Report: Boreham Wood 1-0 Maidenhead United

Alan Devonshire made one change to the side that beat Wealdstone 1-0 in midweek with Sam Barratt replacing an injured Jayden Mitchell-Lawson. 

 

It was a slow start at Meadow Park with both sides battling for possession in the early exchanges but neither able to create any chances as a result. 

 

Kabongo Tshimanga had the ball in the net for the hosts after fifteen minutes before linesman Jorden Gibson raised his flag for offside. 

 

Maidenhead slowly grew into the half with a flurry of chances in quick succession. 

 

The first of those efforts of the game came through Tobi Sho-Silva, the forward got the end of a Casey Pettit pass and shot on the spin forcing a good save out of former Magpie Nathan Ashmore. The loose ball eventually fell to Reece Smith who blazed the second effort over the bar. 

 

Minutes later, a good delivery from Ashley Nathaniel-George met the head of Remy Clerima whose header skimmed over the bar. 

 

Chances kept falling to Maidenhead with Smith the next to test Ashmore. The attacker drove forward with the ball and weaved through two Boreham Wood defenders. His strike was scuffed though and was easily saved by Ashmore. 

 

Despite those chances the hosts took the lead in the late stages of the half when they were awarded a penalty for handball. Erico Sousa sent Craig Ross the wrong way and gave Boreham Wood a narrow advantage. 

 

Half-time: Boreham Wood 1-0 Maidenhead United 

 

The first chance of the half fell to Maidenhead after Nathaniel-George weaved past two defenders, his strike from a tight angle was well stopped by Ashmore. 

 

Maidenhead continued to control most the majority of possession but struggled to produce anything to threaten Ashmore. 

 

Boreham Wood broke on a counter-attack following a Maidenhead corner with the ball eventually falling to Tshimanga, his strike failed to trouble Craig Ross. 

 

The Magpies continued to threaten with a few inviting balls into the box both of which eluded the path of Sho-Silva who was inches away from equalising on two separate occasions. 

 

Sam Barratt was the next to try and find the equaliser, a curling free-kick from range evaded everyone in the box including Ashmore and skimmed past the post. 

 

Femi Ilesanmi had a golden opportunity to double the hosts lead when an inviting ball found him at the back-post, despite having an open-net he failed to hit the target. 

 

Substitutes Chanka Zimba and Shawn McCoulsky partnered up to create a golden opportunity for Maidenhead, the latter of the two ended up one-on-one with Ashmore and forced a great save from the keeper. 

 

The Magpies continued to pile the pressure on for the equaliser with Will De Havilland forcing Ashmore to tip his effort onto the post. Clerima was the next to try and find that equaliser with a header from a corner which failed to trouble Ashmore. 

 

Despite all the chances, it wasn’t to be and Maidenhead suffered their first league defeat on-the-road since October. 

 

Full-Time: Boreham Wood 1-0 Maidenhead United 

 

Boreham Wood: Nathan Ashmore, Femi Ilesanmi, Jack Payne ©, Chris Bush, Mo Sagaf, Tyrone Marsh (Kwesi Appiah 61’), David Agbontohoma, Kabongo Tshimanga (Angelo Balanta 88’), Erico Sousa, Billy Sass-Davies, Matt Robinson. 

 

Maidenhead United: Craig Ross ©, Zico Asare (Charlee Adams 81’), Sam Beckwith, Will De Havilland, Kevin Lokko, Ashley Nathaniel-George (Chanka Zimba 71’), Tobi Sho-Silva (Shawn McCoulsky 71’), Casey Pettit, Reece Smith, Remy Clerima, Sam Barratt.