BOREHAM WOOD 5 MAGPIES 0

ON-LOAN Arsenal duo Anthony Jeffrey and Austin Lipman helped Boreham Wood shoot down the Magpies at Meadow Park.

After squandering a number of chances in the first 40 minutes, Wood produced a scoreline their dominance deserved, and the two young Gunners were instru-mental in the hosts’ 5-0 victory.

The visitors, missing their regular centre-half pairing of Mark Jermyn and Steve Walker through suspension, couldn’t cope with the home side in the second half as they ran out comfortable winners.

Alan Walker-Harris in the Magpies’ goal was the best player on the park for the county
town side and he saved them from an even more embarrassing defeat.

He was called into action as early as the third minute when Lipman controlled the ball, set off on a run through the Magpies’ defence only to be denied by the visiting keeper.

With Sam Cox ruling the midfield, Graeme Montgomery and Matty Whichelow were given licence to create wave upon wave of attacks.

The pair combined on 15 minutes with Montgomery’s centre headed back across goal by Lipman but Jeffrey’s looping header struck the crossbar.

This effort livened up the Arsenal youngster and he tested Walker-Harris with a fine shot less than a minute later.

He continued to threaten and when a clearance by the Magpies’ defence hit one of their own, Jeffrey lofted a high ball to the far post which Walker-Harris some-how cleared from under the
bar.

It was then the turn of a post to deny Jeffrey, his low shot fizzing past Walker-Harris but cann-oning back off the woodwork.

Jeffrey then turned provider with Montgomery next to be foiled by the diving custodian, who then had to rush out of his area to deny the former after a superb through ball from Whichelow.

However, the keeper’s clearance only went as far as Lipman but he missed the open goal from 30 yards out.

Jeffrey shot wide twice in quick succession before finally opening the scoring when bravely sliding in to poke the ball home after Whichelow and Lipman had set up the opportunity.

If the first half was frustrating, the second period saw all of Wood’s dominance come to fruition.
Dorchester seemed to pacify Wood from the restart, but that lasted just five minutes.

Forcing two quick corners, the ball fell to Montgomery on the left and he crafted a pass to the far post for Callum Reynolds to slide in and make it 2-0.

Straight from the restart, Wood surged into a 3-0 lead.

Ashley Vickers, back in the side following an ankle injury to Bournemouth loanee Jake McCarthy, had called on all of his nous to stop Lipman during the first half.

But, on this occasion, his 41-year-old frame failed to stop the Arsenal youngster, who skinned his marker and crossed into the danger zone.

Fraser Colmer could only half clear and, despite still having plenty to do, Whichelow fired home his side’s third of the afternoon.

Some superb trickery from Montgomery gave Jeffrey another chance to add to his tally, but Walker-Harris was having none of it.

However, he could do little to prevent a fourth on 79 minutes when a superb curling free-kick from Lipman left the keeper with no chance.

There was still time for a fifth. Substitute Matthew Ball’s power drive from just outside the area looked to be going just wide until it struck Reynolds and flew into the back of the net.

Magpies’ substitute Dan Munday could have bagged a late consolation for the visitors but his shot was held by James Russell, who had an easy ride for the whole 90 minutes.

Dorchester stay at the foot of the Skrill South table, level on points with Gosport Boro-
ugh having played four games more.

Wood: Russell, Nunn, Garrard, Cox, O’Loughlin, Reynolds, Noto, Whichelow (Lobjoit 84), Lipman (Ball 74), Jeffrey (Moli 74), Montgomery. Subs not used: Sterling-Parker, Courtnage.

Magpies: Walker-Harris, Case, Colmer, Smeeton, Vickers, Lanahan, Crittenden, Gleeson, Tennant, Losasso, Way. Subs: Twyford, Munday, Brooks, Godfrey, Rolls

Attendance: 173