Boreham Wood 1-1 York City
Mangata Pay UK Stadium Meadow Park
7th January 3.00pm, Vanarama National League
For the second home match Boreham Wood, conceded a late equaliser in a game that they looked in total control off. In front of the TNT Sports cameras, Boreham Wood took the lead on eighty-two minutes through Chris Bush before Adam Crookes’s stoppage time equalised for York.
Luke Garrard made three changes from last week’s victory at Kidderminster Harriers with Chris Bush and Josh Staunton, starting instead of Cameron Coxe and Charles Clayden at the back and Angelo Balanta coming in in midfield to replace Mo Sagaf who is playing in the African National Cup for Tanzania. Josh Staunton starts for the first time in a Boreham Wood shirt. Striker Kwesi Appiah takes his place on the bench having been out injured for the last three months.
In a lively opening, York’s Billy Chadwick had two good chances in the first few minutes. The first was blocked by Billy Sass-Davies and the second went just wide of the goal following a lovely sweeping move. In between these chances, Lee Ndlovu fired over for Boreham Wood. Ndlovu went close again on eight minutes but shot straight at City goalkeeper, George Sykes-Kenworthy. Eight minutes later Angelo Balanta shot on the turn, but it was also straight at Sykes-Kenworthy.
Tyrone Marsh fired over on twenty minutes when well placed. Balanta missed good chance seven minutes later but would have been relieved to see Ndlovu flagged for offside in the build-up. On thirty-three minutes Marsh fired a free kick over the bar. Chris Bush went close on forty-two minutes, but his effort was cleared off the line. Just before the break York’s Dipo Akinyemi forced a good save from Nathan Ashmore.
HALF TIME: BOREHAM WOOD 0-0 YORK CITY
Boreham Wood started the second half on the front foot and Tom Whelan had a shot deflected wide, soon after the restart. Ashmore saved well from Will Davies on fifty minutes and Billy Chadwick fired over three minutes later. Ndlovu had a shot blocked on fifty-four minutes and, Davies was just off target from a Burgess corner on the hour mark.
Boreham Wood turned on the pressure for the last twenty minutes of the game. Ndlovu went close, nearly connecting with a Femi Ilesamni cross on seventy-two minutes. Akinyemi’s effort was saved by Ashmore a minute later. On seventy-six minutes, Sousa and Whelan both had shots blocked before Marsh was denied by an excellent save from Sykes-Kenworthy. On eighty-four minutes Wood took the lead when Chris Bush’s produced an excellent shot from distance which the York keeper did well to get a hand to but couldn’t keep it out of the net. It was a goal that their recent dominance deserved. However, Luke Garrard’s men took their foot off the gas after the goal and although they looked comfortable, they were now defending deep. There was a sign of things to come in the first minute of stoppage time when Akinyemi produced a curling shot which Ashmore somehow kept out. A minute later Adam Crookes headed in an equaliser following goalmouth scrabble to take a share of the points.
It was a disappointing result for Boreham Wood in the end. While they didn’t dominate the game, they looked well in control before the equaliser. Wood now has a nine day break the next match away at Oldham Athletic on Tuesday week.
FULL TIME: BOREHAM WOOD 1-1 YORK CITY
By Brett Lewis
Boreham Wood: Ashmore, Sousa (Coxe 90), Ilesamni, Bush, Sass-Davies, Staunton, Balanta (Appiah 75), Whelan, Robinson, Ndlovu, Marsh
Subs not used: Abayomi, Clayden, Clarke
York City: Sykes-Kenworthy. Fallowfield, Crookes, Davies (McLaughlin 73), Akinyemi, Howe, Chadwick, Burgess, Woodyard, Latty-Fairweather (John-Lewis 86), Smith
Subs not used: Cordner, Dyson, Kennedy
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