Boreham Wood were knocked out by Dunfermline Athletic in the Irn-Bru Cup on Saturday, after a tense penalty shoot-out.
It took six penalties each to separate the two sides. Robbie Muirhead had scored the sixth penalty for Dunfermline, before Connor Smith crashed the Wood’s final spot kick against the crossbar.
It was a game of few chances, with neither side truly taking control of the affair – the first match between a National League side and a Scottish Championship side in the Scottish Challenge Cup.
Luke Garrard made a few changes to his starting eleven, with Manny Parry, Connor Smith and Justin Shaibu all returning, while new signing Reeco Hackett-Fairchild came straight into the side.
There were also spots on the bench for academy players Fred Burbidge, Alex Morgan, Daniel Creese and Jack Gibbs.
Hackett-Fairchild impressed early on with a chance after just 10 minutes, when his curled effort was saved by Lee Robinson in the Dunfermline goal.
Smith was then forced to make an outstanding sliding block in the middle of the area, when Louis Longridge struck an effort from close-range.
Robbie Muirhead’s out-swinging corner was then fought clear by the Wood. A long-ball upfield found the on-running Hackett-Fairchild on goal, but Robinson managed to clear the danger.
Femi Ilesanmi was proving a threat down the left-wing, but dragged the ball narrowly wide from a good crossing position.
Sorba Thomas was moved into a more attacking position as Garrard looked to get a foothold in the game, and the winger done well down the right-side and drove a ball into the box, but Mark Durnan cleared.
Thomas then snatched the ball on the by-line and pulled it back to Smith, but Longridge thumped it clear.
A free-kick in a dangerous position for James Craigen was blocked by Ricky Shakes and pumped away.
The Wood went close when a smart corner routine was dummied by Thomas and fell for Smith, but his effort was fired over the bar.
Durnan and James Vincent both saw efforts defended well by the Wood defence, as the two sides picked up the pace.
Ryan Huddart came to the Wood’s rescue in the dying embers of the game, with a fantastic close-range stop, from substitute Aidan Connolly.
Keiran Murtagh, Joshua Umerah, Jamal Fyfield, Ilesanmi and Hackett-Fairchild all scored their penalties in a tense shootout, although Connor Smith missed.
Maulry Martin, Craigen, Myles Hippolyte, El Bakhtaoui, Connolly and Muirhead then helped Dunfermline net all six of their spot kicks, to settle the tie.
The Wood: Huddart, Ilesanmi, Parry, Stephens ©, Shakes, Murtagh, Fyfield, Thomas, Smith, Hackett-Fairchild, Shaibu (Umerah 67’)
Subs not used: Burbidge, Ricketts, Umerah, Morgan, Gibbs, Creese
Dunfermline Athletic: Robinson, J. Longridge, Durnan, Ashcroft ©, Higginbotham (Hippolyte 54’), L. Longridge (Connolly 76’), Thomson (Martin 67’), El Bakhtaoui, Vincent, Craigen, Muirhead
Subs not used: Ryan, Gill, Morrison, McCann
Attendance: 1,001 (636 away)
