Farnborough    4 – 0    Boreham Wood

(Blue Square Bet South)

At Cherrywood Road, on Saturday 14 January 2012

by John D. Gill

Boreham Wood Manager Ian Allinson was severely restricted in his team selection for the away trip to Farnborough on Saturday, in the Blue Square Bet South.

Justin Cochrane, Luke Garrard, David Bryant, Daryl McMahon and Sam Cox were all
serving F.A. suspensions and therefore unavailable.    On top of that Loan forward Michael Thalassitis had returned to League One side Stevenage.

On the plus side Team Captain Mario Noto returned after a long spell out through
injury and played a full ninety minutes in a League game for the first time since 3 September 2011.

Midfielder Chet Johnson was given his full First Team debut, since joining Boreham Wood from Hertford Town, some months ago.    In fact Johnson looked very impressive in the early stages of the game, but faded in the latter stages.

Wood suffered an early setback after just three minutes, when nineteen year old Reece Connolly, a Loan forward from Aldershot Town, looped his shot over Michael Jordan from twenty yards out.

Jordan then saved well to prevent Daniel Bennett from increasing the lead. Farnborough kept the Wood defence under pressure and forced the first corner of the match after eight minutes.

As Wood gradually came more into the game, Mario Noto unleashed a forty yard shot
that just cleared the crossbar.    Sam Lechmere then crossed from the right and Mark Jones raced forward but shot just wide of the Farnborough goal.

Farnborough eventually increased their lead after twenty-six minutes, when the dangerous and impressive Connolly shot past Jordan from ten yards following a Nathan Webb cross.    Within a minute Wood had their best chance of the game when Mark Jones crossed from wide on the left and Simeon Akinola got in a goal bound header, but Tom Lovelock  just managed to fingertip the ball over the crossbar.

Farnborough finally put the game beyond Wood’s reach after thirty-nine minutes, when Luke Wilkinson fouled Reece Connolly in the penalty area, and gained a yellow card for his mistake.    Connolly stepped up and completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, despite Jordan diving the right way.

Then in stoppage time at the end of the first half Farnborough seized on another
opportunity and made the score 4 – 0, when Nathan Webb made the most of a
defensive mix-up.

Wood made two Substitutions at the start of the second half with youngsters Calaum
Martin and Ruddock Yala replacing Sam Lechmere and David Hutton.

Wood showed more intent after the break and a Charlie Hunter free kick was headed
back across goal by Charlie O’Loughlin but Simeon Akinola’s far post shot was well saved by Tom Lovelock.    Then another attack saw Mario Noto cross from the right but the ball was hurriedly cleared behind for a corner kick by Orlando Jeffrey at the near post.

Farnborough were reduced to ten men in the 65th minute, when young full back
Miles Smith was shown a second yellow card followed by a red card.    Despite a much improved performance Wood were unable to take any advantage in the closing stages.

Team:    Jordan, Sankofa, Jones, Hunter, O’Loughlin, Wilkinson (Sub – Beckles 60 mins.), Lechmere (Sub – Martin 45 mins.), Noto, Akinola, Johnson, Hutton (Sub – Yala 45 mins.).

Subs (Not used):    Scott-Morris, Brathwaite.

Bookings:    Wilkinson, Noto, Yala.

Goals:    Farnborough:    Connolly 3, 26 and 39 pen., Webb 45.

Wood Man of the Match:    Mark Jones.

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