Wealdstone 5 – 1 Boreham Wood

Wealdstone

3QR

5 - 1

Boreham Wood

KO: 0:00 | Sat 16th Oct ’04

After a shaky start, a slight reshuffle ignited a superb Stones performance which saw them into the 4th Qualifying round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1988.

For the first half hour of this match, both sides struggled to create clear openings, but it was Boreham Wood that looked more likely to make the break through, and they did on the half hour when Lockhead hit a free kick around the wall past the grasping Andy Carter.

Stones reacted immediately, and Manager Gordon Bartlett changed the shape slightly asking Brian Jones to push on down the right and this opened up the game. Within three minutes Marvin Morgan broke down the right hand side and squared the ball behind the Wood defence for Jolly to equalise. Three minutes later and it was Morgan again who broke away, beating his man and striking a firm shot that Imber could only parry and Burrell headed home Stones second from close range. The second half saw Wealdstone dominate from the kick off, forcing Boreham Wood back and on 58 minutes, good work from Brian Jones allowed him to cross for Morgan to score Stones third.

After this Stones really settled on the ball and were content to pass at will making the visitors chase the game. On 67 minutes Morgan’s cross again found Jolly who struck home Stones fourth from close range.

Despite substitutions there was no way back into the game for Boreham Wood, and Stones subs made their mark on the game when Michnowicz stole the ball in midfield, passed to Tommy Williams and his ball into he path of Ben Alexander allowed him to side step his marker on the edge of the box, his low drilled shot beating Imber late on for number 5.

Stones fans by far the happier and looking forward to the draw for the 4th round on Monday,Boreham Wood’s fans will concentrate on maintaining their League form. Their ” F A Cup” follows, who showed little interest in the football all afternoon will no doubt disappear for another year and hopefully as far as Wealdstone are concerned, for a lot longer.

Harrow Times Steve Paull

Wealdstone 5 Boreham Wood 1

BATTLING Wealdstone capped another superb FA Cup performance by coming from behind to thrash Boreham Wood.

Played in an atmosphere of violence as the two sets of supporters, separated by police and stewards, squared up to each other, super Stones again defied logic, form and league position to produce a great victory.

Boreham Wood stepped onto the White Lion pitch with a confident swagger but left it as a dejected rabble after clinical finishing destroyed their cup aspirations.

In a scrappy yet passionate first thirty minutes, honours were even and goal-scoring chances at either end were non-existent. Lochhead then curled a free-kick around the defensive wall and past Andy Carter’s despairing dive to give the visitors the lead and suddenly there was a match on.

Wealdstone upped the pace of their game immediately, and were level within five minutes. Marvin Morgan’s determination won the ball in a tussle with Moran and when it was laid back, Richard Jolly fired home from eight yards.

Morgan’s curling effort soon after was acrobatically pushed away by former Stones keeper Noel Imber but only straight onto the head of Gary Burrell to make it 2-1.

Morgan had been on the receiving end of racial abuse from a section of the travelling Wood fans, but got his revenge with the third goal ten minutes after the turnaround.

Brian Jones’s pass was cut out by Lochhead but fell ideally for the striker to crack past Imber.

Wood did rally briefly and Moran headed a good chance over Carter’s bar, but this was their only worthwhile opportunity in a desperately disappointing 45 minutes for their management team.

The fourth goal was the pick of the bunch. Burrell’s mighty tackle won possession deep in his own half. He fed Gary McKeown, whose exquisite pass put Morgan away scampering down the left. When the cross came in Jolly arrived late at the far post to steer the ball home. Superb.

That only left Ben Alexander to replace Morgan and help himself to the fifth goal almost immediately after coming on. In an entirely individual effort, he dispossessed Townley on the edge of his own area, sidestepped a couple of tackles and cracked the ball past Imber from 20 yards.