Magpies knock on Wood

As always the Conference god of fixtures decreed that United's trip to Boreham Wood would be on a Monday night, but here the similarities with previous years ended. Usually what happens at Meadow Park is that the Magpies get a toehold in the game early on before comfortably succumbing to a superior Wood team in front of a crowd struggling to reach three figures. However tonight this was far from the case as Maidenhead did enough to win the game and even came close to rescuing a point after the home team had overturned the deficit. For once the official attendance of 256 felt accurate, with although it seems few locals coming out to see their team defend their position at the top of the table, the fact that it was one of the only games on attracting plenty of groundhoppers. For example at the station on the way back I met two season ticket holders from Leyton Orient, a group of seven Norwegians on a week's trip of English football grounds, in addition to the Bracknell fan I'd met in the ground.

Wood's position as front runners is testament to their tightly run operation. They are very much a football business with their own academy and well oiled links with professional clubs such as Arsenal, Reading and Luton. This has ensured a steady flow of talent into a small but effective squad with one loanee from  Lee Angol going on to score the vital equaliser. 

Good, but not as good as ours

As well as having playing staff of the requisite standard, the pitch has always been of top quality and this is now looked over by an impressive new stand which is almost as good as the one at York Road. Even though they have built it, still they don't come. Surely the missing piece in the Boreham Wood jigsaw is a support worthy of a club bidding to take their place in the Conference Premier. Perhaps the £13 entry (inclusive of a £2.50 programme which ran out before kick off) is a deterrent. With no concession for students there is one market segment lost. Certainly the town's population seem ripe for plucking from the bosom of the bigger clubs they doubtless follow giving the current climate surrounding pro clubs and value for money.

Still the welcome from all at the Wood is friendly enough, the barman kindly changing the channel at my request so we could watch the FA Cup draw, his customer service skills then being rewarded by the bloke behind me who offered "one for yourself" after ordering two coffees.

As expected the game began at a high tempo with both sides giving everything to win the game throughout. Both sides had chances to take the lead as the first half drew on. Adrian Clifton had a great chance to open the scoring for United but goalkeeper James Russell did not commit himself to the last second and was able to palm the shot wide. At the other end Will Britt made a good save from Junior Morias and then had Devante McKain to thank for clearing a Callum Reynolds effort off the line. 

With seven minutes to go to the break, Dave Tarpey received the ball in space on the left, ignoring claims of offside to fire the ball home in his trademark style to give Maidenhead the lead. Britt then earned his half time cup of tea by tipping a Matthew Whichelow long range shot over the bar.

Maidenhead started the second half determined to justify their lead and just ahead of the hour mark had a chance to double it as Clifton burst clear through the middle only to be denied once more by Russell. The swift wing play of Morias and Whichelow then started to wear United down. A couple of crosses across the face of the Maidenhead goal served notice that Wood were not going to settle for a defeat and with fourteen minutes remaining Angol converted one from Whichelow at close range to equalise. The goal was Angol's eleventh in fourteen appearances, a remarkable transformation given his uncertain spell at York Road a year ago.

Showing no side effects of playing two games in three days, Wood now pushed for a winner, Morias hitting the post and Ricky Shakes having a shot tipped wide by Britt. Maidenhead still harboured ideas of taking all three points though and it proved to be this ambition that was their undoing as from a Magpie corner, Wood counterattacked, the ball finding Morias on the left wing.  He just about stayed on his feet following a desperate challenge from Tarpey and then regained his composure to cut inside and score.

With three minutes remaining Maidenhead did all they could to rescue a deserved point from the game and deep into stoppage time Russell again proved his worth with a tremendous last ditch save from substitute Sam Barratt.

Maidenhead left the field then beaten but unbowed. They had matched the league leaders for ninety minutes and can consider themselves unfortunate to take nothing from the game. Wood on the other hand had shown with their persistently high quality attacking play that they are made of the stuff of champions. The highlights of the game would have been a great video to market their talents but I doubt if even the most loyal of supporters will pay the £4 requested to watch them.

Ash saves Wood

There aren't many footballing spectacles that are less appealing than a midweek trip to Boreham Wood on a freezing January evening but the lingering buzz of the win against Chelmsford coupled with a convenient journey direct from Elephant & Castle to Elstree meant I was Hertfordshire bound.

The Wood have continued to develop what must be the best non league facility off the pitch particularly for the players, which when coupled with audacious plans for a second large seated stand with a TV gantry it is clear they are building for the future, but still despite the ground's location in the middle of a residential area, the fans do not come. This is even more puzzling given the team's excellent form, with the 200 who did go on Wednesday night treated to an entertaining incident packed match.

With the pitch already white with frost the game kicked off at a frenetic pace, the play oscillating from end to end. Maidenhead took an early in the sixteenth minute when Daniel Brown jinked his way into the penalty area and fired home from a tight angle.With the Magpies losing Harry Pritchard to injury soon after the goal, the home team gradually took control of the game as the pace slackened a little. Wood looked the more comfortable team on the ball whilst the Magpies seemed a little too hasty to get rid of it particularly when under pressure.

