Wood 3 Dartford 1, Part 1: The Chairman Speaks, The Backroom re-shuffles

I bloody knew I should have tipped us to win in the preview blog…

I strolled into Meadow Park last Saturday (after negotiating a disgusting service from First Capital Connect) in a confident mood. Maybe it was because I didn’t have a hangover on a Saturday morning. Maybe it was because I was asked on the way in if I was the physio’s boyfriend (for the record, I am not). Or maybe, just maybe, it was because despite their respective positions in the league I fancied Wood to pick up all 3 points against Dartford.

For the first time this season I purchased a programme. I’m not normally a programme person, in fact I often find them a waste of time (I have been brought up on Arsenal’s ‘tow the line’ approach to programmes where nothing approaching an opinion is allowed in). However, with the recent soundbites of ‘disruptive influences in the dressing room’, I thought I would chance my arm and see if there would be any follow up to this. I was glad I did.

In a two page statement called ‘A Progress Report’ (I believe these appear regularly), chairman Danny Hunter got straight to the point in a manner not normally seen from club chairmen - complete honesty. Selected highlights from the article include:

'With myself and the staff at the club putting so much work into improving things in pre-season, perhaps I have, as Chairman, taken my eye off a few things since, and although I have observed situations of late that haven't been acceptable to bringing success on the field, I haven't dealt with them quickly enough'

'When I read John Mead's recent match report on our performance at Slough last week, it was emotive, provoking and passionate, but it also asked more questions than it answered...which got me thinking that our supporters needed to be kept informed of the clubs problems from time to time, as your understanding is essential. So perhaps what's needed is a dollop of truth, and perhaps it needed to be aired constructively, by myself, to the gaffer and to the dressing room.'

'As such we all had a very positive meeting here at the club on Monday evening prior to their training. We discussed expectations and the clubs ambition, the standards required, the consistency needed at this level and the problems collectively we've encountered this season. We discussed injuries, players making themselves unavailable and certain senior players and staff being disruptive, we discussed indiscipline and with some a lack of desire to progress with us as a football club.

'Apart from perhaps Woking, Dover and Dartford, we can compete with the other clubs in this division on a level playing field. No disrespect intended to Sutton United, Welling Basingstoke, Bromley, Farnborough, Havant, Salisbury, Eastleigh, Eastbourne or even Chelmsford, who I suppose are the next crop of contenders. As long as we are a united club, with a great changing room spirit, we can, with hard work and good players, challenge!'

'Yes, those clubs get 300 more than us, but that's 25 times a season, and this equates, at a rough £10 split, to around £70,000, which we can and do make up elsewhere. It's simple.'

'...we have a profitable club, we are also desperately trying to progress and we are ambitious enough to have a go!!'

'Quite rightly this week has seen some soul searching, certainly from myself, so I hope that everyone can now accept that we can all do a lot better from top to bottom with a clear resolve to improve things across the board.'

Quite the statement (and this was the abridged version) I think you’ll agree. Let’s look at some of the key points and ramifications:

‘Perhaps I have taken my eye off the ball/haven’t dealt with problems quickly enough’

Straight to the point – things had begun to fester at Boreham Wood, and the chairman has admitted that he has maybe not been as close as he should have been to nip this in the bud. The acknowledgement is the key part. No head in the sand here.

‘which got me thinking that our supporters needed to be kept informed of the clubs problems from time to time, as your understanding is essential. So perhaps what's needed is a dollop of truth, and perhaps it needed to be aired constructively, by myself, to the gaffer and to the dressing room.'

Two points here – firstly, the fans could be doing with being updated on a more regular basis, particularly with the high turnover in players we have had this season. It’s a tough job with a seeming revolving door at times at Meadow Park, but a few lines on the website or even a weekly re-cap of comings and goings wouldn’t go amiss (particularly for those of us who like to write about the team) . Secondly, I wasn’t too sure about the whole dishing out the truth message coming from Hunter himself, but in any case it seemed to do the trick on Saturday. I just hope that it doesn’t become too regular an occurrence!

