TT PREVIEW

Steve talks about the Wood

SEASON SO FAR

In a word: inconsistent. Just when you think the club may be getting on a roll they then drop points, which is frustrating to say the least. You can tell that the chairman and manager are as irritated as us fans in their programme notes and interviews. It is something that needs to be addressed going forwards, otherwise hopes of winning the league will fade.

RECENT FORM

I think I’ve summed it up in the answer above. The last three games neatly demonstrate this. Losing 1-0 at a struggling Aveley was appalling, a match in which the Wood dominated possession but rarely threatened to score. Then four days later they defeated high-flying Truro 1-0 at Meadow Park. Last weekend the club progressed to the next round of the FA Trophy with a fortunate win on penalties against Felixstowe and Walton United. It is difficult at the moment to work out what Wood will turn up from one match to the next.

HIGHLIGHTS

Gaining ten points from the first 12 available under new manager Ross Jenkins was really exciting, with the new playing style providing some encouragement that the Wood would be title contenders. However, that early season anticipation soon dissolved leading to the return of Luke Garrard. Winning the first four matches on his return – two in the league, two in the FA Cup – saw the optimism return, but since then inconsistency has ruled.

KEY PLAYERS

Midfielder Tom Whelan has been superb this season, repeatedly earning himself the man of the match awards on the Wood Army Facebook page. Erico Sousa is an exciting player, although he has been injured since the Orient FA Cup match. Sousa is mainly used as a wing back, but I’ve always thought he would be an ideal player to play in the hole behind the forwards. New signing Abdul Abdulmalik is another who gets you on the edge of your seat, but again he has been injured recently. Kwesi Appiah has enjoyed a decent goals return so far, and with Lee Ndlovu coming back from injury, I would love the pair to form a partnership that will worry National League South defences. I like forward Junior Dixon too – on loan from Birmingham – but he has not started in the last two league matches, much to my annoyance.

BACK TO GARRARD

I was not surprised with the change. We went to Hampton and Richmond – the match before Jenkins was sacked – and seeing the face of the chairman Danny Hunter at half-time made me wonder if a change was going to be made in the near future. The Wood scraped a draw in the last minute, but on the way back I said to my son that I would not be surprised if Jenkins would be on his way out. I was a little torn when Luke returned. He did so much for the club and gave us so many happy memories. Yet it was hard to argue with the fact that many supporters found his style of football a bit too direct – although they seemed quiet during the promotion bids and FA Cup runs – and I felt it was probably the right time for him to go at the end of the previous season. When he came back I hoped that the brief time out of the game may have made Luke realise some of the mistakes he made in the past. But time will tell.

THOUGHTS ON THE NLS

I’ve really enjoyed going to a few new grounds – Chesham, Hampton and Richmond, Eastbourne, Aveley – and the standard has impressed me at times. There have also been passages of matches where I have seriously wondered if I could have made it at this level – I definitely couldn’t have – but you have to be realistic of what to expect. What I will say is that this league looks ultra-competitive. Teams will continue to take points off of each other, so it promises to be a right scrap for the promotion places for the rest of the season.

PRE-MATCH

We tend to go straight to the ground, but on a midweek night we will eat somewhere simple like McDonalds or KFC. The high street has other options though like Subway and various takeaways, so there are a lot of food options. In the past I used to go to a Wetherspoons on the high street called the Hart and Spool, but I think this has now changed hands and is called the Pick and Shovel. I’m not sure what the new pub is like, but another option I have heard of is the Wellington on Theobald Street. Sadly though I’m normally driving my son and mum to matches, so I can’t get too involved in a drinking session beforehand.

BEST OPPOSITION

Unfortunately, one of the best players I’ve seen this season was Hornchurch keeper Mason Terry. Hornchurch left Meadow Park with a point, but mainly due to a fantastic display from Terry, who I found out afterwards is on loan from West Ham. Eastbourne looked a decent team when we went down there and lost 2-1. Having beaten them in the FA Cup I was hopeful of repeating the feat down on the south coast, yet despite leading 1-0 at half-time I was not completely surprised when the home team came back to take the three points. The two clubs are meeting again in the FA Trophy in December, so we’re going to get sick of the sight of each other soon.

PROMOTION CHANCES?

Realistically the minimum goal should be to reach the play-offs, and with the solid cup record of the club under Luke Garrard you would be hopeful of getting promoted via this route. But in an ideal world you would win the league and put all doubt to bed. Currently it is hard to see a title bid, especially with some of the dodgy performances of late, but I’m reasonably confident the club should be able to get into the play-offs.

PREDICTION

From what I’ve seen, Torquay seem to be similar to Boreham Wood in terms of their mixed results. Therefore, all things point to a close match, and a 1-1 draw looks a likely outcome to me. A lot depends on which Boreham Wood turn up on the day though, which makes predicting a score almost impossible. I’m hoping you catch the Wood on one of their good days.