Wood Too Good

Boston United 0-2 Boreham Wood (National League)

In three of the last ten seasons, Boreham Wood have finished in the playoff places in the National League.

In 2018, they lost to Tranmere Rovers in a Wembley final, the nearest they have come to reaching the Football League. In 2020 they were fifth when their season was early curtailed by COVID with just nine games to play, whilst in 2023 they were beaten by Notts County in the playoff semi-finals after a sixth placed finish, but surprising relegation, during 2023/24 cost long-serving Manager and club legend Luke Garrard his job, a job he would regain off Ross Jenkins exactly a year ago, and ever-since, promotion from the National League South via the playoffs was achieved, and this season, the Wood have really meant business.

Formed in 1948 the club were long established in the Isthmian league (largely from the 70’s onwards) but in 2010 they gained promotion to the National League South and enjoyed their first taste of step one football in 2015, when they were promoted to the Vanarama Premier Division.

Bar that one season last year, they have been in English football’s fifth tier ever-since, and following promotion have started this campaign really well, playing attractive football amongst the division’s front runners with five wins two draws and just one defeat from eight games played.

I won’t bore you with Boston United’s past, as frequent flyers on this aircraft of mine will already know that it’s a club I often visit, but since my last journey to south east Lincolnshire, the club have this week announced that the much anticipated fourth stand of their impressive new Jakemans Stadium will be built. Adding to the three-sided modern venue that has been home to the Pilgrims since leaving York Street in 2020.

The Venue

I’ve arrived in Wyberton which is a suburb on the outskirts of Boston, for around 1:30pm, a fresh grey day in September, I walk past a new looking service station which wasn’t here the last time I visited in August, on the A16 roundabout there’s a Starbucks, a Burger King, a Greggs, a Papa Johns, a Costa Coffee and now a huge petrol station with a Co-op attached, all within touching distance to the Jakemans Stadium, named by sponsors, the local sweet making company (who do lovely menthol lozenges).

As I get my ticket and walk through the turnstile, I’m up the steps of this fantastic three-sided arena, looking forward to seeing the upcoming works that will turn the building site behind the goal to my right, into an impressive new stand.

I’m joined by a fellow scout from Lincoln, the BBC radio Lincolnshire team sat behind me, Mark Clifford, a former Pilgrim on co-comms, the Boreham Wood media team nearby are asking for the Wi-Fi code, as the two teams warm up the crowd slowly fills up, it always seems to feel pretty full here, the ground intimate but spacious, the terracing across the way has less than a hundred visiting supporters to the right (92 in total), to the left, a few more than that standing in Boston yellow and gold, whilst the stand on my left always packs in the home following behind the goal, the seated stand I’m in, offering comfortable viewing, it’s arguably the best ground in the division, in my personal opinion, and that’s even without the stand soon to be built on my right.

The Game

I’m excited to see Boreham Wood after doing a bit of video research from their impressive win over Altrincham. Unfortunately, their two goal hero in a 3-1 win, Erico Sousa is not playing, but there’s another player I’m looking forward to seeing, in Abdul Abdulmalik, and he starts well, small and stocky with oiled legs, his close control is frightening, as he zips around the pitch from right to left, looking all busy and set free by his Manager to play where the hell he wants.

A player I’m disappointed with initially is Chris Bush, the experienced left footed centre back, hair in a bun, he starts sloppy, a little too laid back for my liking as he gives away a couple of passes, but he is improving as we go, eventually playing triangles with his centre back siding Callum Reynolds and young West Ham loanee goalkeeper Finley Herrick only 19 years young, who I joke, looks the best player in possession, on the pitch.

The Wood are in fact at ease in possession in their own third, but don’t really get things going forward, they play a traditional four with good full backs in Jeff King (always looking to bomb on) who has one attempt when cutting in and shooting over from the right and in Femi Ilesanmi on the left (who defends first and foremost) a bruiser type enforcer of experience. In midfield, they have two holding things down in Charlie O’Connell and Tom White, both very good, this allows Zak Brunt a free role wearing number eight, whilst Abdulmalick, Lewis Richardson and Matty Rush up top, get to run around, interchange, and make themselves a nuisance.

Boston, have a few changes since the last time I’ve seen them play, it seems Manager Graham Coughlan prefers the wing-back system, despite the club probably not having the best players to do so, they look after Zak Mills who plays a middle three of a defence that includes Connor Teale as a right sided defender and Alex Lankshear, brother of Tottenham Hotspur youngster Will, on the left.

In midfield, Boston look to fill every gap, with Jordan Richards sitting, Greg Sloggett, Owen Hampson, Dylan Hill, all central, Matty Carson is left wing back whilst Jordan Cropper is right, with poor old Jordi Hiwula up front, he can’t hold anything up, often isolated and against a solid looking visiting back line who easily contain him.

