Match Report: Yeovil Town 0 Boreham Wood 3

Yeovil Town’s recent good form came to a juddering halt at the hands of an impressive Boreham Wood side who ran out comfortable winners at a blustery Huish Park on Saturday.

The visitors started the match in fifth place in the National League Premier Division and quickly showed why as they took the lead through the impressive Abdul Abdulmalik and striker Matt Rush added a second deep in to first half stoppage time.

With the wind at their backs after the break, Yeovil failed to take advantage of the conditions and Boreham Wood continued to toy with their hosts and full-back Femi Ilesanmi was there to turn it home. Game, set, match.

First half

Manager Richard Dryden named an unchanged starting XI for the fourth consecutive match as they went in search of their fourth consecutive win. The visitors attacked the Thatcher’s End with Storm Amy giving them a major advantage with the wind literally in their sales from the start.

It was visiting midfielder Zak Brunt who was the first to try his luck with a wind-assisted shot from distance in the eighth minute with an effort which whistled over the bar.

There was an early blow for Yeovil after Josh Sims suffered an injury after an awkward landing having jumped for a header and the former Southampton man was off the pitch when Boreham Wood took the lead after 20 minutes. Abdul ABDULMALIK cut inside and stroked the ball in to the far corner leaving goalkeeper Jed Ward with no chance. Byron Pendleton replaced Sims before the game restarted. A double blow for the Glovers.

For the second week in a row, Yeovil faced a side which played the ball around nicely with the ball spending plenty of time on the deck, similar to the second half against Altrincham seven days earlier. Yeovil changed their formation with Pendleton going across to the left and trying to match their visitors’ 4-2-3-1 formation.

After 34 minutes, experienced full-back Jeff King fired in a free-kick which was tipped around the post by Jed Ward who was at full stretch to deny the visitors a second. The windy conditions definitely helped that one on its way.

Abdulmalik had another effort four minutes before half-time which deflected off team-mate Charles Clayden and went behind for a Yeovil goal kick, and Brunt put an effort in to the side netting in the second minute of seven minutes of first half injury time.

Just as it looked like we would go in at the break just one goal down, Boreham Wood grabbed a second with just seconds remaining. Abdulmalik skipped away from Morgan Williams with ease down the left side, fed Clayden and he played a cross in to Matt RUSH was there to double the visitors’ advantage.

Boreham Wood thoroughly deserve their half-time advantage, they have taken full advantage of the windy conditions and Yeovil will have to do the same in the second half if they are to get anything out of this one.

Half time: Yeovil Town 0 Boreham Wood 2

Second half

Richard Dryden made three changes at half-time with Brett McGavin, Aaron Jarvis and Alex Whittle replacing and Finn Cousin-Dawson, Junior Morias and captain Jake Wannell. McGavin in particular was needed to bring some control in the middle and hopefully get Yeovil’s attacking players who have proved some potent in the previous three matches involved in the second half.

It looks like we are starting with a 4-4-2 (cue Mike Bassett quote) formation with Jarvis and Tahvon Campbell paired together up from. Within eight seconds of the restart, Aaron Jarvis was penalised by referee Niall Smith. What does that man have to do to get a decision from a match official?!

It was Boreham Wood who had the first chance of the second half after seven minutes of the restart, Clayden exploited the space left by Yeovil’s change in formation and curled a wonderful shot in. Luckily, Jed Ward was able to pull off an equally impressive save to deny him. The on loan Bristol Rovers’ man could have a busy half if we are going to push to get back in to his game.

James Plant became the second enforced change of the match of the match on 55 minutes. The on loan Port Vale player appeared to injure his shoulder and was replaced by Harvey Greenslade. That is all our substitutes made with only ten minutes of the second half played.

Campbell had an opportunity to set Andrew Oluwabori away but the striker could not get the ball under control and Wood defender Chris Bush stole the ball off him to start an attack which led to Zak Brunt dragging a chance wide. That could easily have been 3-0.

On 64 minutes, it was 3-0 to Boreham Wood after 63 minutes. It all started with Abdulmalik again, he skipped past a couple of players and the Yeovil defence were statuesque as Femi ILESANMI turned it home. You cannot say the visitors do not deserve this scoreline.

It took until the 72nd minute for Yeovil to have a meaningful effort on goal. McGavin’s ball forward was cleverly stepped over by Campbell and Greenslade coming in from the left side tried to caress it in to the corner but Finn Herrick in the visitors’ goal did well to turn it around the post. 

Ward had to pull off another great save to deny Jeff King after 75 minutes. We have struggled to cope with the pace of this Boreham Wood side all afternoon and that was the case again there. The visitors had the ball in the net three minutes later when substitute Lewis Richardson had a shot saved by Ward and Rush was there to put the ball in the net, but the offside flag was up.

McCormick had a shot well saved by Herrick with ten minutes remaining. The wind which was gusting towards the Thatcher’s in the first half appears to have dropped, but we have simply not been allowed to play in anything like the attacking style we have seen in the last three matches. Credit has to go to Boreham Wood for standing up to us better than we have had a go at them.

There was still time for the visitors to cut through Yeovil like a hot knife through butter and Brunt fired in another dipping shot which Ward tipped over the bar. The keeper picked up another sponsors’ Man of the Match award and it’s hard to argue with it.

It was one way traffic all afternoon and it looks as if it was a game too far for our small squad.

Substitutes: Byron Pendleton (for Josh Sims, 21), Alex Whittle (for Jake Wannell, 46), Brett McGavin (for Finn Cousin-Dawson, 46), Aaron Jarvis (for Junior Morias, 46), Harvey Greenslade (for James Plant, 55), Ben Wodskou (not used), Matt Gould (not used).

Boreham Wood: Finlay Herrick, Femi Ilesanmi, Chris Bush, Charlie O’Connell, Zak Brunt, Abdul Abdulmalik (for Jon Benton, 87), Jeff King (for Cameron Coxe, 79), Callum Reynolds, Charles Clayden (for Lewis Richardson, 64), Tom White, Matt Rush.

Substitutes (not used): Erico Sousa, Junior Dixon, Joe Newton, Aaron Henry.