Unbeaten Run Continues.
The Skrill South.
Dover Athletic 0 Boreham Wood 0,
by John Mead.
Wood extended their unbeaten run to six in all competitions, their best run of form this season with this draw against a side fighting for their play off place. Playing four games in eight days made this a very well earned point for Wood against a side who have now gone three seasons without a win against us.
The game had an end of season feel about it as both sides struggled to produce any football of quality. The Whites had chances and were denied by two excellent saves from James Russell, whilst Wood were denied by the woodwork, with the crossbar twice coming to the Kent sides rescue.
Ben Nunn returned to the starting line up and was second best to Moses Ademola, who opened up the defence running down the left on numerous occasions.
Wood’s first chance came from a Mark Jones free kick with Josh Hill just failing to connect, his run tracked by Richard Orlu. Ademola then provided a cross at the other end for Nathan Elder, yet the experienced forward somehow let the ball slip between his legs when well placed.
The Whites were doing most of the attacking at this stage and when Barry Cogan sent a ball towards goal, Jones could only wait and hope as the ball span just wide of the target after deflecting off the left back.
Ademola continued to be The Whites only outlet and another telling cross was met at the far post by Craig Stone, but the attack came to nothing.
Callum Reynolds frustrated the home side with another first class display, whilst wearing the Captains armband.
The second half meandered along until Chris Kinnear withdrew Ademola, a move that sent the home crowd wild with disapproval. It did change the game immediately however with a burst of action at both ends.
Greg Morgan crossed from the left finding Ricky Shakes whose shot went back across goal, eventually finding Kudos Oyenuga whose effort was blocked. The Whites responded breaking with pace down the left through Tom Murphy whose cross picked out Ademola’s replacement Ricky Modeste. His shot on target was met by a fine reaction save from Russell, the ball clearing only as far as James Rodgers. His effort looked destined for the back of the net until Reynolds made a superb block on the line.
The brief spell of high octane action was not over just yet. A Jones free kick was met by a perfectly timed run from Reynolds whose header hit the crossbar. Then just two minutes later Murphy put a cross onto the head of Cogan whose on target effort was miraculously tipped over the bar, with Russell diving backwards to perform the feat.
With eighteen minutes remaining the withdrawal of the ineffectual Oyenuga and Loick Pires gave Wood an altogether more industrious look. It almost paid dividends in stoppage time. The two substitutes combined with Graeme Montgomery playing Lee Angol through down the left. Angol ficked the ball across goal finding Junior Morias who bravely threw himself at the ball only for his diving header coming back into play off the crossbar.
A late free kick from Cogan was just off target leaving Wood to go home with a well earned point, ahead of another tough trip to face Sutton United on Tuesday. The result lifted Wood back up to 14th in the table, whilst Dover hang on to the last play off place, with none of their challengers managing a win on the day.
Team: Russell, Nunn, Jones, Noto, Hill, Reynolds, Pires ( Montgomery 72), Shakes, Morias, Oyenuga ( Angol 72), Morgan.
Subs not used: Whichelow, Brown, Courtnage.
Man Of The Match: Callum Reynolds.