‘We discussed injuries, players making themselves unavailable and certain senior players and staff being disruptive, we discussed indiscipline and with some a lack of desire to progress with us as a football club’

This is where the real changes started to be seen – it seems as if Darren Currie, who came to the club in the summer from Rushden as player/assistant manager, was the negative and disruptive influence in the dressing room, as he has been replaced by Daryl McMahon as assistant manager! Again, no statement has been made from the club regarding this, but it was a quick transition as I found out by looking at the squad page of the programme! Obviously I have no idea about the goings on behind the scenes when it comes to these matters, but his reaction to being taken off at Chelmsford (one which I mistakenly took for passion) was in hindsight an obvious example of his disruptive influence. As for players making themselves unavailable – Stephen O’ Leary being the obvious example, not showing up against Staines and then not being seen again, I can appreciate that it can be hard at times for players with other commitments be it work or study, but for those who flat out refuse or do not even show up, the club is far better off without them. It seems a hard line approach is now in place at Wood, with hungry young players looking for their chances to shine in the first team. With only 4 certain starters in the team, competition is rife and players cannot afford to be in any ways not giving 100%.

'Apart from perhaps Woking, Dover and Dartford, we can compete with the other clubs in this division on a level playing field. No disrespect intended to Sutton United, Welling Basingstoke, Bromley, Farnborough, Havant, Salisbury, Eastleigh, Eastbourne or even Chelmsford, who I suppose are the next crop of contenders. As long as we are a united club, with a great changing room spirit, we can, with hard work and good players, challenge!'

'Yes, those clubs get 300 more than us, but that's 25 times a season, and this equates, at a rough £10 split, to around £70,000, which we can and do make up elsewhere. It's simple.'

'...we have a profitable club, we are also desperately trying to progress and we are ambitious enough to have a go!!'

This was a very interesting few paragraphs, as it’s not often you see a chairman come out and explicitly talk about financial matters, especially when it comes to how better off you are than a lot of your rivals! Whilst I don’t think it will do Hunter’s reputation amongst rival fans much good (and I suppose if you make comments like these you are hardly likely to care), it does give Wood fans reassurance that Wood can and will compete with the majority of the league. I know the injuries have been talked about again and again, but it has been very cruel this season, and with a full squad to pick from I’m sure we would be pushing at least the play offs now. With key players returning at Christmas and with the club seemingly turning a corner, this could be the start of something good at Meadow Park. It’s just a shame that we have to rely on outside business interests and not people through the gate to help us compete…..

All of this made for fantastic and encouraging reading before the game, which I will be reviewing in Part 2 of this blog (I didn’t want to smother you with 10,000 words) along with a preview of Wood’s trip to Hampton and Richmond this Saturday.

Until then….

WE ARE THE WOOD!

Boreham Wood 0 Havant and Waterlooville 1: Not good enough

The first day of a new football season brings about a wide range of emotions. Optimism, excitement, even despair - the spectrum of feelings is varied to say the least.

I awoke on Saturday morning extremely excited. In fact, I was so excited that I got up at 8am when I had been longing for a lie in all week. Not being able to nod back off, I got out of bed, showered, had breakfast and headed off to get my hair cut all before 9:30am. After my lethargy towards football over the final four months of last season, I was taken aback by just how thrilled I was that it was the opening day of the season. But that's what the opening day of the season does to you - it lures you in with a false sense of security that things are going to be different and then kicks you square between the legs and delivers the same old rubbish but on a different day in a different setting.

I'll make no bones about this - the 180 minutes of Wood vs Havant and Waterlooville followed by Newcastle vs Arsenal was absolutely offensive, but at least I was half expecting the first game to be pretty bad. I can only apologise to my companions for the day, who took the feast of bad football with good grace and never complained once.

Onto the game - Wood lined up with a couple of new faces in the side. With Mario Noto in the stands (and sporting a very smart suit), new player/assistant manager Darren Currie lined up in midfield to add a creative spark, and to my surprise, completed a full 90 minutes. Despite his aging legs, Currie looked very good and you could tell that he has that extra bit of class that comes with a long career in league football. He always appeared to have an extra few seconds on the ball, but was sadly let down by his team mates, and let his obvious frustrations show on more than one occasion, mainly at Ali Chaaban, whose constant need to take five touches too many seemed to grate on Currie.

