Boreham Wood fell to a 1-0 defeat away to Maidenhead United at York Road on Saturday, as the home side finished with 10-men.
The scores were level at half-time, following a solid first half performance. However, substitute James Akintunde came off the bench to net the winner for Alan Devonshire’s side.
Midfielder Harold Odametey was then sent off late on for Maidenhead United, following a second yellow card.
Luke Garrard made one change to the side for the away trip, with Danny Woodards coming in for Sean Shields, which saw Ricky Shakes return to the midfield.
The first chance of the game fell to the home side, after Sam Nombe latched onto a through ball into the box, but he couldn’t slide it past George Legg, who held.
The Wood reacted through Gozie Ugwu, who battled with his marker, but couldn’t find Idris Kanu with a pass.
Still on the attack, Ugwu backed into his marker and collected a loose ball on the edge of the box, but his powerful twisted shot was blocked.
Struggling to gain a foothold in the game, Maidenhead failed to clear Keiran Murtagh’s free-kick, which Ugwu latched onto, but his eventual shot was blocked.
Kanu and Shakes both done well to battle off Maidenhead challenges on the counter, before Ugwu slipped in Murtagh. The midfielder attempted to loft the ball over Carl Pentney, but it was deflected over for a corner.
The best chance of the first half fell to the home side. Odametey slid a Pacey low ball in from the left, that Adrian Clifton and Ryan Upward somehow failed to turn in, from the back post.
Slick interplay from Femi Ilesanmi and Murtagh released the former into the area and he dragged it across goal, but Alan Massey scrambled clear.
A near identical chance then fell to Ilesanmi once again, but Maidenhead were able to clear their lines once more.
A darting run from Josh Kelly down the left made space for Maidenhead and the forward looked to pick out Odametey, but his ball sailed past the midfielder.
Alfie Kilgour met a drifting cross from James Comley’s and forced a superb reaction save out of Legg, who pushed it from the top right corner.
The resulting corner caused a goal-line scramble, but it was eventually struck over the crossbar by a mixture of Maidenhead attackers.
The second half started in a similar fashion to the first and Odametey broke free from the midfield and charged forward. However, he was caught by the backtracking Tom Champion, who nicked the ball clear. Kilgour then headed wide from the resulting corner.
Clifton then thumped a low free-kick at the Wood wall, which resulted in a goal line scramble, but the visitors scrapped it away.
Garrard’s side countered and Ugwu found Ilesanmi deep inside the left of the box, but he could only send it into the side netting from a tight angle.
Legg made a superb save to claw the ball from his top right corner as the game passed the hour mark. Akintunde had just been brought on and met Nombe’s cross, but couldn’t beat the on-loan stopper.
The home side found a way past the visiting defence shortly after though and it was Akintunde who netted the strike. The forward was found in space inside the box, took a touch, and fired the ball past Legg and into the bottom right corner.
With less than five minutes remaining, Odametey was given his marching orders following a challenge on Murtagh, which resulted in a second yellow card.
There were two late chances for the Wood to equaliser, and each fell to Shakes on the edge of the area. The first was blocked for a corner and an identical second was sent over the crossbar, with a sea of Maidenhead bodies in front of him.
The Wood: Legg, Woodards, Ilesanmi, Ricketts © (Shields 75’), Parry, Shakes, Champion, Murtagh, Fyfield, Ugwu (Ash 71’), Kanu (Shaibu 69’)
Subs not used: Huddart, Thomas
Maidenhead United: Pentney, Steer, Odametey, Kilgour, Comley, Kelly (Akintunde 65’), Twumasi, Clifton (Bird 90+6’), Upward, Massey ©, Nombe
Subs not used: Clerima, Owusu, Peters
Att: 1,113
Goals:
Maidenhead United: Akintunde 74’
