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.
