of Parma and beating Spurs?

I think it was just the privilege of playing for Arsenal, I was never the best of players but I always had a good attitude and I always worked hard at what I did, and that's what frustrates me when you see players in the team now - they have the quality but their attitude doesn't seem to be there. All the fans want is someone who'll run around, smash a few people and take an interest in who they are playing for.

I've never been to a Non League game before - sell me on coming to Kingstonian.

I think it's a club that is going to go places. The manager has done a lot of work for the club getting sponsors and finance in, and it's nice family club. It's a nice setup, we are obviously renting the ground at the moment. I think they are getting free rent on the ground after selling it to AFC Wimbledon, but in the next 2 or 3 years they'll be hoping to buy it back.

What do you feel about AFC Wimbledon?

Well, it always means the pitch is nice (laughs), and the grounds looked after.

We'll round it up now! Toughest opponent?

John Moncur, believe it or not. He wasn't a hardman, you just couldn't get near him! People are always surprised when I say that. Desailly was a decent player, but John Moncur was such a tidy player on the ball I couldn't get near him!

Outside of Highbury, best ground you've played at?

San Siro, definitely.

Non League? Kingstonian aside.

Woking, actually. Lovely set up.

Well, we'll wrap it up there. Thanks very much Ian, it's been an absolute pleasure.

Cheers.

I just want to thank Ian again for being an absolute gent in accommodating us for a chat and being nothing but honest. I wish him and Kingstonian all the best for the coming season, and who knows, maybe at the end of the season we can have another catch up to talk about how both Arsenal and Kingstonian have got on during the season. Ian can be found on twitter @Ian_Selley, and from first hand experience I would suggest a day at Kingstonian as they play some great stuff, and you could even meet Martin Tyler!

Hope you have enjoyed this read, please share with your Arsenal or all other footballing friends. I'm on twitter @wearethewood , and all RTs, feedbacks, reposts and comments are welcome. I'll be back with a Wood update before Saturday's game with Truro. Until next time..

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