Boreham Wood needed a penalty shootout to overcome Dartford in their FA Trophy replay, with the score 2-2 at the end of extra time.

Wood goalkeeper Grant Smith was the hero, saving three out of four Dartford penalties.

The Darts had twice led the game, with Ryan Hayes opening the scoring shortly after half-time.

Bruno Andrade levelled the scoring, with a superb solo effort, but the Darts were soon in the lead again, thanks to on-loan forward Danny Mills.

With 10 minutes of injury time added on, Shaun Jeffers pulled it level once again, sending the Wood Army into raptures.

The two sides failed to score in extra time, but the Wood stepped up to win a nervy penalty shootout.

Keiran Murtagh had returned to the starting line-up in midfield, with Tom Champion dropping into the back three.

Angelo Balanta tested the Dartford stopper early on, with a long-range drive, but Deren Ibrahim was equal to it.

The match had picked up in similar fashion to the tie at Princes Park, but Luke Garrard’s side were seeing the majority of possession in the opening minutes.

Ricky Shakes swung a ball in from the left and it was only deflected as far of Kane Smith, but he crashed wide.

Hayes curled the ball in from the right, but Mills was unable to get his head to the it. The Wood countered and Balanta fizzled a strike at Ibrahim, who pushed wide.

Grant Smith had to be at his best to divert Tom Champion’s misplaced header, which was heading for his own top corner.

Balanta had looked lively in the opening exchanges and when the ball dropped sweetly for him just outside of the box, he instinctively thrashed a half-volley at Ibrahim, but it brushed past the post.

Dartford opened the scoring in the second half, Hayes had picked up the ball and flew a viscous strike past Wood stopper Smith.

Dan Holman had been brought on to add to the Wood attack, and nearly scored with his first touch, but he was unable to direct his shot past Ibrahim, having met a looping through ball.

The Wood were level with 17 minutes to go, Andrade had picked up the ball, darted forward and crashed an impressive long-range strike past Ibrahim.

However, the host’s lead didn’t last long, as Mills snapped at a ricochet in the area, to poke past Smith.

Looking to again come back from a goal down, Holman curled an effort from just outside of the box, but it sailed narrowly wide.

With ten minutes of injury time added on, the hosts packed into the Dartford area, where several scrapped at a goal-line scramble, that Dartford were able to force wide.

David Stephens, who had been pushed up-front, nodded on Andrade’s cross and Holman followed it through, but was unable to slip it past the Dartford ‘keeper.

With just seconds remaining, Jeffers pulled it level for the hosts; he reacted fastest after Dartford had failed to deal with a ball into the box and cracked a shot into the back of the net.

As the match was sent into extra time, the Wood took control and displayed their impressive fitness levels. The hosts were crammed into the opposition’s area as they constantly attacked the Dartford defence.

Jeffers and Holman both went close, following a cross from Kane Smith, but neither could get a toe to the ball.

Andrade then crashed a free-kick against the wall, as Dartford attempted to hold on. David Stephens leapt highest once again to nod a through ball into the area, but Ibrahim reacted fastest to claw from the Wood attack.

Dartford managed to hold on in extra time, and sent the match to a penalty shootout.

Andrade, Jeffers and Sorba Thomas all stepped up for the hosts to coolly slot past Ibrahim from the spot.

Elliot Bradbrook had taken, and scored the first penalty for the visitors, but Grant Smith performed heroics, to then deny Dartford from the spot, not once, not twice, but three times, to seal the win and the Wood’s place in the next round of the FA Trophy.

The Wood: G Smith, K Smith, Ricketts © (Thomas 103), Wells (Turley 50), Stephens, Shakes, Champion, Murtagh, Andrade, Jeffers, Balanta (Holman 64)

Subs not used: Burbidge, Sach

Dartford: Ibrahim, Harris (Sho-Silva 90), Onyemah, Bonner, Vint, Della-Verde, Hayes, Bradbrook ©, Mills (Pavey 90), Brown (Pugh 67), Murphy

Subs not used: Noble, Mfula

Goals:

The Wood: Andrade 73’, Jeffers 90+’

Dartford: Hayes 52’, Mills 77’

Penalties:

The Wood: Andrade, Jeffers, Thomas 

Dartford: Bradbrook

 

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