Eastleigh 5-1 Boreham Wood
Saturday 4th November 2023, 3.00pm
Silverlake Stadium, Emirates FA Cup 1st round
Boreham Wood’s FA Cup journey came to an end with a disappointing 5-1 loss to Eastleigh in an away match. Manager Luke Garrard made one change from last week’s 1-1 draw against Southend United, with Coxe replacing the injured Balanta. This change shifted Erico centrally, with Coxe playing on the right.
The game started with an early goal by Eastleigh on the 16th minute, as Nigel Atangana seized an opportunity following a half clearance from the Wood’s defense and slotted the ball neatly into the bottom corner, out of reach from the diving Ashmore. However, Boreham Wood responded almost immediately. Erico Sousa was tackled inside the Eastleigh area, and the ball found its way to Matt Robinson, who calmly finished into the bottom corner, marking his first goal for Boreham Wood.
The action-packed opening 20 minutes continued, as Chris Maguire found himself in space at the back post on the 22nd minute and unleashed a powerful effort that left Ashmore with no chance.
Boreham Wood came close to leveling the score on the 28th minute when Erico’s corner was met by Marsh’s head, forcing McDonnell into a brilliant save.
Eastleigh scored their third goal on the 37th minute, with Ludwig Francillette connecting with a cross from Chris Maguire. Boreham Wood couldn’t find a response before the halftime whistle, trailing 3-1.
HALF TIME: EASTLEIGH 3-1 BOREHAM WOOD
At halftime, Boreham Wood had to make a substitution, with Jack Payne leaving the pitch due to an injury, and he was replaced by Liam O’Neil. The second half started poorly for Boreham Wood, with Eastleigh scoring their fourth just seven minutes after the restart. Francillette’s powerful header found the bottom corner, securing his second goal of the game.
To try to get back into the game, Luke Garrard introduced Timmy Abraham, who replaced Sass-Davies in the 56th minute. However, Eastleigh continued to apply pressure, and Jayden Harris came close to extending their lead, only to be denied by a fantastic diving save from Ashmore.
Despite Eastleigh being in control and a man down due to Jayden Harris’s red card on the 71st minute after recieving a second yellow, Boreham Wood couldn’t capitalize on their numerical advantage.
In the final minute of the game, Eastleigh sealed their victory as Maguire was played through and showcased some skill to find the net beyond Ashmore. The referee’s final whistle confirmed a comfortable victory for Eastleigh.
It was an unusual and uncharacteristic performance from Boreham Wood, and the team will need to regroup quickly as they prepare to face Bromley at the Mangata Pay UK Stadium, Meadow Park, next week.
FULL TIME: EASTLEIGH 5-1 BOREHAM WOOD
Boreham Wood: Nathan Ashmore, Cameron Coxe, Femi Ilesanmi, Jack Payne (Liam O’Neil 45′), Chris Bush, Lee Ndlovu, Tyrone Marsh, Jamal Fyfield, Erico Sousa, Billy Sass-Davies (Timmy Abraham 56′), Matt Robinson (Tom Whelan 68′)
Subs not used: David Stephens, Koju Abayomi, Liam Miller, Angelo Balanta
Eastleigh: Joe McDonnell, Nigel Atangana, Ludwig Francillette, Jake Taylor, Enzio Boldewijn, George Langston, Lee Hodson, Chris Maguire, Bailey Clements, Scott Quigley, Jayden Harris
Subs not used: Tommy Scott, Paul McCallum, Corey Panter, Oscar Rutherford, Sam Bagan, Luka Chalwell, Seung-Woo Yang, Aidan Barlow
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