Blue Square Bet South
Boreham Wood 2 Bromley 1
by John Mead
This fifth straight League victory propelled Wood to just three points outside the Play-offs. In cruise control either side of the break, Ian Allinson’s side were made to work hard to take maximum points as this League time and time again shows there is no such thing as an easy game. There was one enforced change with Elvijs Putnins suffering an inflamed knee joint making way for Michael Jordan.
David Bryant picked up the Blue Square Bet South “Player of the Month” Award for October, before the kick off, then showed it was business as usual as his strike partnership with Michael Thalassitis continued to flourish. He set up the eighteen year old Stevenage Loan player after ten minutes for a rising drive that flew just wide of the upright angle.
The game was an even affair with both sides showing intent. The difference soon showed in the quality of the back four. Mark Jones was faultless at left back turning in a Man of the Match performance, whilst Charlie O’Loughlin alongside Luke Wilkinson was simply impenetrable all afternoon.
Thalassitis was clearly making the Bromley rearguard nervous and on the half hour he reduced them to a quivering wreck. He pounced upon Ugo Udoji’s back pass meant for ‘keeper Tommy Forecast on the left side of goal, before expertly weaving past attempted interceptions to square into the path of none other than Bryant who gleefully smashed home his fifth goal in six outings.
Wood were now purring, with Sam Lechmere delivering crosses and corners of the highest quality, whilst Chez Isaac showed a sharpness in midfield that left the visitors clutching at straws.
Warren McBean almost connected with a Bradley Goldberg free kick that would have given the visitors an against the run of play lifeline, before Thalassitis continued to trouble at the other end. He stretched to reach a seemingly overhit cross at the far post which needed a goal line clearance.
Lechmere provided the corner that gave Wood a two goal cushion on the stroke of half time, with Luke Wilkinson exposing woeful defending with a stooping header from the right sided delivery.
Lechmere hit a decent low drive at Forecast before Bryant almost pulled off a cheeky back heel as Lechmere again supplying the cross. Bryant showed his defensive qualities to deny Orlando Smith as the visitors began to find a way back into the game.
Thalassitis then had two efforts in quick succession to put the result beyond doubt, his first blocked on the line by Forecast before his follow up was hacked to safety by a defender. Jordan then was called upon the deny Substitute Rory Hill, before Wilkinson superbly challenged Goldberg who was through on goal.
The Bromley goal was a world class thirty-five yard power drive executed by Danny Waldren and it caught Jordan just off of his line. It came in the 75th minute and signalled the end of a magical seven hours and ten minutes that this in form Wood side had not conceded.
Ian Allinson sensibly introduced Justin Cochrane in place of Thalassitis with nine minutes remaining, with the emphasis on containment and the switch had the required effect.
The Wood boss declared, “I asked for patience to allow some of the recent signings to get match fit. We are now seeing the rewards in the performances of the likes of Mark Jones and Sam Lechmere. All the lads went about their jobs superbly today. We could have been three or four goals to the good before they came back into it. It took a worldly finish to finally breach our defences. People have to remember we are a very young side and when you put young players under pressure they are prone to panic so we must make sure we have enough experience around to steady things when that starts to happen. That was the job that Justin went out and did for us at the end.”
Team: Jordan, Sankofa, Jones, Cox, O’Loughlin, Wilkinson, Lechmere, Isaac, Thalassitis (Sub –Cochrane 81 mins.), Bryant, Hutton (Sub – Ruddock 70 mins.).
Subs (Not used): Hunter, Akinola, Baker-Owers.
Bookings: Cox, Isaac.
Goals: Boreham Wood: Bryant 30, Wilkinson 45. Bromley: Waldren 75.
Man of the Match: Mark Jones.
