County are heading south once again this weekend as we make the journey down to Meadow Park, to take on a Boreham Wood side that have started the season in fine form.
Tuesday night’s goalless draw with Grimsby Town at Edgeley Park left us with four points from a challenging first three games of the season, putting us in 11th place at this very early stage of the National League season.
Another away victory on Saturday afternoon however could see County finish the day in the play-off places, and as high as fourth in the table by the close of play.
Boreham Wood, on the other hand, are one of only three sides with a 100% record still intact this season, alongside Chesterfield and Dagenham, having won all three games so far without conceding a goal after beating Dover 1-0 on Bank Holiday Monday. Luke Garrard’s side currently sit in third place in the live league table.
Tickets for this fixture are available to buy online now, and will also be available on the day of the game. To purchase your ticket today, click here and follow the instructions provided.
Our Opponents:
After an impressive 2019/20 season that saw Boreham Wood finish fifth in the National League before going on to lose to Harrogate in the play-off semi-finals, the Wood were expecting to once again be challenging at the top end of the National League table.
It wasn’t quite so straightforward for the Hertfordshire side though, despite the superb form of their main man up front Kabongo Tshimanga, with the side spending the majority of the season sat outside the coveted play-off places as they struggled for form at home.
They were reasonably well placed come the end of January, sitting two points shy of the top seven spots with games in hand, but a dismal run of just one win in 15 league games saw them plummet into the bottom half of the table. Incredibly, that 15-game run included 12 draws, with seven stalemates in a row at one stage, and culminated in a 3-0 defeat at home to County back in April.
A run of three defeats in their final four games brought a disappointing season to a close, epitomised by a 4-1 home defeat to Maidenhead on the final day, as the Wood finished the season in 14th place.
They have been dealt a huge blow in the transfer market over the Summer too, as star striker Kabongo Tshimanga left for Chesterfield on the eve of the new season, after the Spireites activated a release clause in his contract. The striker had scored 19 league goals in each of his two seasons at Meadow Park, marking himself out as one of the most prolific goalscorers in the National League.
Making the move the other way during the Summer has been striker Scott Bowden, who joined after being released by Chesterfield. The striker spent the second half of last season on loan at Torquay United, scoring twice for the Gulls in a 2-2 draw at Edgeley Park.
Goalscoring midfielder Josh Rees has come in from Aldershot, whilst Chesterfield defender Will Evans and Wealdstone full-back Jacob Mendy have also been brought in to strengthen at the back.
Those reinforcements look to have made an immediate impact too, as an opening day victory over Wealdstone was followed up with Bank Holiday victories over Aldershot and Dover. The goalscoring burden looks to have been shared more around the squad too, with all four of their goals coming from a different source.
Match Stats:
- Our 3-0 win at Meadow Park in the last meeting between the two sides was our first ever against Boreham Wood, at the fourth attempt (W1, D1, L2).
- John Rooney scored home and away against Boreham Wood last season, and has found the back of the net twice already this campaign.
- Boreham Wood were actually better on their travels last season, picking up just 24 points at Meadow Park and 31 points away from home.
- County will be looking to win an eight successive away league game for the first time since the 2007/08 season. We have won our last six away games without conceding a goal.
