Blue Square Bet South

 Boreham Wood    1    Maidenhead United    0

by John Mead

A fractious affair that included ten yellow cards, which could easily have been more, saw Wood move up to seventh in the table albeit having played more games than their nearest rivals.

This meteoric rise up the table, Wood were third from bottom at the start of the month was this evening down to the heroics of ‘keeper Elvijs Putnins, who was simply outstanding!

A smorgasbord of footballing heroes were present to witness Wood’s third straight 1 – 0 victory, continuing their superb run of gathering thirteen points from their last five matches.    Glenn Hoddle cast an eye over his protégé David Hutton who struck home a penalty after 42 minutes.    Dave Beasant, a footballing legend at Stamford Bridge, watched on as his son Sam, following in his father’s footsteps between the sticks, pulled off two outstanding saves to deny Sam Lechmere then Pelly Ruddock.    Loan player Michael Thalassitis also showed visiting Stevenage Manager Graham Westley that his career is on track with a rugged performance leading the Wood attack.

Wood started in commanding form, with a superb run and cross from Hutton, followed by Thalassitis getting beyond the last defender only for his last ball to let him down.    Both sides found the last ball a difficult one to deliver on occasions, with Hutton mesmerizing with his runs, yet on occasions failing to deliver a ball of quality at the outset.

Lechmere and David Bryant then combined finding Hutton who shot tamely at Beasant at the far post.    Max Worsfold’s run was then ended by Charlie O’Loughlin who collected the first yellow card of the evening.

Bryant  had an effort cleared off the line by a defender from a Lechmere corner as Wood looked the likelier to score first.    Hutton tested Beasant from a free kick before Manny Williams looked a certainty to open the scoring for The Magpies.    Played through superbly by Daniel Brown his ferocious shot from eight yards was quite brilliantly held by Putnins.

Thalassitis hit a rising drive that flew just over before having a hand in the penalty.    His forward header was perfect for Bryant who was wrestled two handed by Nevin Saroya to the ground. Somehow he stayed out of the Referee’s book, but Hutton’s resultant penalty was well struck and it needed to be as Beasant went the right way and got a hand to it only to be outdone by the pace of the ball.    Saroya then claimed his booking with a rash challenge through the back of Thalassitis before the interval.

Bradley Quamina then meted out the same rash challenge on Thalassitis to earn his yellow before Lechmere almost claimed the goal of the Season.    Osei Sankofa’s cross from the right was met with a wonderful scissor kick that was bound for the top left hand corner until Beasant performed  heroics to keep the effort out.

Maidenhead United began to turn the screw with Substitute Ashan Holgate sending a free header just over the bar,  before Putnins was equal to his fierce shot across goal.

Hutton then jinked along the goal line pulling back a ball into the path of Mark Jones who blasted over from close range.    Williams then clattered into Putnins as the game started to turn sour.    Reece Tison-Lascaris along with a warming up Substitute saw yellow after an ankle wrenching challenge on Lechmere.

Tison-Lascaris then tested Putnins at his near post, before Substitute Pelly Ruddock was played through on goal by Thalassitis.    He coasted past two defenders but Beasant made a fine save.

Proceedings were then held up whilst Referee Mr. Kendall took an age to decide how to handle a free for all, with both centre forwards receiving bookings.

Putnins again denied Holgate from close range before O’Loughlin cleared an effort off the line as the visitors threw everything at Wood who somehow held on for another victory, surviving seven minutes of stoppage time.

The occasion was seemingly too much for Williams who chose to rush at the Wood bench at the final whistle, before remaining on the pitch long after the rest of his side had departed, taking his frustrations out on the advertising hoardings, a sorry scene that was quite unbelievable to witness.

Team:    Putnins, Sankofa (Sub – Hunter 77 mins.), Jones, Cox, O’Loughlin, Wilkinson, Lechmere (Sub – Ruddock 64 mins.), Isaac, Thalassitis (Sub – Akinola 90+5 mins.), Bryant, Hutton.

Subs (Not used):    Martin, Baker-Owers.

