Blue Square Bet South
Dorchester Town – 3
Boreham Wood – 1
by John Mead
Two world class free kicks and a penalty allowed the Dorset outfit to swap places with Ian Allinson’s side who now occupy bottom spot in the League. It was again poor finishing that left Wood still seeking its first victory after nine games.
With Ryan Moran and Elliott Godfrey unable to start due to injuries and Lee Allinson suspended Joe Benjamin a nineteen year old winger and Justin Cochrane a twenty-eight year old midfielder made their full Wood First Team debuts. Benjamin joins from Ebbsfleet United having been on Loan at Eastbourne Borough last Season whilst on Northampton Town’s books. Cochrane did appear for Wood Pre-Season. His last Club was Hayes & Yeading United, having also played for Aldershot Town, Yeovil Town, Rotherham United and Crewe Alexandra, where he made 72 appearances between 2003 and 2006.
A lively start by Wood rattled a nervous looking Town who conceded five corners in the opening quarter of an hour. Claude Seanla had a less than productive afternoon shooting straight at ‘keeper Simon Evans when clean through on goal. Lee Kersey also missed a great opportunity to open the scoring heading wide from a Mario Noto corner when well placed.
All the fine work was undone after fifteen minutes. Wood failed to defend decisively from a corner allowing Danny Ings a run at goal, only for David King playing at right back for Wood to clip his heels conceding a penalty. Lone striker, Giuseppe Sole, duly dispatched the spot kick, doing wonders for the home side’s confidence.
Ten minutes later Noto conceded a free kick twenty five yards from goal and up stepped Ryan Hill to produce an unstoppable rocket that curled around the wall and nestled under the stanchion, giving Ashlee Jones no chance. This left Wood a mountain to climb, which was made even steeper when Noto fired wide from just eighteen yards when scoring looked an easier option just after the interval. Half chances came and went for Wood who were for the most, in control of the game, with Evans by far the busier of the custodians.
Any chance of a fight back ended when Hill replicated his first half wonder strike with thirteen minutes remaining. Again Noto was the offender and again the top left hand corner Hill’s preferred aim.
Wood to their credit never gave up hope and Daniel Brathwaite reduced the arrears nodding home after Noto’s corner had been teed up by Leon McKenzie. It was Brathwaite’s third ever goal for the Club in his 76th appearance. Seanla then missed a late chance to further reduce the arrears, his touch letting him down when through on goal.
Wood Manager Ian Allinson declared after the game, “We must not feel sorry for ourselves as I believe we are not far away from the required standard now. Our finishing let us down again today, other Clubs are sticking chances like that away for fun against us and therein lies the difference. We created the most chances and our ‘keeper Ashlee Jones was beaten by a penalty and two “worldly” free kicks. Other than that he did not have a single save to make! We must look for consistency and continuity now within the Squad that we have.”
Team: Jones, Garrard, Brathwaite, Noto, Kersey, Cochrane, Dadson (Sub – Godfrey 55 mins.), Seanla, McKenzie, King, Benjamin (Sub – Morgan 70 mins.).
Subs (Not used): Kirby, Fraser, Baker-Owers.
Goals: Dorchester Town: Sole 15 pen., Hill 25, 77. Boreham Wood: Brathwaite 89.
Bookings: Noto.
Man of the Match: David King.
