Blue Square Bet South
Boreham Wood 4 Tonbridge Angels 2
by John Mead
Two goals in as many second half minutes from returning Loan player Loick Pires finished off The Angels hopes of a comeback. This was the third consecutive game between the two sides that ended in a 4 – 2 score line, this one avenging September’s defeat at The Longmead Stadium.
There was plenty of goalmouth action throughout and the combination of Greg Morgan, Graeme Montgomery, Loick Pires and Michael Thalassitis surging forward for Wood produced some of the most devastating offensive play seen all Season from Ian Allinson’s side.
The combination of Mikel Suarez and Frannie Collin threatened the Wood defence as early as the first minute before Thalassitis hit the roof of the net with a header from a Montgomery corner.
It took the visitors ten minutes to open their account, an improvement from the away game where Wood found themselves two down inside seven minutes. Suarez, although marshalled by Charlie O’Loughlin powerfully headed past James Russell from a right sided corner. It took Wood four minutes to draw level. Pires down the middle produced a sublime flick for Montgomery to chase down the right. His cross was right over ‘keeper Lee Worgan who flapped the effort clear, only for Morgan to steal in at the far post and side foot home a fine finish across the goal.
Collin tried his luck with a free kick from range, with Russell equal to the effort, before a quick move out from the back gave Wood the advantage after 36 minutes. Russell released Morgan down the left who played inside for Thalassitis. Gathering the ball just outside the area he wasted no time in looking up before smashing an unstoppable shot that curled into the top corner of the net, a shot that no ‘keeper in the country would have managed to repel. The Stevenage Loan player is now hitting top form with a goal in each of his last three games.
The interval failed to dampen the ruthlessness of the Wood attack. Pires headed just wide from another fine delivery from Montgomery, before goal number three arrived after fifty-two minutes. O’Loughlin powered a header forward for Morgan who danced into the penalty area reaching the goal line. He cut a ball into danger from the left where Pires was on hand with a skillful back heel that left Worgan flat footed.
With Pires showing all the qualities missing in his recent short Loan spell Wood were now on fire. A brilliant move involving the front four ended with a sublime chip from the edge of the area from Montgomery that was bound for the top right hand corner until Worgan made a heroic save flinging himself full stretch at the ball. It was soon to count for nothing however as from the resultant corner Pires headed skillfully downwards from Montgomery’s delivery leaving Worgan beaten for the fourth time on the afternoon. It was Pires’ second goal in as many minutes. Russell then saved from another dead ball effort from distance from Collin, before the front four again combined. With Montgomery desperate to join the other three on the score sheet he rifled a left footed volley just wide from inside the area.
The Angels were now chasing the game and with Wood taking their foot of the gas they continued to threaten. Chris Piper headed straight at Russell from a Henry Muggeridge cross before a second goal came with twelve minutes remaining. Collin on the right was allowed to cross, which caught Russell out palming the ball away as far as Suarez who quickly returned it beyond the Wood ‘keeper. Allinson slowly replaced his tiring forwards who saw out the final minutes, yet the best chance fell again to the visitors in stoppage time. Ben Davisson’s goal bound effort was blocked by O’Loughlin whose side rode some unnecessary pressure at the end to record a fine victory.
Speaking after the game Wood boss Allinson declared, “That left me with a sour taste in my mouth to be honest. We should have shut the game out at 4 – 1 or gone on to get even more. We didn’t and allowed them back into the game. My emphasis in training of late has been the need to close out teams and we did not do that today. Maybe I am being too critical, that was only our second four goal haul this Season in the League and when Loick hit his second everything was looking rosy. Thereafter I felt the defence were put under needless pressure, which is something we will work on. I am sure goal difference will play a major role at the end of the Season and we need to be mindful of that”.
Team: Russell, Nunn, Jones, Garrard, O’Loughlin, Reynolds, Morgan, Isaac, Pires (Sub – Toomey 85 mins.), Thalassitis (Sub – Akurang 80 mins.), Montgomery (Sub – Mingoia 87 mins.).
Subs (Not used): Doolan, Hastings.
Goals: Boreham Wood: Morgan 14, Thalassitis 36, Pires 52, 54. Tonbridge Angels: Suarez 10,78.
Man of the Match: Loick Pires.