At the rare times the action subsided entertainment was provided by Boreham Wood coach Luke Garrard (above left) who kept up a steady stream of tragi comic shouts from the dugouts. The equaliser arrived eight minutes ahead of half time when Luke Norris tapped in an inswinging corner. Wood had the ball in the net again before the interval but the goal was disallowed for offside.
After the break Maidenhead looked to be getting back into the game when Boreham Wood scored what proved to be the winner, a long ball straight down the middle of the pitch finding Norris who nonchalantly lobbed Billy Lumley to score.
Maidenhead still looked like they had a goal in them though, an Alex Wall shot being deflected wide after a great move. A triple Wood substitution revealed that the Cliff Akurang fan club was sitting on my right when the veteran striker entered the fray and the Magpies were then given hope when one of the Wood centre
back continued to play despite being in apparent distress from an injury.
With seven minutes left though the game was nearly over for both teams when the referee pulled up but after a short delay it was revealed that United's favourite referee Ash Denagrin was in the crowd and he quickly changed to run the line. Unfortunately he wasn't able to inspire the Magpies to another goal and in the eleven minutes that remained it was Wood who came nearest to adding to the score when they caught Lumley up the pitch for a corner only to Akurang to miss an open goal.

Magpies Win 'Nam War

"Been away Ted?

 Yes just got back from 'Nam.

Vietnam?

No Cheltenham"

Ted Chippington

Gloucestershire is one of my favourites places is England although the uncomfortably busy train ride provided ample reminders of some days out at football I would rather forget. Yes the scenery just gets better and better when you leave Reading but the view is scarred by memories at Didcot, Kemble (i.e. Cirencester), Stroud (i.e. Forest Green Rovers), and finally Gloucester, where on a glorious sunny day in 2006, we confidently felt that we were going to walk all over the Southern League as Dwain Clark ran the show and gave the Magpies the lead before two late Tiger goals won the game, punctured our ego and signalled the beginning of the end for manager Carl Taylor.

Fast forward six years and one young debutant from that day, Mark Nisbet was leading a team looking for revenge, this time in the FA Trophy. Having arrived at Gloucester though we stayed put on the train as the driver changed ends and continued the journey to Cheltenham where the Tigers are forced to play their games. Still unable to rebuild their flood damaged ground at Meadow Park due to the local council's intransigence and preference for egg chasing, City have led a nomadic existence for a few years now, firstly playing at Cirencester before moving to Whaddon Road.

Taking a taxi from the station we found ourselves dropped off in the middle of a housing estate, which our driver Dick assured us was a cheaper option than going to the ground itself. Sure enough walking down the alley as directed saw us arrive at Cheltenham's footballing Narnia. A swift pint in the cosy supporters bar was enough refreshment before taking my seat in the Directors Box to take in yet another picturesque sporting view in Cheltenham, though not quite up to the standard of the College cricket ground or famous racecourse.

A pattern of a open game contested by two committed teams was quickly laid out, with the officials from the West Midlands being happy to keep their cards to themselves for the time being despite a few full blooded challenges from either side. Leon Solomon, switching to the left full back slot to cover for injured Derek Duncan, showed much promise going forward finding David Pratt with a great pass just ahead of the quarter hour mark, the striker turning well before shooting narrowly wide. 

Gloucester came close to opening the scoring when Lewis Hogg rattled the woodwork with a free kick but it was Maidenhead who scored the only goal of the game in the thirtieth minute. Reece Tison-Lascaris instigated the move with a trademark dribble but seemed to have lost the ball only for two Gloucester defenders to tackle each other in their haste to recover possession on the edge of the penalty area. This gave the youngster the opportunity to shoot and with goalkeeper Mike Green unable to hold the shot, Tison-Lascaris was first again to the ball to score from close range. As the tackles continued to fly in both sides saw a yellow card, the half finishing on a sour note after a nasty challenge by Hogg on Nisbet.

After the break a change of viewpoint was in order to see everything the 7,000 capacity Whaddon Road had to offer with the view behind the goal revealing a couple of interesting floodlights, one of which also served as a site for an old fashioned clock.

It also proved to be a good place to watch the Magpies soak up wave after wave of Gloucester pressure, the team working well as a unit to stop any clear cut chances and launch an increasing number of dangerous counter attacks. As the game drew on the bookings continued to pile up whilst Maidenhead got closer to a decisive second goal, Daniel Brown feeding Pratt with a Hoddlesque pass which the striker was unable to convert, whilst Harry Pritchard announced his arrival on the pitch by hitting the inside of the post with his first touch.

Gloucester lived up to their nickname and showed why they have done so well in the FA Cup this season by battling all the way to the end, almost snatching a draw in the dying minutes. Firstly they returned a botched Billy Lumley clearance goalward only for Nisbet to ahead away from the empty net, and with virtually the last kick of the game fired in a half volley which fizzed past the post.

A hard earned Cup win for the Magpies then, which made the thought of an arduous journey home worthwhile as we wandered off down the alley to find Dick the taxi driver.