Pre-Season Friendly

Billericay Town    1    Boreham Wood    4

by John Mead

Missing several key players due to other commitments Ian Allinson was forced to Loan centre back Ian Gayle from Dagenham & Redbridge, who committed himself well throughout.   However the circumstances led to Wood finishing the game with no fewer than seven PASE Scheme products, two of whom scored their first ever goals for the senior side.

Jon Clements was the third PASE product to get on the score sheet, with an unforgettable sixty yard effort from Mario Noto completing the highly successful afternoon.

Manager Ian Allinson hailed  the afternoon “a real test in terms of how far we have come as a side.    You learn nothing playing professional outfits such as Watford, QPR and Dagenham & Redbridge.    Those games are all about fitness.    Today was about making use of the PASE Scheme.

The lads passed the test with flying colours.    As long as I am careful with team selection, we can confidently look to use two or three, as long as they are surrounded by high calibre first teamers with experience.    That said I can now look to strengthen with one or two high calibre signings and trim the existing Squad down to accommodate the wage bill required to bring real quality to the Club.”

Lawrence Yaku and Elliott Brathwaite were released from the Club midweek as part of the long term plan.

Billericay Town started the stronger side and up until Wood’s equaliser on the stroke of half time were possibly on course to maintain their 100% winning start to the Pre-Season campaign.

Harrison Chatting was denied from just eight yards out by Michael Jordan in the Wood goal after some sloppy defending.    Mario Noto played Luke Garrard through on goal with a fine ball, only for the six feet eight inch tall Nicky Morgan to save well at his feet.

Garrard tested Morgan again, this time with his head from one of a string of corners that Wood had earned.

Wood kept up the pressure with James Smith heading just wide from Daryl McMahon struck corner.    When Simeon Akinola gave possession away cheaply in the middle of the park, Town won a corner from which Sam Berry delivered a tantalising cross from the left.  Jordan tried to punch it clear as it curled towards the top left hand corner, with the ball rebounding off a Wood head and into the net.

Chatting, the only real threat going forward for Town hit the side netting just before the break, giving Wood the opportunity to level things up.    Garrard played a fine ball down the middle into the channel of Akinola’s run. He left his marker standing to travel into the penalty area and slip the ball under the giant frame of Morgan.

The second half was all Wood.    They went 1 – 2 ahead after fifty minutes when a brilliant cross from the right by Noto picked out Jon Clements.

He controlled superbly and kept his composure to flick the ball home beyond Morgan.    Two minutes later and Wood were flying into a two goal lead thanks to a quite fantastic piece of skill from Noto.    Deep in his own half he spotted Morgan off his line and struck the ball from the edge of the centre circle fully sixty yards into the net.

McMahon joined in the showboating with a quality free kick from thirty-five yards out which needed a fingertip save from Morgan.

Further chances fell to Akinola and the Town’s Tony Boot, before the introduction of Charlie Hunter, Pelly Ruddock, Ruddock Yala and ‘keeper Cameron Baker-Owers, all home grown teenagers.

Baker-Owers saved well at the feet of Courtney White, before seventeen year old Pelly Ruddock helped himself to a first senior goal on his debut.    Akinola supplied the second year student who was given time to drift across the goal mouth before firing underneath Reece Ottley.

Team:  Jordan (Sub – Baker-Owers 72 mins.), Sankofa, Brathwaite (Sub – Kamara 62 mins.), Gayle (Sub –  Yala 61 mins.), Smith, Garrard (Sub – Ruddock 62 mins.), Noto, McMahon (Sub – Hunter 62 mins.), Effiong, Akinola, Clements.

Goals:    Billericay Town:    Own Goal 20.            Boreham Wood:    Akinola 45, Clements 50, Noto 52, Ruddock 86.

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