BLUE SQUARE BET SOUTH
Eastleigh – 3
Boreham Wood – 0
By John D. Gill
Boreham Wood had an unsuccessful trip to Hampshire on Saturday, when they lost 0 – 3 at Eastleigh in the Blue Square Bet South. Eastleigh are currently seventh in the table, whilst Wood are trying to move out of the relegation zone.
Manager Ian Allinson is still trying to build a Squad capable of keeping Boreham Wood in the second tier of Non League football. He has recently released Lee Allinson, Leon McKenzie, Junior Dadson, Fola Onibuje and Curtis Ujah. Meanwhile his latest addition to the Meadow Park Club is twenty-two year old attacking left sided player Sam Hurrell, who has joined the Club initially on a one month Temporary Transfer from Woking. Hurrell made an impressive First Team debut at Eastleigh.
Eastleigh achieved the perfect start to the game, when in less than sixty seconds they went 1 – 0
ahead when Richard Graham crossed from the left to find Tony Taggart, unmarked at the back post, and the on-Loan winger from Newport County headed goal wards from close range and made no mistake in beating Ashlee Jones, via the inside of a post. Eastleigh immediately found themselves under pressure in the third and fourth minutes as Wood looked to hit back through their Captain, Mario Noto, who drove a low shot across goal, which was deflected for a corner, before letting fly again moments later. This time Noto’s effort from just outside the area was dragged wide.
The home team went close to doubling its lead from a header. Taggart’s pinpoint delivery was met by Chris Holland but the towering centre back saw his effort clawed off the line and away from danger by Ashlee Jones. It wasn’t long before Eastleigh finally extended their advantage. With sixteen minutes played, Jamie Slabber’s sublime ball over the top of the Boreham Wood defence created the goalscoring opportunity for Richard Gillespie who had made a great run in behind to meet the pass and round the move off leaving his marker behind before beating Jones to the ball and finding the back of the net with a tidy finish. Then in the 22nd minute, Gillespie drew a save from Jones after his impressive run.
Soon afterwards Wood’s new boy Sam Hurrell squeezed a shot from the left towards the bottom corner of Eastleigh’s goal where Jason Matthews had to be alert to make a smart stop low down at his near post. The remainder of the half saw chances few and far between with Taggart shooting straight at the ‘keeper with a tame shot in the 34th minute before the game went into a lull. In the closing stages of the first half, Gillespie and Warren Goodhind collided accidentally leaving Eastleigh with nine players on the pitch for a short space of time before returning to the field of play.
Lee Kersey headed high over the bar two minutes before the break, failing to trouble Matthews from a corner; before at the opposite end Anthony Riviere hit a speculative left footed drive from twenty-five yards that was well caught by Ashlee Jones.
The second half started well for Eastleigh with Tony Taggart crossing from the right where Richard Graham saw his header cleared off the line. The hosts kept the pressure on Wood and following two successive corners, they capitalised by extending their lead to three goals and effectively kill off the game, even though it was only the 53rd minute. Chris Holland jumped high above the Wood defence to head home his fourth goal of the Season. The ball was powered towards goal by Tony Taggart and went into the net off the underside of the cross bar.
Two minutes shy of the hour David King glanced a header across the face of goal for Wood but couldn’t get his effort on target. Eastleigh created another chance in the 66th minute when Taggart had a strong run forward before squaring the ball to Gillespie, but he allowed the ball to run a little too far wide before forcing a save from Ashlee Jones.
Boreham Wood refused to give up and battled to the end and Sam Hurrell had a shot pushed away from goal by Jason Matthews late in the game.
Boreham Wood Team: Jones, Garrard, Brathwaite, Moran, Kersey, Noto, Cochrane, Godfrey, Hurrell, King (Sub – Benjamin 65 mins.), Cracknell.
Subs (Not used): Morgan, Fraser, Kirby, Baker-Owers.
Goals: Eastleigh: Taggart 1, Gillespie 16, Holland 53.
Man of the Match: Sam Hurrell.
