Boreham Wood Football Club are delighted to announce that Keiran Murtagh, Ricky Shakes and Danny Woodards have all agreed fresh contracts with the club.
Wood talisman Murtagh has been an indispensable player to the club since signing from Woking in 2017 and has now committed to a two-year extension.
The powerhouse midfielder has already made 60 appearances for Boreham Wood and was pivotal in helping the club to reach the Promotion Final at Wembley last campaign.
Fan-favourites Shakes and Woodards actually agreed the one-year extensions at Mr Ricky Shakes’ wedding to Rebecca on Wednesday, in which Chairman Danny Hunter, Manager Luke Garrard and Woody, were all in attendance.
The evergreen Ricky Shakes is the Wood’s current longest-serving player, having joined the club in 2013, following a spell with Kidderminster Harries.
And, the equally evergreen Woodards, who we signed from Tranmere Rovers in 2015, has already gone on to make over 100 appearances.
Both Shakes and Woodards couple their playing duties with coaching roles within the club’s BW PASE Academy, while Shakes also performs the role of personal trainer and pastoral care for our new Fitness and Well Being Scheme.
Between the three of them, they have amassed nearly 300 appearances for the club and have been pivotal in establishing the Hertfordshire based side as a recognised National League outfit.
On signing the extension, Murtagh said: “I am very pleased, I think that the club is going in the right direction and I want to be a part of it.
“When the gaffer told me that he wanted me to sign an extension, I was obviously pleased about it and it was just about getting the right deal and putting pen to paper.
“I like playing under the gaffer and he backs me to be a ball player and to create and I thrive off that I think.”
Having been asked on such a special day, Shakes explained: “I feel delighted, and to be asked on my wedding day as well, it was a big thing. It made me feel very happy, and I was already happy from the start.
“The Chairman asked me if I was happy here and I said yeah of course, and he then offered me another year. It was then just about discussing the actual contract, but yeah I want, to stay here.”
In a massive few days for the club, Woodards was also delighted to be offered another year, he joked: “Considering my age, I am pleased yeah haha.”
“It is nice that the Chairman and Gaffer believe in me and have offered to give me a new deal for next year. I am looking forward to finishing the season well and pushing on.
“I have had my ups, and very few downs here, but it will be my fifth season next year and I have enjoyed every one of them. Hopefully, we can go one better than we did last year at some point and I can help this club to achieve promotion in the future.”
Luke Garrard was understandably delighted to tie down three absolutely vital players within his squad and he elated: “It shows where they are at for this football club, that they can commit to us, that they believe in the work we are doing, and what we want to achieve.
“I think that it shows where we are going. To be at a stage where you are signing players on a two-year extension, it shows where we want to go and shows where this football club has gone to.
“I think that he (Murtagh) is massive in terms of what we are doing at this football club. I think that to get him on board for another two years, past this year, is so pleasing.
“I remember the days of signing players on non-contracts in the National South, and going to the National League and signing players on one-year deals, because we didn’t know our fate.
“Murtagh has shown faith in this football and myself to add another two years onto his deal at this level, add that to Ricky Shakes and Danny Woodards, add that to Dave Stephens, Tom Champion, Jamal Fyfield, Kane Smith, Femi Ilesanmi, Mark Ricketts and Ryan Huddart, that shows that we have got a great foundation for next year already.”
Weddings, God and Rebecca work in mysterious ways…
