A tough afternoon for Boreham Wood as Hemel’s clinical set pieces and a pair of red cards ended their FA Youth Cup hopes.
Hemel made the sharper start, going ahead inside the first four minutes. A well-worked free kick was met with a neat header, and Boreham Wood were behind almost before they’d settled.
It could have been worse moments later. Hemel’s Max Walters was played in on goal, but Roman Millar produced a fine save to keep Boreham Wood in the game. Boreham Wood tried to take the sting out of Hemel’s momentum by keeping the ball and passing it around the back. However, in trying to do so they lost possession in a dangerous area and Walters was in again, only for Millar to deny him a second time.
The Wood did have their moments. Isaac Gale used his strength and agility to shrug off a midfielder and played a lovely over-the-top ball to Adewunmi Odeneye. He took it down well and hit it at the near post, but it rattled the woodwork and went narrowly wide. Boreham Wood were knocking on the door.
It had a proper FA Cup feel, with plenty of strong challenges flying in and the referee letting a lot go. It was clear how much the game meant to both sides.
Millar was the busiest man on the pitch. Hemel’s Albert Moriarty found himself in on goal from what began as a simple clearance and tried to place it low and hard to the bottom right, but Millar got down low to meet it. Shortly after, he made another stop to deny Hemel, who must have wondered how they weren’t two up.
At the other end, Tomaso Sadulianu did what a number 10 does best. He skipped past his man with a delicate step-over and curled a left-footed free kick that came back off the crossbar. On the counter, Moriarty was played in again, and again Millar kept him out.
Hemel did get their second goal. A great cross from a corner was tidily finished by Moriarty, and Boreham Wood had a mountain to climb.
Odeneye then showed blistering pace on the wing, breaking away to play a nicely weighted through ball to Muhammadu Sy who was brought down as he went through on goal. The free kick was curled towards the bottom right, but it was saved nicely. Save after save from Millar kept the half-time deficit at two.
Boreham Wood needed a big second half and started brightly. They moved the ball quicker to the wingers this time and used their width and pace to isolate 1v1 situations. The half-time team talk had clearly worked, and the attacking intent was there.
Then tempers rose. An altercation and a chaotic mix-up left Boreham Wood down to ten men. Another set piece put Hemel 3–0 up, and with three goals and a red card, that was probably the dagger.
The rest of the half was scrappy, with many fouls. Boreham Wood fought to the end looking for a goal back, but that left them open at the back, and a ragged fourth made it 4–0. The Wood finished the game with a second red card when a player took out an opponent as the last man.
Ultimately it ended in defeat in the FA Youth Cup. But if there’s one thing this group will do, it’s come back stronger. One bad result won’t define their season and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds.
Written by Adar Canning-Elms.
