TT PREVIEW

Steve discusses the Wood ahead of the 2024-25 season

FROM CONTENDERS TO RELEGATION

I’m really not sure where to begin this this question. It was a combination of events in my opinion. In truth I’m not sure if everyone at the club got over the heartbreak of missing out on Wembley in the 2023 play-offs. The club were just 60 seconds away from defeating Notts County, and I know it personally hit me hard, so maybe there was a general hangover at the club. There were obviously consequences of that extra-time defeat; loan players returned to their parent clubs, others left, and transfer targets were missed.

Things snowballed from a poor transfer window in the summer. The start of the season saw a major injury crisis hit the club – the goalkeeping coach was on the bench at Oxford City – and the results were so inconsistent. Just when the team threatened to pull away from the relegation zone they would suffer some bad results that dragged them back in. Defensively the team started shipping goals, which they never did under Luke Garrard, and the run from February onwards that saw the Wood lose eight in ten would eventually prove costly. Eight points out of the last 12 available nearly saw the great escape, but the 0-0 draw against Ebbsfleet was a damp squib of a match that saw the club relegated on the last day of the season.

BOUNCING BACK?

Part of me looks at the squad and thinks that the Wood must be one of the favourites for promotion. But in previous years I’ve seen enough teams drop into the National League and the South/North divisions with their fans bullishly declaring that their team will bounce straight back, and it hasn’t ended well. I would say that this a crucial year for the club, though. The chairman has continued to back the club financially, and the club is still operating on a full-time basis. But season ticket sales are down and I feel a fast start is needed. If the club can build a bit of momentum, get some positive results, then hopefully the positivity will grow. If the club don’t go up then I wonder what the future holds.

THE SQUAD

The squad looks very strong to me. Keeping players such as Nathan Ashmore and Chris Bush surprised me slightly, as I was concerned that they would be snapped up by National League clubs. Others like David Agbontohoma, Jack Payne, and Lee Ndlovu will hopefully thrive in this division, and all have points to prove after relegation. I was resigned to losing Erico Sousa at the end of last season. He was brilliant in 23/24 – scooping all the major player awards at the club – but with his contract running out it looked like he was off. When news broke that he was returning to the Wood, I was astonished. If he plays to his full ability then I reckon it’s almost like a cheat code having him in this division.

Four new players have come in – Josh Hare, Johnny Goddard, Abdul Abdulmalik and Charlie O’Connell. Time will tell how good they will be. I do think the club needs a proven goal-scorer if Ndlovu is absent, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some new faces before the start of the new campaign.

The new man is here! 🤩

Boreham Wood FC are thrilled to announce the signing of talented 21-year old forward Abdul Abdulmalik, who joins the side as Ross Jenkins’ 4th summer transfer! 👏

Welcome, Abdul! 🪵#WeAreTheWood
— Boreham Wood FC (@BOREHAM_WOODFC) July 29, 2024

NEW MANAGER

I’ve only been to one pre-season friendly (as of 25/07) but I was impressed with what I saw from the performance against Brentford B. Ross Jenkins obviously wants to implement a new playing style and you could see some early signs of crisp passing, building from the back, and less long clearances than previous seasons. Luke Garrard was very successful, and I will forever be grateful for the memories he provided, yet sometimes the approach was a bit too rigid, and not that pleasing on the eye. So a change will be interesting.

One thing I’m not sure I’ll get used to – against Brentford B the team were playing out from the back, and there were hairy moments with the ball at the feet of our keeper Ashmore. We were lucky to get away with some near misses, but perhaps this will all be ironed out before the start of the season. There is a time to play football and a time to launch it, but pre-season friendlies are a good time to experiment I guess.

PREDICTIONS

I hate to sound cocky, but I think it has to be play-offs as a minimum for the Wood. Obviously I would love a tilt at the title, but without truly knowing the quality of the other clubs it is hard to predict if the club can make it straight back to the National League.

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEASON START

The start of the season is generally an exciting time, getting back into the weekend routine, seeing if the new signings you have made will turn out to be the players who will drive the club forward. It will be very interesting to see if the new style of football promised works.

I would say the biggest thing I’m looking forward to is clocking up some new grounds. Relegation is horrible, but it does give you the opportunity of visiting different clubs. One season feels like enough though, so hopefully we can get back to the National League at the first time of asking.