CAFC vs Boreham Wood – Match Preview
Carshalton Athletic take on National League South side Boreham Wood in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round Saturday at Meadow Park with hopes of overcoming their toughest task to date in the competition and sealing our place in the hat for the First Round Proper after a five-year absence.
Boreham Wood
Vanarama National League South (VNLS) outfit Boreham Wood entered the FA Cup in the Second Qualifying Round. The Step 2 club travelled away to fellow VNLS side Eastbourne Borough, one of the current highflyers in the division who languish in second place on 18 points, under no illusion as to the magnitude of the task that awaited them so early in the competition. The Wood secured a narrow 1-0 win to ensure they were in the hat for the next round. Even though Southern League Division One South Larkhall Athletic were a welcomed lower tier opponent to face in the Third Qualifying Round, Step 5 of the Football Pyramid, it was far from plain sailing for Luke Gerrard’s team. Junior Dixon and Kwesi Appiah forged a two-goal cushion for the southern Hertfordshire-based side; however, when Larkhall’s Max Williams halved the deficit, they spent the rest of the game looking over their shoulder, eventually sealing hard-fought passage to face off against Carshalton.
The Wood currently sit seventh in the VNLS on 18 points following a 1-0 victory against Chippenham Town Saturday, which brings them level with Eastbourne in the play-off places. High in confidence, perhaps bolstered by the recent return of manager Gerrard, it is five games unbeaten in all competitions for the White and Blacks. Since the late equaliser to make sure of their draw against Hampton and Richmond Borough (14th), they dispatched of Eastbourne and Larkhill in the cup, while thumping Welling United 6-0 in the league.
It is fair to say that the last ten years have been quite some journey for the Wood in non-league. The 2014-15 season saw the club achieve promotion to the newly coined National League for the very first time following a Junior Morias extra-time goal ensuring victory over Whitehawk FC in the Conference South Play-Off Final. Unsurprisingly, the NL proved a bit of a baptism of fire for the Hertfordshire club – that said, beating Aldershot, Guiseley, and Welling in the final three league games kept them up by the skin of their teeth. Consolidation was the next step for the Wood in 2016/17, finishing a respectable 11th place. A truly historic 2017/18 then ensued, which witnessed the club getting the better of Football League side Blackpool, previous competition winners, 2-1. Additionally, Boreham Wood registered an appearance in the NL Play-Offs following a scintillating run of form that earned them fourth place. A trip to Wembley Stadium was on the cards when they ran out 3-2 winners against our neighbours and bitter rivals Sutton United; however, in the final Tranmere Rovers proved to tough a test, losing 2-1.
After their three-year honeymoon period, it was back down to reality for the Wood in 2018-19. The club avoided relegation from the NL, but by the barest of margins, finishing in 20th place albeit eight points above Aldershot in the drop zone. Realising the error of their ways, Gerrard’s side turned the tables in 19/20, securing a play-off spot again with fifth place. Of course, COVID-19 would unfortunately curtail proceedings. A 14th and ninth place finish would follow over the next couple of years as well as another amazing FA Cup run in 2022 which saw them dispatch off Bournemouth and AFC Wimbledon before being knocked out by Everton. That aside, the Wood continued taking the rough with the smooth as more play-off heartbreak took place, this time at the hands of Notts County in a five-goal thriller in May 2023.
Having fallen short of promotion on so many occasions, the Wood would have been rueing their countless missed opportunities to reach the promised land when they were relegated in 2023-24 after winning just 12 out of their 46 games. A goalless draw with Ebbsfleet ended a nine-year stay in the NL.
Likely line-ups
Carshalton Athletic
Foley, Sankoh, Hamilton-Downes, Hamstead, Read, Saraiva, Vose, Bradford, Ifeanyi, Saunders-Henry, Goather-Braithwaite
Boreham Wood
Ashmore, Coxe, Ilesanmi, Payne, Bush, Whelan, Marsh, Appiah, O’Connell, Dixon, Sousa
Team News
Carshalton Athletic
Kwaku Frimpong has been a long-term absentee for the Robins; however, the trip to Meadow Park could hopefully see him feature if his recovery aligns. Tom Stagg and Fikayo Atewologun returned to First-Team proceedings on Saturday and will be available. What’s more, a standout performance from Charlie Kennett has given Peter Adeniyi a headache ahead of the FA Cup tie.
Boreham Wood
The hosts are expected to have a fully fit squad at their disposal.
Pre-Match Analysis
In the National League, Boreham Wood boast the highest Goals For in the league, 19, alongside Hemel Hempstead and Chelmsford City. Further to that, and even more impressively, they are top alongside Torquay United, Slough Town, and Truro City for Goals Against with just nine conceded. Therefore, their incredible Goal Difference of +10 demonstrates a team extremely strong both offensively and defensively.
Key Player
Kwesi Appiah is a striker with considerable EFL and now non-league pedigree. Kwesi netted 15 times in 72 appearances for AFC Wimbledon between 2017 and 2021 before he joined Crawley. In his first season, the then 31-year-old scored 11 goals in 26 league games and when he went out on loan to Colchester United he managed ten in 17, despite being hampered by injury. The Ghanaian international could only muster three goals in his debut VNLS campaign; however, so far in 2024-25 he has already surpassed that tally, scoring in the 1-0 win at the weekend over Chippenham Town, and he is hungry for more.
The Gaffer
Luke Gerrard is etched into the folklore at Boreham Wood. Gerrard has spent a total of 18 years with the Wood in various roles, player, Academy Coach, Assistant Manager, and in October 2015 First Team Head Coach. The young manager took the White and Blacks to the National League playoffs three times (2018, 2020, 2023) and went on a lot of memorable cup runs, in particular reaching the 5th Round in 2022. Chairman Danny Hunter confirmed his departure at the end of the 2023-24 season in April, bringing in Oxford City’s Ross Jenkins as his successor. After 121 days at the helm, Jenkins was given the boot with the club at that stage 10th with 12 points from eight games played, winning three, drawing three and losing two. Gerrard is tasked with making sure the Wood return to the National League.
Match Details
Date: Saturday 12 October 2024
Venue: Meadow Park
Kickoff: 03:00 PM
Admission: Admission: £22 (Adult), £20 (OAP), £14 (Under 16), £8 (Under 12), online prices.
Tickets: Online Tickets here
