MATCH REPORT – LUTON TOWN (H)

LATE LUTON TREBLE SINKS WOOD

Boreham Wood 1-3 Luton Town
Saturday 17^th July 2021, 3.00pm
Meadow Park, Pre Season Friendly

It was a good work out for Luke Garrard’s men against Championship side Luton Town in their first pre-season match. Having led for a large part of the game Wood succumb to three late goals resulting in a 3-1 defeat. All of Boreham Wood’s new signings, Jacob Mendy Mendy, Connor Smith, Will Evans, Frankie Raymond and Josh Rees, all featured on a very hot day at Meadow Park.

The result isn’t generally important in pre-season games. What is important is getting minutes into players, improving their match fitness and developing a pattern of play that suits the squad. For the large part, Luke Garrard’s men did this, especially in the first half. They enjoyed good possession early on without really creating much. The Hatters had the first real chance when Dan Potts headed wide from a James Bree corner. Sooner afterwards, Kabs Tshimanga’s cross was just missed by Connor Smith. On twenty-five minutes Boreham Wood took the lead when a great cross from Mendy Mendy was turned in by Trialist Two. A few minutes later, Fred Onyedinma shot narrowly wide for the visitors when well placed. Just before half time Onyedinma, this time produced an excellent save from Nathan Ashmore.

The second half started, pretty much the way the first ended with Luton now in the ascendancy with Boreham Wood defending well. It was the wholesale changes made by Hatters boss Nathan Jones that really changed the game. On the hour mark, all ten outfield players were replaced, and the Luton side suddenly had a freshness about them. The tiring Wood players struggled to cope. It was all one-way traffic from here on end. Jordan Clark finished well to equalise on seventy-three minutes. With only five minutes on the clock a fantastic long-range effort from Carlos Mendes Gomes gave Nathan Ashmore no chance in the Wood goal. Jordan Clark finished off the match on eighty-nine minutes with a well struck third goal.

It makes sense to judge the game not only on the fact that Luton are three levels above Boreham Wood but the fact that visitors are much further on with their pre-season programme, and this was indeed their fourth game since returning to pre-season training.

Boreham Wood: Ashmore, Ilesamni, Ricketts, Evans, Stephens, Tshimanga, Raymond, Trialist Trialist. Mendy Mendy, C Smith

Subs: Jallow, Rees, Mafuta, Marsh, Fyfield, Green, Trialist, K Smith, McKenna

Luton Town: Shea, Bree, Potts, Bradley, Rea, Onyedinma, Cornick, Adebayo, Lockyer, Campbell, Lansbury

Subs: Clark, Kioso, Naismith, Beckwith, Osho, Pereira, Morrell, Muskwe, Gomes, Jerome

Match report written by Brett Lewis (Non-League Paper & Wood Army member).