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WHO SAYS LOYALTY’S DEAD 

2 June 2018

Boreham Wood are delighted to confirm that Luke Garrard has signed another contract extension with the club, keeping him at Meadow Park for a further three-years. 

As announced in the recent Q&A with Chairman Danny Hunter, Garrard has once again re-affirmed his commitment to the Wood.

The fresh deal comes on the back of the most successful season in Boreham Wood’s history. Garrard steered the side to fourth place in the National League, before reaching the Promotion Final at Wembley.

Having begun his time at Meadow Park back in 2005, nearly 13-years ago, Garrard has enjoyed roles as a player, a coach, an academy director, assistant manager and now first team manager.

Alongside Chairman Danny Hunter, he has helped to build a side capable of challenging at the top of the National League.

Garrard had already been rewarded for his success, with a new deal in February, but has now signed an extension to that deal, following talks with Chairman Hunter.

“It didn’t take a lot of time for me to say yes,” Garrard elated. “I am in a good position and a good place and I think that we are a club who are progressing. 

“I know exactly what it is going to be like this year and I can imagine that it’s going to be my toughest season yet. But, we have got a squad in place at the minute, that I am content with.

“The aim is to sustain this success and I think that if we were to mirror last season, then it would be another amazing achievement.

“We are under no illusions as to the challenge we are going face though. We will have the likes of Barnet and Chesterfield joining us, both Leyton Orient and Hartlepool will be stronger and the likes of Ebbsfleet and AFC Fylde have now got a further years’ worth of experience.

“I think that we have a good foundation, with 10-12 already signed. With the addition of Bradley Ash and the business we are looking to do in the next four to five weeks, we are hopeful that we can kick on from where we left off last year.

“People aren’t going to take us for granted anymore though, we are play-off finalists. People know exactly what Boreham Wood are going to be about.”

Garrard also commented on speculation linking him to job vacancies within both the National League, and the Football League, reaffirming his commitment to the Wood.

 He said: “It is nice, I have got to be honest, because it shows the work that we are doing as a football club.

“But, I have got an affinity with the club, I’ve got a history with the club and I’ve got a deal that I am going to see out. For me, the progression we are making, both off-and-on the field, will only go one way.

“I was very content to sign the deal; I’ve got a good working relationship with the chairman and I think that it speaks volumes about our how we are together on-and-off the field.”

Garrard originally arrived as a fresh-faced 20-year-old from Bishop’s Stortford, before going on to become a cult hero at pre-season friendly opponents AFC Wimbledon, during their rise through the divisions.

The Barnet-born manager, would remain at Boreham Wood as a PASE coach, before returning as a player in 2010.

He would continue his coaching role at Meadow Park, climbing up the ranks, to become Academy Director – a role that he still holds to this day.

In 2013, his incredible rise continued, when he was appointed as previous manager Ian Allinson’s assistant.

Alongside Allinson, he helped oversee our promotion into the top tier of non-league football for the first time in 2015, before taking over the managerial reigns that October, when Allinson stepped down due to work commitments.

Having led his side to within a whisker of the Football League, Garrard retains lofty ambitions for the future, alongside the club’s long-term Chairman Danny Hunter.

Hunter commented: “I’m delighted to say we’ve agreed a new three-year agreement. The deal was done in around 30 seconds, as is the norm with us, and then finalised with a handshake, a hug, and an understanding of what we both want to achieve together in the next three years

“We already know how we operate and how we work together. Luke is in truth, improving all the time, he’s also very talented, he’s now more focused, he’s now even more hard working and to top it off, he’s a very dedicated family man – as I’ve said many times, I’m very proud of him, his development and the work that we’ve been doing together.

“This deal was just my way of saying, here’s a couple of quid, well done and let’s carry on the work that we’ve started. We both know what we need to do, and Luke knows the demands of this league. He certainly doesn’t need any pressure from me or anyone, as Its going to be a very difficult season if we don’t start well – what with expectations in some quarters being completely unrealistic.

“We’ll need to work smart over the next few months. We’ll need to recruit sensibly, and we’ll need to find the right type of personnel to maximise every penny at our disposal. But if we’re patient we can do that, we can get the new North stand built and if we can also manage expectation levels – then I’ll be a happy man.”

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