He was joined in the side by Latvian Under 21 International Elvis Putnins, who returned to the club on loan from QPR, leaving Michael Jordan, who had largely impressed during pre-season, on the bench. Whilst his ability to come and claim crosses was far superior to what I have seen from Jordan, his distribution left a lot to be desired. In fact, on more than one occasion it was dreadful. When the home side were pushing for an equaliser, there were times when Putnins could not have gotten rid of the ball any slower, and it looked like his confidence had been knocked following a number of poor clearances.

Putnins didn't stand a chance with Havant's winner, which came after only two minutes. Lee Peacock, who I noted in my last blog as Havant's key dangerman, blasted the ball into the top corner from the penalty spot following Craig Braham-Barrett's cut back. It was the worst possible start, especially after Luke Garrard, captain for the day, limped off in the first minute after over exerting himself in a foray forward. Wood never really recovered from this early double blow, and with a well organised Havant side closing off play very effectively, the game was as good as finished within the first few minutes.

That's not to say it was all bad, just mostly. Luke Wilkinson impressed after taking the armband, and looked very composed on the ball and in the air, and even added a sense of urgency going forward when Wood began to chase the game. Despite a surprisingly quiet game, Daryl McMahon almost produced a piece of magic midway through the first half with a thunderous free kick that came off the upright with the Havant keeper scrambling across his goalmouth. Unfortunately he then spent the rest of the game committing a series of reckless fouls, culminating in an awful lunge from behind late on that should have really seen red. The more eagle eyed readers among you will have noticed that this isn't the first time I have said this about the Irishman. Needless to say tackling is not his forte, and no, I don't mean that in a chuckling 'Paul Scholes can't tackle' whilst he maimed another opponent - I mean McMahon really needs to watch his challenges if he doesn't want to watch more games from the stands.

The only other positives on the pitch came from the introduction of Olly Palmer for the largely anonymous Inih Effiong. Almost immediately after his introduction, Palmer created a fine chance for Pelly Ruddock with a deft movement away from his marker. Unfortunately Ruddock could only fire straight at the keeper. Palmer then had a couple of chances that resulted in him heading against the crossbar from about a yard out, which was less than he deserved for his industrious efforts after coming off the bench. I look forward to seeing more of the loan man in action.

Havant, to their credit, were an extremely well organised team and this was the difference between the two teams, with Wood largely playing like a team of strangers, with Noto especially missed from the side. Solid in defence, good on the break and adept at holding onto the ball, they were deserved winners on the day. They should also be commended for their travelling support, who brought a huge flag and were in good voice all through the game. One of them was even sporting a jester hat. This was probably my highlight of the second half. I think that if Wood had of played for another 90 minutes, they wouldn't have scored, and that is credit to The Hawks for a very solid display.

Another thing that dawned on me was that the difference between league and non league football is not just seen in the players or in the facilities - it also stretches to the officials. Even though it didn't end up having a huge impact on the game, the referee and his two assistants were absolutely dreadful. I mean, hilariously so. They felt the wrath of both managers on occasion, and it was entirely deserved. I don't advocate severe abuse or intimidation of officials, but I feel both managers were well within their rights to show their anger here. A truly inept showing.

Wood lined up as follows:

Team: Putnins, Sankofa, Brathwaite, Hunter, Wilkinson, O’Loughlin, Ruddock, Garrard (Sub – Chaaban 6 mins.), Effiong (Sub – Palmer 62 mins.), McMahon, Currie.

Subs (Not used): Yala, Lawal, Jordan.

Ian Allinson told the clubs official website that the game was “a reasonable score line given our first half showing. That said I felt we had the better chances whilst they had the majority of the possession and to their credit they closed us down well. We are missing five key players now and that possibly left us short in some areas. We did not play well, yet we did not get battered, in a game where we were forced deep and gave the ball away for fun.” A very honest assessment indeed.

All in all a very disappointing performance from Wood, with a few positives to take from the game. Wood will look to bounce back against Bromley tonight, a game I will be attending with Bromley man and Richard Browne lookalike, The Telegraph's own Thom Gibbs. I am hoping that Wood pick themselves up and do not subject me to a humiliating trip to deepest South London, and hopefully with a reshuffled side, potentially with Ollie Palmer up front, Wood can get back on track with a win. Bromley themselves have had an excellent start, winning away at Hampton and Richmond on Saturday, and will be looking to start their home campaign with a win. I'm just hoping that come the final whistle I won't be cursing myself for not staying in and watching Arsenal vs Udinese. But then again.....no, I won't get into that. It's far too late. Actually, I already covered Arsenal in a piece for Dodgy Knees Blog, so check that out.

