WOOD BEAT “EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS”
Boreham Wood vs. Chelsea XI
Tuesday 3rd August 2021, 7.30pm
Meadow Park, Pre Season Friendly
It was an impressive win for Boreham Wood against a Chelsea XI at Meadow Park when a bullet header from Josh Rees settled the match after fifty-one minutes.
In a quiet first half, Boreham Wood started in the ascendancy and the opening exchanges were played mainly in the visitor’s half. After twelve minutes Josh Rees’s goal bound shot was brilliantly tipped over by Blues keeper Lucas Bergstrom. Ten minutes later it was Chelsea who had their first chance when Harvey Vale shot straight at Nathan Ashmore from distance. On twenty-seven minutes an excellent cross from Frankie Raymond found the head of Tyrone Marsh who forced Bergstrom into another good save. Five minutes later it was Ashmore’s turn to make a good save when he kept out Vale’s curling effort when diving to his right. On forty-one minutes, some excellent interplay involving Kane Smith and Josh Rees created a chance for Kabs Tshimanga whose effort was deflected wide.
Boreham Wood started the second half in the same fashion as they started the first and this time, they had a goal to show for their efforts. On fifty-one minutes an excellent cross from Tshimanga found the head of the impressive Josh Rees who powered his header past Bergstrom in the Chelsea goal to give Boreham Wood the lead. Wood could have doubled their lead almost straight away when Tyrone Marsh put a similar header over the bar. On the hour mark, Thierno Ballo nearly equalised for the Blues but he dragged his shot just wide. A spate of substitutions interrupted the flow of the game for this point on and the only real chance created in the final twenty minutes was from Blues player Ballo whose rasping effort from thirty yards out clipped the bottom of Ashmore’s post with the keeper well beaten. Late on, a totally unnecessary foul on Kabs Tshimanga by a Chelsea player led to Wood’s number nine coming off injured. In a “competitive match” it would have been either a yellow or red card. Let’s hope it’s not too serious.
It was a good performance from Luke Garrad’s men and it’s clear that the players are looking fitter and sharper with each pre-season match. With the big kick off at Weymouth a little over two weeks away, that’s very encouraging. A big shout out to the travelling 30-40 boys from Ezra Camp who travelled from their base in Oxford to watch the match and didn’t stop singing and encouraging the team all night. Hopefully, we’ll see them at Meadow Park again.
Boreham Wood: Ashmore, Ilesamni, Ricketts, Evans, Rees, Marsh, Raymond, Fyfield, Mendy Mendy, K Smith.
Subs: Green, Munns, Stephens, Mafuta, C Smith, McKenna.
Chelsea XI: Bergstrom, Brooking, Simons, McClelland, Gilchrist, Smith, Ballo, Elliot, Wareham, Vale, Nunn.
Subs: Tlemcani, Humphreys, Ryan, Mothersille, Thomas, Buyabu. Morgan.
Match report written by Brett Lewis (Non-League Paper & Wood Army member).
