MATCH REPORT: ARSENAL XI

Boreham Wood 2-1 Arsenal XI
Mangata Pay UK Stadium Meadow Park
29th July  3:00pm, Pre-Season Friendly

Boreham Wood finish their pre-season fixtures with a well-deserved victory against an Arsenal X1. First half goals from Kwesi Appiah and Mo Sagaf, with a consolation goal from Arsenal’s Jack Henry-Francis, was enough to secure a 2-1 win for Luke Garrard’s men.

The Wood started the match positively with some nice football in and around the Arsenal penalty area. Tom Whelan had the first chance of the game on nine minutes when he was teed up nicely by Mo Sagaf but couldn’t keep his shot down. Almost immediately, Arsenal’s Jack Henry-Francis was just off target with a long-range shot. On seventeen minutes Wood took a deserved lead when a lovely flick from Tyrone Marsh picked out Kwesi Appiah who finished well past Noah Cooper in the Gunners goal. Two minutes later Appiah nearly got his second but headed just wide from a trademark Chris Bush throw in. On twenty-one minutes, Wood doubled their lead. Marsh took advantage of some uncertain Arsenal defending and played in a great cross to Mo Sagaf whose clinical finish went in the far corner of Cooper’s goal.

Arsenal pulled one back on thirty-one minutes when Marcelo Flores cut in from the left-hand side and fired in at Nathan Ashmore’s near post. The visitors continued to apply pressure on the Boreham Wood defence and Charles Sagoe JR went close on forty-two minutes but had his shot blocked by Jamal Fyfield

HALF TIME: BOREHAM WOOD 2-1 ARSENAL XI

The visitors came out for the second half with a real purpose and Ethan Nwaneri went close on forty-seven minutes, but his shot was well blocked by Fyfield. Arsenal dominated possession for the next period of the game without really threatening and then a spate of substitutions effected their potency. Marsh tried to chip Cooper on the fifty-seventh minute, but the Arsenal keeper gathered it comfortably. On seventy-two minutes David Stephens went close with a header from a corner. Arsenal substitute Khayon Edwards went close on eighty-three minutes but fired just over the bar. It was quite last few minutes as neither side looked like threatening. Wood were able to hold on comfortably for victory.

It was a good way to end the pre-season fixtures for Luke Garrard’s men. The combination of Marsh and Appiah up front looked threatening and there were some good performances from the likes of Erico Sousa, Sagaf and Tom Whelan. The defence again looked difficult to break some. However, with the big kick off just a week away, Luke Garrard will want to get the injured trio of Angela Balanta, Jack Payne and Ndlovu back as soon as possible.

FULL TIME: BOREHAM WOOD 2-1 ARSENAL XI

By Brett Lewis

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