Boreham Wood were knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup by a battling Southport outfit in a 2-0 loss away from home on Saturday.
Goals from Dean Winnard and Jason Gilchrist either side of half-time gave Southport the lead and the Wood were unable to get back into the game, due in part to the home side’s excellent defensive work.
Manny Parry, David Stephens and Jamal Fyfield made up the back three, with Sorba Thomas and Danny Woodards at wing-back, in an otherwise unchanged 11.
Southport were on the back of an excellent 4-1 away victory over Kidderminster and their confidence showed, as they started the better of the two sides and the Wood were forced to defend two early balls into the box from Bradley Bauress.
Garrard urged his side forward; Josh Umerah picked up the ball down the left and cut inside, but he lashed his effort over the crossbar.
A corner from Keiran Murtagh was headed clear by Liam Edwards and recycled by Ricky Shakes, but his eventual shot was blocked.
A slick move from the Wood presented them with a good opportunity to take the lead. Murtagh’s curled through ball found Gozie Ugwu, who pulled it back to Mark Ricketts, but his shot was wide of the far post.
Dion Charles, who had been a lively presence down the right in the opening exchanges, collected the ball deep into the Wood half. He faked to his left and then drove around the right of Jamal Fyfield, but he could only drag his shot across goal and out.
Sorba Thomas slipped through Ugwu and he attempted to hit the ball first time, but Edwards was goal-side and slid in to block.
The Wood were given a warning sign on the half hour mark, when Ryan Huddart was forced into an excellent diving save from a Jordan Richards’ free-kick.
It was from the resulting corner that the home side opened the scoring. Dean Winnard leapt highest at the front post to beat his marker to the ball and nod Bauress’ cross past Huddart.
For all of their possession, the Wood were struggling to break down a stubborn Southport backline. Umerah twisted down the right to send a low ball into the box, but Ugwu was unable to get onto the end of it.
Thomas then darted down the right and around Reagan Ogle, his low cross found Umerah, but the forward’s flicked effort was blocked. Ugwu sent another cross into the box, but again, there was no one on the end of it.
Southport returned for the second half in much the same vein and had the better of the early exchanges. An inviting cross from Bauress sailed dangerously across the face of goal, but the Wood cleared their lines.
Umerah and Ugwu both attempted to create chances out of nothing with weaving runs into the Port half, but again, the home side stood strong.
The away side continued to dominate possession and Thomas threw a cross into the area which was headed back across the box by Parry to Stephens, but he couldn’t squeeze his shot through the sea of yellow shirts .
The ball was recycled and again Thomas crossed for Parry, but this time, Southport cleared their lines.
With the Wood concentrating on their attack, Southport broke and won a free-kick deep into the Boreham Wood half.
Bauress whipped it across the box from wide right and Gilchrist was at the back post to head the ball past Huddart.
Looking to lead from the front, Wood skipper Ricketts crept in at the back post to meet Thomas’ left-wing cross, but he could only head into the hands of Daniel Hanford.
The Wood: Huddart, Woodards, Ricketts ©, Parry, Stephens, Shakes, Umerah, Murtagh, Fyfield, Thomas, ugwu
Subs not used: Burbidge, Ilesanmi, Ash, Smith, Shaibu, Ndiaye
Southport: Hanford, Richards, Ogle, Morgan ©, Edwards, Winnard, Charles, Wood, Gilchrist, Sampson, Bauress
Subs not used: Homson-Smith, Mueller, Parry, Archer, Tibbetts, Green, Langley
Goals: Winnard 28’, Gilchrist 70’
Att: 1,460
