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!

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.