Aldershot Town 1 – 2 Boreham Wood
The Shots returned the the EBB for another mid-week fixture against promotion chasing Boreham Wood. The setting was a cold and wet one, giving both sides something extra to think about going into the game. A brace for number 23 Regan Booty was the difference between the two sides, with Brody Peart’s consolation goal not being enough to spark a comeback and end an unfortunate run of form.
John Coleman made just the one change to the side that faced Woking last Saturday as Christy Grogan replaced Sam Inwood, who received an international call up and joins the Northern Ireland squad for the current international break. Theo Widdrington captained the side in the continued absence of Ryan Hill, who served the second of his two match ban.
It was a nightmare start for the Shots as our visitors found the back of the net within three minutes. The ball was scrambled away following a corner and Regan Booty found himself in enough space to drill one straight at Coniah Boyce-Clarke, with enough power to take it past the shot-stopper. Aldershot 0-1 Boreham Wood.
The Wood continued to stretch the Shots defence with diagonal balls out to the flanks. Soon enough the ball was in the back of Boyce-Clarke’s net for the second time however the goal was ruled out for offside after a clever quick freekick saw Matt Rush through on goal.
The Shots responded well after a shaky start, nearly finding success after a defence-splitting through ball down the middle with Brody Peart almost getting on the end of it. Penalty shouts rang throughout the EBB as Brody appeared to be brought down by the centre half, however the referee clearly didn’t agree. Josh Barrett looked positive and won the Shots their first corner of the game following a drive down the right hand side.
Despite the positive passage of play, a freak opportunity fell the way of goal-scorer Regan Booty after intercepting a loose pass. His floated left footed effort from forty yards out caught Coniah Boyce-Clarke off his line and found the back of the net. Aldershot 0-2 Boreham Wood.
In the 27th minute, a little bit of Brody magic helped get the Shots back on track. After cutting in on the left hand side he found just enough room to let fly a beautiful curled effort that found the top right corner, putting his side back on track. Aldershot 1-2 Boreham Wood.
The first half goals from both sides had clearly opened the game up as the ball was up and down both ends like a table tennis match. The Wood continued to slip through balls down the middle in an attempt to put their top goal-scorer Matt Rush one on one with the goal-keeper, however Will Nightingale and Christy Grogan were able to nullify the threat.
A fantastic passage of play a few minutes before the end of the half saw Charlie Warren and Ryheem Sheckleford linking up nicely down the right side. The ball was set back to Ryheem who swung in a fantastic ball to the back post, however nobody in red and blue could capitalise on the opportunity. Continued pressure was applied as the Shots looked for a late first half equaliser, and some more impressive play from Sheckleford won him a free kick on the by-line close to the penalty area. The resulting freekick was delivered by Josh Barrett, however the opportunity fizzled out and the Shots ended the half with a one goal deficit.
Half Time – Aldershot 1 – 2 Boreham Wood
The second half started as a scrappy affair with plenty of loose passes and fifty-fifty’s from both sides. With the wind now behind them, the Shots hoped to find a swift equaliser to be able to kick on and put an end to the point-less run. Abdul Abdulmalik looked threatening out on the left wing for the visitors, and an early counter attack left him weaving his way down to the by-line before cutting the ball back into space, where thankfully there were no Boreham Wood players to put it away.
An opportunity presented itself when Callum Stewart was brough down on the edge of the penalty area, slightly over the left hand side. Josh Barrett stepped up but was unable to get it over the towering Boreham Wood wall.
A loose pass left Christy Grogan in a foot race against Matt Rush, who managed to get the better of the Shots centre half. In frustration, Grogan brought down the opposition striker and earned himself the first yellow card of the game.
There was a heart in mouth moment for Ryheem Sheckleford in the 67th minute as the full back sold his back pass short, leaving Boyce-Clarke to clean up the pieces with some smart goalkeeping. Soon after, the Shots were on the front foot after some smart footwork from
A change was needed to try and get the Shots back into the game, and John Coleman decided to change the set up by introducing Kwame Thomas for the last twenty minutes. The weather looked great for a late upset as the heavens opened and the wind and rain started to take its toll on the game, leaving the opposition defence looking slippery.
It was all one way traffic for the last ten minutes, however the Shots struggled to find themselves a clear cut chance as the visitors made a good job of disrupting play.
The next opportunity came after Theo Widdrington won a free kick down the middle, about 25 yards from goal. In the dying moments of the game, Brody Peart stepped up to try and secure his brace and his effort came agonisingly close to finding the top left corner but unfortunately did not find its mark.
Ryheem Sheckleford was the Shots’ man of the match. He had looked promising on the right hand side, winning battles and delivering quality crosses all game. Hopefully it will be a performance he can replicate for the last remaining games of the campaign, as everyone will now need to play their part in order to secure enough points and avoid the drop. It all ended with an unfortunate result in a game that showed glimmers of promise, and the Shots now look to Morecambe next Saturday to end their winless run.
Full Time: Aldershot 1 – 2 Boreham Wood
Attendance:
Aldershot Lineup: 41. Coniah Boyce Clarke, 6. Theo Widdrington (C), 10. Josh Barrett (Kwame Thomas 72′), 11. Brody Peart, 15. Christy Grogan, 20. Callum Stewart, 22. Olly Scott, 24. Charlie Warren, 25. Will Nightingale, 31. Ryheem Sheckleford, 34. Dejan Tetek
Subs: 16. Pat Nash, 8. Tyler Frost, 9. Kwame Thomas, 12. Keane Anderson, 17. James Henry, 27. Toby Nelson, 42. Matt Penney
Boreham Wood Lineup: 22. Ted Curd, 3. Femi Ilesanmi (Joe Newton 79′), 5. Chris Bush, 6. Charlie O’Connell, 8. Zak Brunt, 10. Abdul Abdulmalik (Marley Marshall-Miranda 87′), 15. James Clarke, 19. Tom White (C), 20. Lewis Richardson (Erico Sousa 63′), 23. Regan Booty (Callum Reynolds 79′), 32. Matt Rush
Subs: 2. Cameron Coxe, 7. Erico Sousa, 12. Joe Newton, 14. Aaron Henry, 16. Callum Reynolds, 17. Callum Clayden, 21. Marley Marshall-Miranda
Referee Lineup: Adrian Quelch | Assistant referees: Stuart Kane, Thomas Holden | Fourth Official: Tommy Breen