Bookings:    O’Loughlin, Hutton, Thalassitis.

Goal:    Boreham Wood:    Hutton 42 pen.

Man of the Match:    Elvijs Putnins.

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Blue Square Bet South

Dorchester Town    0    Boreham Wood    1

by John Mead

A patched up Wood side continued to turn its Season around.    This well deserved victory was its fourth in five games in the League lifting the side to thirteenth in the table.

With the injury list rising to six First Team players and Nathan Koranteng’s Loan
spell over, the Wood Management were quick to bring in two more new faces for
the game.    Sam Cox, a twenty-one year old defender or holding midfielder, joins from Barnet on a one month Loan, whilst twenty-one year old attacking midfielder David Hutton has signed for the Club.    Hutton was a product of the Glenn Hoddle Academy and featured for Spanish Third Division outfit Jerez Industrial earlier this Season. The Andalucian side are almost entirely made up of Hoddle’s English and Irish starlets, looking for a second chance at a Career in football.

It was not noticeable that the pair had never before trained with the rest of Ian
Allinson’s Squad.    They, along with the rest of the side produced a solid performance that was worthy of the win.

A quickly taken free kick almost bore fruit for The Magpies when Ryan Moss and
Neil Martin combined down the left with Martin’s cross picking out Harrison Bell whose header crashed against the crossbar.

At the other end David Bryant in imperious form of late began to cause the Town
defence problems. Charlie O’Loughlin headed over after fourteen minutes, but
was to be guilty of an even bigger miss ten minutes later. Sam Lechmere’s
corner was scuffed by Luke Wilkinson straight back to Lechmere who picked out
O’Loughlin, rising at the far post to head wide with the goal gaping.    Town created a few openings but found Elvijs Putnins in total command of his area picking crosses out of the air for fun.

The breakthrough came in the thirty-sixth minute when Hutton won a corner.    Lechmere’s delivery from the right was flicked on by O’Loughlin for Bryant who looped his header back over ‘keeper Alan Walker-Harris beyond his reach.

Michael Thalassitis joined the walking wounded after forty-eight minutes with seventeen year old Pelly Ruddock replacing him, showing the gulf between the Blue Square Bet South and Wood’s current Youth prospects is narrowing by the week.

Wood tried to exploit the gap between defence and ‘keeper with a flurry of long balls for Bryant to chase.    The tactic which invariably has an element of giving away possession about it was not one that Town managed to exploit with much success.    As the game wore on Wood looked the more likely to add to the scoring with Ashley Vickers quickly using up all his three Substitutions to no avail.

When Bryant did manage to round the ‘keeper there was nobody to meet his pull back
across goal. Hutton came close to finding a second Wood goal with twenty minutes remaining.    O’Loughlin’s forward ball was headed down by Bryant  on the edge of the area for Hutton whose fierce volley was tipped over the bar in spectacular fashion.

Bryant then found space in a crowded penalty area, taking three touches before superbly setting up the impressive Lechmere who rifled just over the bar.

The Magpies did rally in the last eight minutes contributing to a tense finale, yet the steadfast Putnins stood strong behind his hardworking team to frustrate the Dorset side as Wood march on up the table.

For Ian Allinson it was a victory that Wood “Thoroughly deserved.    We were organised and strong today.    Once we got in front we looked a hard side to break down.    Credit must go to Sam Cox and David Hutton.    They played their part commendably considering they have never trained with us.    I only met Sam before Kick Off!    Special praise must also go to David Bryant whose goals have earned us back to back wins on the road.    With six players to come back at some stage from injury I feel we will only get stronger.”

Team:    Putnins, Sankofa (Sub – Hunter 79 mins.) Jones, Cox, O’Loughlin, Wilkinson, Lechmere, Isaac, Thalassitis (Sub – Ruddock 48 mins.), Bryant, Hutton.

Subs (Not used):    Akinola, Martin, Baker-Owers.

Bookings:    Wilkinson, Jones, Sankofa.

Goal:    Boreham Wood:    Bryant 36.

Man of the Match:    David Bryant.

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