Boreham Wood can announce that they have re-signed Morgan Ferrier from Dagenham & Redbridge and broken their record transfer fee, to get the player in the process.
The powerful frontman joins the club on a two-year deal, having only left Meadow Park in the summer of 2017.
The former Arsenal Academy forward was the Wood’s leading goal scorer last season and is back to boost the club’s play-off and title ambitions.
On returning, Ferrier commented: “I am excited and I just can’t wait to get back out there onto the pitch, doing what I like doing, scoring goals and playing football.
“There were obviously a few things going on at Dagenham and the opportunity arose for me to leave. There were a few teams interested, but as soon as I spoke to the gaffer and spoke to Danny, it naturally just made sense to return.
“I was here last season, I have seen how well the group are doing this year and I have seen how close the group are, so I just want to come and add to that and push the club in the right direction.
“Mainly, I just want to integrate with the group and be a strong part of it on-and-off the pitch, that is the main thing. Wherever the gaffer plans to use me, I will do the best that I can for the team.
“To be pushing for promotion is an unbelievable feeling. As I said, a few other teams made contact with me, who are in-and-around it, but I looked at the squad and I looked at the facilities here again.
“We are only six points off the top, with games in hand on some of the teams, so I feel that with what I can bring, and with what the team has got, that we can get promoted. To make the playoffs, is the minimum really.”
Ferrier began his career as a trainee with Arsenal, before departing for Nottingham Forest. He would later drop down into non-league, and it was with Wood last season, that people really started to notice his talent.
As a former fan favourite here at Meadow Park, the club hope that Ferrier will provide the energy and goals to spark the club’s bid to reach the Football League for the very first time.
Wood manager Luke Garrard asserted: “I think that it is great business and I have got to thank my Chairman for this.
“It only came about in the last couple of days, but the opportunity to bring Morgan back to this football club was something that I never thought would happen. With 15 games left, I think that it is going to have a massive impact on what we want to achieve this year.
“I would argue that we have signed one of the best strikers at this level. I feel that he possesses unbelievable ability and unbelievable quality.
“He has got goals in him, he’s powerful and pacey and that combined with what we’ve already got here, will cause me some headaches. I feel that we have five strikers here, that on any given day, can and will get a shirt.
“It is huge in terms of our ambitions. Morgan coming into the camp will give the players a boost. He is a player that last year, in his debut season, scored goals, and he has gone and played a massive part in Dagenham’s campaign this year. You saw his performance against us at their place and it was very positive. He knows me, he knows this football club and he knows the personnel within the squad.
“He will be coming into an atmosphere which is very positive and I feel that he will add to that and I look forward working with him again.”
The forward is the latest high-profile capture for Wood, who are delighted with the business that’s been done so far, this season. Michael Folivi, Alex Davey, Joe Quigley and Ollie Harfield have all been added in 2018, with the club also keeping hold of all their star names.
Wood Chairman Danny Hunter said of the club’s latest acquisition: “Football is a mad, mad business… One minute I’m in meetings dealing with our north stand planning application that gets heard on Thursday. When the gaffer walks in and tells me that things have gone wrong at Dagenham, their owner Glyn Hopkins has pulled his money, Morgan Ferrier has been made available and Morg’s wants to come back to us…
“All I could do was laugh as I thought it was a complete wind up – but I knew if it were true and if I could strike the right deal with both Dagenham and the player, then it was a complete no brainier for me.
“Thankfully, I was in a position to match Dagenham’s valuation and get the deal done with John Still, Steve Thompson and Morgan’s agent Leon Anderson. It was not a particularly difficult or protracted deal and I must thank all those guys mentioned for their complete professionalism throughout, in what must be a very difficult situation to find themselves in.
“I know though, I’ve got back what I consider to be the best striker of his type in our division, and that we’ve got him back on a decent length contract with 15 very important league games still to go…”
Hunter concluded: “Its fantastic news for me, for our ambitions, for our supporters, for Luke and for the dressing room. If I wasn’t quite sure that we’d make the play offs 24 hours ago, I’m now more than convinced that with Morgan added to this squad, that we will not only make the play offs, but we’ll now go very close to finishing in the top three.”
