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!