Following Saturday’s goal fest at Plainmoor, Gary Johnson’s side are back on the road on Tuesday, when they travel to Meadow Park to take on Boreham Wood.
Who’s the Boss?
Luke Garrard has progressed through the coaching staff ranks at Boreham Wood since arriving as an Academy Coach for the Wood in 2008, before being promoted to Academy Director four years later. In 2013, he was appointed as Assistant Manager to Ian Allison where he remained for two and a half years and upon Allison’s departure, was appointed at the side’s First Team Manager which made him the youngest manager in all of England’s top five divisions.
Garrard has been written in the history books at Meadow Park after guiding his side to the National League Play-Off Final, marking the Wood’s first trip to Wembley in 2017/18. The season also marked Boreham Wood’s highest ever National League finish, but his side narrowly missed out on promotion, losing 2-1 to Tranmere Rovers under the iconic Arch.
Last season Garrard led his side to a respectable midtable finish, across the campaign the Wood won 13, drew 16 and lost 13. The Hertfordshire side have kicked-off this season well and after nine matches are sat in 4th place, two points off the top, with five wins, three draws and one loss.
Player to Watch
The Wood’s number 7, Josh Rees was the side’s third summer signing in the build up to the current campaign. The creative midfielder has made nine appearances for the Hertfordshire side so far this season and has recently found the goal-scoring form he is renowned for having scored three in his last five matches.
The 28-year-old began his career at Arsenal where he remained in their youth system for 11 years between 2001 and 2012. Rees secured a three-year deal at Nottingham Forest but departed in 2016 after one senior appearance in a bid for regular first team football. During his time at Forest he enjoyed loan spells at Nuneaton Town but also had a short spell at Plainmoor towards the end of the 2015/16 campaign where he made 21 appearances and scored once for United.
Rees spent one season in the National League South with Chelmsford City where he made 49 appearances and scored 7 goals, before moving on to National League side Bromley in 2017. He was part of the side that progressed to the Final of the FA Trophy and the season marked his career best statistics-wise with 20 goals in 55 appearances.
The midfielder went on to spend one season in League One at Gillingham before opting for a return to Bromley. Rees signed on at Aldershot last season where he scored 13 goals in 41 appearances for the Shots.
Played for Both
Scott Boden arrived at Plainmoor in January on a loan spell from rivals Chesterfield which saw him remain in the English Riviera until the end of the season. Following the conclusion of the 2020/21 campaign, the 31-year-old signed on at Boreham Wood over the summer.
Boden scored 6 goals in 18 appearances for United, including two in United’s hard-fought 2-2 draw away at Stockport County in the closing stages of last season.
The forward began his career at his hometown club Sheffield United, before signing on for what would be his first spell at Chesterfield in the summer of 2008, where he remained for five years and made over 100 appearances. He then went on to play for the likes of Macclesfield and FC Halifax Town before returning to the Football League to play for Newport County and then experience top-flight football in Scotland with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Spells at Wrexham, Gateshead and his second spell at Chesterfield followed, during which he scored 23 goals in 58 league appearances for the Spireites.
Previous Encounter
Torquay 1 – 1 Boreham Wood, Saturday 14th November 2020, National League
In tough conditions, United were forced to settle for a point when Boreham Wood last came to Plainmoor. Bournemouth loanee Sam Sherring opened the scoring with a header in the 15th minute. The visitors levelled the scores on the verge of half time after a Sorba Thomas cross was deflected past Shaun MacDonald.
United were reduced to ten men in the 71st minute after a second yellow card saw Adam Randell given his marching orders.
It seemed Boreham Wood’s game plan was to put crosses deep into the United box but MacDonald was alert and held the Hertfordshire side off well.
Both sides had good chances in the second half and Ben Wynter came close to giving United the lead once more as in the 62nd minute, his strike from the edge of the box was just tipped over the bar by Nathan Ashmore.
Despite going down to ten men in the 71st minute, Gary Johnson’s side continued to work hard and press for a winner, but at a wet and blustery Plainmoor, the points were shared.