The Score

The first half passes without real threat of a goal, the away side the better of the two, whilst Boston are probably content with holding them to blanks, their Manager Coughlan however does see reason to change, and adds another forward at the half time break when he brings on Lenell John-Lewis for midfielder Owen Hampson, but as quickly as he does, the visitors take the lead.

It’s a good move on 49 that ends with Tom White disguising a pass into the feet of Brunt, he’s a player who left Barnet in the summer, one formerly of Notts County, who seems to be playing with freedom, and confidence, in the heart of this Boreham Wood midfield, he has space to take a touch inside the area and fire home.

It could be two, a free kick awarded on the edge of the area is crashed off the post by Jeff King, a curling effort by a set piece specialist, I remember watching him score similarly for Chesterfield a few years previously, he’s a player who I think is a savvy capture for Boreham Wood since moving from York City.

It is two, when King delivers on the hour, he cuts in from the right with a chop, just like he did in the first half before blasting over, this time however, common sense prevails, he cuts back instead to the on-rushing Abdulmalick who doesn’t even break his stride to stroke low, home a second.

That goal pretty much gives the game up for Boston, they haven’t really looked like a side who have believed all afternoon, and have been second best to a decent football team, who have way more in attack, and defence, and in midfield, than their opposition.

The later stages are played out with relative ease by Boreham Wood, as I hear Mark Clifford behind on the radio, frustrated with Boston’s lack of intent, "they could play for another 90 minutes and they won't score" he says, whether it be down to formation, style, substance, it’s all second best today, and they get what they deserve as the rain starts to fall, which is nothing, all three points heading south, as the final whistle is blown to put discontented Boston fans out of their misery.

The Stars

For Boston, they award a sponsors Man of the Match each week and this week they ‘had to’ give it to someone, that someone was Jordan Richards in midfield, who received a mild applause from the crowd on announcement, although I did hear one shout “Do they already sponsor him” from someone who was less impressed.

I thought, as he always does, Zak Mills gave 110% and he’s a player that has really stepped up since Boston have been in the National League, another I’m nearly always impressed with is Connor Teale, who was often pulled out to the right back area from his role in the back three, but as a centre half, I feel he has a big future in the game.

Another player with a big future, is Abdul Abdulmalik of Boreham Wood. I asked one of their members of staff about the players story, a former Millwall youth player who also played for England U17’s now aged 22, I was told, “If we are to go up this season, it will be down to him”.

He’s fondly thought of as a match winner on his day, and everything good that goes through him, is key to how Boreham Wood progress.

Football however, is a team game, and I think contributing to Abdulmalik’s form is the fact Zak Brunt, recently signed from Barnet, where he often underwhelmed me, has found a new lease of life, as the key figure in a team, designed to get players like him, on the ball, to play.

Brunt is intelligent and neat, always progressive as that high number eight, he’s allowed to get on the ball and make things happen in the final third whilst behind him, O’Connell and White do the ugly stuff brilliantly.

Whilst defensively I think Boreham Wood look very good, they have already conceded eleven goals this season, to my surprise, a young keeper in Finley Herrick wasn’t tested on the day, keep an eye on him, whilst Jeff King moving forward is probably one of the best in the division on the right, they have relatively solid combative winners, in the likes of Bush, Reynolds, Ilesanmi, all the type to put body on the line to keep clean sheets.

The Verdict

I think Boreham Wood now fourth will continue to do ok, with Forest Green, Carlisle and Rochdale above them, with Southend, Scunthorpe, Tamworth, York and Hartlepool below them, it’ll be tough against teams with higher budgets, but they do have pulling power being the top non-league team in London, and if they can keep the majority of their squad together, could easily mount a promotion challenge, off the back of the playoff places which I believe they are good enough to reach.

For Boston, a long hard tough season ahead, they like last year will look to survive, and perhaps are better equipped than last, already, for doing so, they do have a couple of injuries to key players, which they’ll be wanting to get better soon, if they keep their heads above water, until then, they have every fighters chance of survival, but it will need a lot of improvement against sides in and around their own battle, starting with Wednesday night at home to Braintree.

The Teams

Boston United: Rhys Lovett, Connor Teale, Zak Mills, Alex Lankshear, Jordan Cropper (Ben Grist 80), Jordan Richards, Greg Sloggett (Rocco Coyle 80), Matty Carson, Owen Hampson (Lenell John-Lewis 46), Dylan Hill, Jordy Hiwula (Kieren Donnelly 60).

Boreham Wood: Finley Herrick, Jeff King (Cameron Coxe 76), Callum Reynolds (Jon Benton 90), Chris Bush, Femi Ilesanmi, Tom White, Charlie O’Connell, Zak Brunt, Abdul Abdulmalik (Junior Dixon 76), Lewis Richardson (Charles Clayden 68), Matt Rush.

3:00pm Kick Off. Saturday 20th September 2025, Jakemans Stadium, Boston (att 1,812).