The mighty U15 Boys' Wood army travelled north today for their Herts FA County Trophy 1st round game with Wodson Park.
The lads started really well and showed the intent to play a passing game early on. Some great one touch play down the left between Sheppard, Smith and Staszewski resulted in the latter crossing a quality ball into the box for Lennard to go agonisingly close. He wasn’t denied minutes later after a well worked phase of play down the right finished with an inviting cross from Sutherland; Lennard dispatching for his 5th goal of the season.
The Wood controlled the game but couldn’t get the 2nd goal they deserved. The back 3 of Adom, Fernando and Gilsenan was solid throughout and are growing as a partnership with every game. Backed up in this by keeper Torshakani.
The second finally came when McGregor stepped forward and hit a 25 yard free kick across the keeper into the top corner. The wood were now purring and a 3rd followed shortly after when Staszewski threaded a sublime through ball for Lennard, who pulled it back to Chen, finishing brilliantly across the keeper to make it 0-3 at half time.
Mill replaced Staszewski and got straight into the action with some super balls into the forwards. Parratt came on for Sheppard and was a constant threat behind the holding midfielder. Joyce in the middle of park was winning every first and second ball, keeping the team ticking over throughout. Maranzana was a constant threat in behind and was wrongly disallowed a goal when the linesman flagged for offside, disputed by Staszewksi snr!
Hebblethwaite replaced Sutherland and was straight into the action. A great ball from Mill to the back post found Hebblethwaite who headed across the goal for Lennard to score his 2nd of day and 6th of the season. A rare threat from Wodson park resulted in the forward finishing from a tight angle; Torshakani got a hand to it but, it rolled over the line in what seemed like slow motion.
The Wood weren’t done just yet and when Parratt played Mill wide, Mill picked out Mcgreger in the box who finished well to make it 1-5. The Wood march into the next round of the cup! Next week, back in league action vs Belstone in a huge local derby, where the boys will look to push on and charge at league honours.
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U16 Boys travelled over to Enfield Town in the League Cup; a tough draw against a club with a huge catchment area and against a team they had yet to best. With the wind gusting in their faces, a fast start was required from the boys to keep a lid on an Enfield attack that looked strong.
However, too many of the starting line-up were not ready to compete at the required levels and that's a recipe for disaster at this level. Early in the game, concerted pressure down the Wood's right flank culminated in a loose clearance falling to an Enfield midfielder, driving home from 25 yards with no Wood player in the same post code to block.
Though Silva pulled one back after being picked out by a vintage Da Silva long pass, this pattern continued throughout the half with Enfield first to the ball and having any number of long shots on the Wood goal. They inevitably scored more and the half ended 3-1; the Wood with a mountain to climb, overwhelmingly down to what we hadn't done proficiently, rather than from Enfield's good play.
An open team talk at half time saw several players maturely take on responsibility, accepting personal improvements were required and a rejuvenated Wood took to the pitch second half. Silva immediately raced through to grab his brace and reduce the deficit to one. Soon after he skipped past the Enfield defence to drill home for a superb hatrick and the Wood surged forward for the win. A player transformed, Collier was competing for everything in the midfield and produced a sumptuous pass that split the Enfield defence asunder for Da Silva to brilliantly hold off a far larger opponent before slamming home.
The Wood's defensive unit then kicked in to see out the game, Hones producing one tremendous last-ditch challenge to deprive Enfield of what seemed a certain equaliser, the Wood going on to record a thoroughly deserved 3-4 victory to book our place in the next round.
The result today was a squad effort and derived from a hardening mindset to never give up and to always try to turn round any adverse situation faced. Everyone contributed but, as always some players made big steps forward: Marshall putting in effective shifts in unfamiliar positions, Song enjoying a great outing on the wing, Makamian producing excellent delivery from corner and cross, Crucefix slipping nicely into the holding role and Manning displaying a wide range of quality passing. However, with the match ball bagged for a beautiful hatrick, Silva secured MoM, showing no better example of how to deal with great adversity and come out firmly on top. A long bow for a brave, strong, tough and talented young man.
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Our U14 girls faced a tricky away cup tie at the fantastic facilities of Wormley FC on Saturday morning. The girls are really starting to find their form after playing well but not getting the results in the first couple of fixtures of the season. Now on the back of two wins in a row the girls arrived in the Lee Valley full of confidence.
Playing against a D3 side, the Wood went into the game as favourites, but realised pretty quickly that the opposition were not going to be a pushover. With Yvi starting at Centre Back alongside defensive rock Poppy Skipp, the girls were not in the mood for conceding, despite some early territorial advantage for the home team. Emily between the sticks and Ava and Theaya as full backs made up the remainder of the defensive ranks and they were able to deal with Wormley’s attacks relatively comfortably.