Thanks for reading and as always, feedback is greatly appreciated. I can be found on here and on twitter @wearethewood. I've hopefully got some exciting things in the pipeline for this blog, but I'll keep them under wraps for now.

Until next time...

WE ARE THE WOOD!

It's Finally Here: Havant and Waterlooville Preview

So tomorrow is the big one, the start of the 2011/2012 season. My God I can't wait.

Like a kid at Christmas I have been getting more and more excited about the new season, which is a bit silly as I could potentially be spending the next 9 months watching some of the worst football I have ever seen. Having said that, I am confident that this will not be the case. Wood have got a good footballing philosophy, with Ian Allinson encouraging his players to get the ball down and play, and with the new recruits brought in over the summer, Wood should play some attractive stuff.

The first league game of the season brings Havant and Waterlooville to Meadow Park. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a bit of a fond spot for Havant after their plucky efforts in the FA Cup in 2008, going ahead twice at Anfield in round four before ultimately succumbing to Liverpool's superior class. They were also the subject of one of my favourite stories of the Non League Pre-Season, as they stepped in at the 11th hour to face the mighty Real Betis in a friendly after Portsmouth got stranded in the USA. Betis unsurprisingly ran out 7-0 winners, but it was a great day for all concerned, and it's not often that you get a large Spanish side (who once held the world record transfer for Denilson - no, not THAT one) turning out at a Blue Square South ground. That is, of course, until Barcelona face up to their one true rival in European Football and bring Messi, Iniesta et al to Meadow Park.

Looking through their squad list, one name jumps out at me - that of Lee Peacock, who joined the side over the summer. Having played at, amongst others, Manchester City, Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday, Peacock brings vast experience to the Havant side, and should be a real danger to the Wood backline tomorrow afternoon. Due to their locality there is also obviously a Portsmouth connection with the club, not only through manager Shaun Gale, but also in their goalkeeping coach, Pompey legend Alan Knight. They will however, be feeling the loss of Guiseppe Sole amongst others, who left after one season to try and gain promotion at title favourites Woking. I imagine the Havant fans would like to call upon Dean Holdsworth, Liam Daish and Rocky Baptiste (remember THIS?) in their prime to help out now, who are listed amongst the notable players to have turned out at Westleigh Park.

PREDICTIONS

Wood will have a lot to prove this season after heavy investment, and certainly chairman Danny Hunter will want to see his outlay repaid in good performances on the field. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say by the end of the 2011/2012 season, Wood will have been pushing for, if not in the Play Offs. Wood have bought well, and the signs from pre-season were mostly encouraging. With the likes of Daryl McMahon and Mario Noto pulling strings in midfield, as well as the significant work done on the back line in the form of goalkeeper Michael Jordan and defenders Charlie O' Laughlin, James Smith and the return of Luke Wilkinson, Boreham Wood now have the right balance and a strong spine in the side, not to mention up and coming prospects such as Inih Effiong waiting to grab their opportunities in the first team.

As for tomorrow, I'm expecting a decent game , with both sides looking to put a marker down for the season to come. Wood will want to impress their fans on their first competitive fixture of a largely new side, whilst Havant will want to ease the fears of manager Shaun Gale, who recently got the dreaded 'Vote of Confidence' from his board. I'm going for a 2-1 victory for Wood, to get their season off to a flyer.

Thanks for reading, and as always, feedback is appreciated. Best of luck to all Non League teams (except against Wood) and fans for the coming season and if you are not at game yourself, why not pop along to Boreham Wood? It's easily accessible by train (25 mins from Kings Cross) and car (just off the A1), and with first class facilities for food and drink, you'd be hard pressed to find a better set up at this level.

Enjoy your weekend, enjoy your games - please tell your friends about this blog! I can be found on the comments section or on twitter @wearethewood.

Until next time…

WE ARE THE WOOD!

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!