Boreham Wood 1 Maidstone United 1
Mangata Pay UK Stadium Meadow Park
Saturday 31st August // 15:00 KO
Vanarama National League South
Man of the Match: David Agbontohoma
WOOD PEGGED BACK
It was honours even at Mangata Pay UK Stadium Meadow Park as Boreham Wood were made to settle for a share of the points due to a late equaliser from Maidstone United’s Temi Eweka after David Agbontohoma had given Boreham Wood the lead in the first half.
Ross Jenkins made two changes from last Monday’s defeat at Salisbury with Chris Bush returning at centre back in place of David Agbontohoma and Junior Dixon playing instead of Johnny Goddard.
FIRST HALF
The visitors started the better of the two side with forward Aaron Blair trying his luck from distance on two minutes. Five minutes later Reiss Greenidge was just off target with a header from a Charlie Seaman cross. On sixteen minutes, Boreham Wood’s Tom Whelan hit the wall from a free kick from just outside the penalty areas. Seaman fired wide from a similar freekick, four minutes later.
On twenty-four minutes Erico Sousa went on a good run down the right and crossed the ball to Lee Ndlovu but somehow Stones right back managed to put it out for a corner and prevent an almost certain Boreham Wood goal. Boreham Wood started to get a foothold in the game, forcing a succession of corners and they improved as the half went on. They took the lead on thirty-nine minutes with an excellent goal from David Agbontohoma who turned and struck a brilliant shot past Alexi Andre Jr in the Stones goal. A minute later the visitors were nearly level when Blair struck a lovely curling effort which cannoned off the Wood post with goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore well beaten. Bivesh Gurung fired well over the bar just before the interval.
HALF TIME: BOREHAM WOOD 1 MAIDSTONE UNITED 0
Wood were the better side for a while after the break. They controlled possession and looked like adding to their lead on a couple of occasions. Mo Sagaf fired over from a good position soon after the restart following some good interplay with Sousa, Sousa then linked up well with Ndlovu on the half mark but scuffed his shot when though on goal. Four minutes later Jon Benton had the ball in the net for the visitors, but referee Tom Ellsmore correctly ruled it out for offside. At this point Stones were coming back into the game and looked in control from here on. Benton’s shot from outside the penalty area was save by Ashmore on seventy-two minutes.
There was a sign of what was to come on eighty-one minutes when a Ben Brooks cross was headed just wide by Reiss Greenidge. Five minutes later, Maidstone got their equaliser when a long through by Brooks, caught the Boreham Wood defence ball watching and Eweka headed home for a deserved equaliser. The visitors looked more likely to get the winner after the goal and Blair went close from a Shaq Coulthirst cross.
FULL-TIME: BOREHAM WOOD 1 MAIDSTONE UNITED 1
It was a disappointing result for Boreham Wood against a disciplined and well organised Maidstone team and having led for so long, Ross Jenkins will feel that his team should have seen the game out. Having said that, had the game gone on much longer, the visitors might have been the team to come away with all three points. Wood have only two days before the next game, at home to Worthing where Ross Jenkins will want his team to get back to winning ways.
Boreham Wood: Ashmore, Sousa, Ilesamni (Coxe 88), Hare (Agbontohoma 12), Bush, O’Connell, Payne, Whelan (Adbulmalik 89), Sagaf, Ndlovu (Mafuta 71), Dixon (Marsh 81)
Subs not used:
Maidstone United: Andrew Jr, Eweka, Brookes, Greenidge, Fowler, Benton (Court 89), Krasniqi (Bentley 65), Gurung. Seaman (Coulthirst 82), Andrade (Fonkeu 65), Blair
Subs not used: Holden
By Brett Lewis