The opposition were physically strong and some slightly passive refereeing was allowing them to impose themselves in the early exchanges, but gradually we managed to take control of the game. Lola and Elsie put in great shifts on the flanks and the midfield trio off Annie , Aanya and Poppy N started to take a hold of the game and allow our powerhouse striker Gabby to put the home side on the back foot.
Following a disallowed Wood goal, the home side took the lead late in the first half somewhat against the run of play. However, the Wood struck back almost instantly as Poppy N burst through to chase Annie’s nicely weighted through ball and stroked a class finish into the bottom corner. 1-1 at halftime and game on!
The second half was great to watch as the girls really rolled their sleeves up and took hold of the game. Izabella who put in a shift at left back subsequently moved into midfield and alongside Pheidi added some tenacity, allowing Aanya to get on the ball and show her outstanding range of passing. Ris replaced Emily in goal and the athletic Lucy was able to play her part in midfield and at full-back, using her pace and power to thwart Wormley’s infrequent counter attacks.
Early in the second half Gabby was able to break through the home defence not once but twice and like Poppy N she visibly composed herself and placed the ball low into the net. It’s fantastic to see the girls applying the lessons learned from the shooting practice that we have been working hard on in training. Gabby in particular works really hard on finishing with both feet and the deadly finishing she showed when we needed was a joy to watch.
The home side rode their luck as the second half wore on. Elsie hit a lovely strike against the bar and the Wormley defenders really stuck to their task with some outstanding last ditch defending.
At 3-1 the girls looked comfortable, but Wormley still refused to lie down and managed to score a scrappy second to set up a tense finale. With coaches Rich and Dave absent for the day at the Bar Mitzvah of pocket rocket Hazel, coach Pete was left on the verge of heart failure as the home side started to press for an equaliser. Fortunately, the girls stood firm and came away with a deserved victory. Huge credit to POTM Yvie who was fantastic at centre back despite playing with a broken finger! Her courage and resilience perfectly represents what this team is all about. 3 wins on the bounce now, and this group is really starting to gain momentum. A tough away trip to Bishops Stortford awaits next week and confidence will be high as the girls look to continue their winning run. Up the Wood!
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Our U15 Girls enjoyed an exciting 6-4 win against Hitchin Belles in their League Cup round robin match. The girls head away to Evergreen next week in the same competition.
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Under the brilliant sunshine at the Met Police fortress, Borehamwood 2000 took on the experienced Garston Ladies in a match filled with heart, grit, and excitement. Led out by their fearless captain Amber, the girls showed right from the start they were here for the battle.
The first quarter kicked off at a blistering pace, with Juniper quickly thrown into the action, making stunning saves and even palming one onto the far post to keep the scores level. Daisy was a livewire down the wing, delivering pinpoint crosses, while Polly was a defensive wall, throwing in crunching tackles that kept Garston at bay. Maisie and Ruby worked tirelessly, applying pressure and disrupting Garston’s flow, showing that Borehamwood were no pushovers.
As we entered the second quarter, Garston ramped up the pressure, and despite Gracie’s heroic close-range save, the rebound was tucked away but Borehamwood didn’t flinch. Leah took command of the midfield, dictating the tempo with brilliant passes, while debutant Anisia was an absolute revelation, slotting into the team like a seasoned pro. Sienna had her hands full in defence, but she never gave an inch, and Polly was again immense, denying Garston with a brilliant block. A second Garston goal came from a goalmouth scramble, but Borehamwood’s heads stayed high, undeterred by the scoreline.
Quarter 3 saw Polly step between the posts, and she took to goalkeeping like a natural, pulling off some brave stops. Maisie was unlucky not to find the net from the right wing, while Gracie, now at centre forward, terrorised the Garston defence with her speed. And then came the moment of magic from Juniper – a solo run that saw her weave through four players, only to be denied by a stunning save. Amber, too, was showing her mettle, giving as good as she got in a fiercely contested game.
Into the fourth and final quarter, Borehamwood continued to play with spirit and determination. Ruby moved to centre forward, running her socks off and spreading the ball beautifully. Sienna, now in goal, was fearless, diving at the opposition’s feet and commanding her defence like a pro. Anisia was again pulling the strings in defence, picking out Daisy with a long-range pass that saw her outpace the defence, only to be unlucky not to score.
Borehamwood had the crowd on their feet when Ruby’s pass found Daisy one-on-one with the Garston keeper and narrowly missing the target. Borehamwood were ramping up the pressure, moving the ball with ease, a goal seemed only moments away. Heartbreakingly, a blatant handball in the box from Garston should have given Borehamwood a penalty and the break they deserved, however, it was waved away by the referee, much to the dismay of the Borehamwood faithful.
The final whistle blew, but Borehamwood walked off the pitch with their heads held high. This was a team that never gave up, played with immense energy, and showed true character from start to finish. They were unlucky not to score at least three today and it was a performance to be proud of. This was more than a match; it was a display of teamwork, resilience, and passion. Borehamwood 2000 – remarkable, and no doubt a force to be reckoned with!