Our pre-season campaign gets underway tomorrow as we make the short trip to Hertfordshire to take on Boreham Wood. We have four weeks to go until our Premier League opener against Leicester City and Saturday gives Thomas Frank’s squad the chance to get minutes into the legs ahead of August’s kick-off. Get to know more about tomorrow’s opponents and the match details below.
THE OPPOSITION
Boreham Wood has become part of the pre-season furniture in recent years, this being our seventh trip to what is now the LV BET Stadium Meadow Park since 2013.
Previous to that our only encounter with The Wood was an FA Cup First Round tie in 2012 which ended in a 2-0 Brentford win, Clayton Donaldson and Harry Forrester on target that afternoon.
The Hertsmere side have been in the National League, the top-flight of non-league football, since 2015. They reached the National League Play-Off Final in 2018 after finishing fourth in the table, which remains their best-ever finish. They also reached the Play-Offs in 2020, losing out in the Semi-Finals on that occasion.
Last campaign, Luke Garrard’s side finished ninth in the fifth tier, seven points off the Play-Offs. They also enjoyed a memorable Emirates FA Cup campaign, reaching the Fifth Round for the first time in their history. Wins over Barnet, Eastleigh, St Albans, AFC Wimbledon, and AFC Bournemouth set up a Last 16 tie against our conquerors in last season’s competition, Everton. The Wood kept it goalless for nearly an hour at Goodison Park, but Salomon Rondon’s brace eventually saw off their brave challenge.
Garrard has been busy adding to his squad this summer with five players through the door. Alfie Egan, Dion Kelly-Evans, Danny Newton, Lee Ndlovu, and Danny Elliott all arrived as free agents at the start of July.
Those five join a squad which includes former Brentford youngster, Josh Rees, and a host of players with EFL experience in the likes of Femi Ilesanmi, Mark Ricketts, Jamal Fyfield, and Connor Smith.
TEAM NEWS
Saturday’s matchday squad will be made up of:
Dominic Thompson, Rico Henry, Sergi Canos, Mathias Jensen, Josh Dasilva, Yoane Wissa, Ivan Toney, Pontus Jansson, Bryan Mbeumo, Myles Peart-Harris, Shandon Baptiste, Vitaly Janelt, Mads Bech, Mads Roerslev, Fin Stevens, Matt Cox, Halil Dervisoglu, Ellery Balcombe, Luka Racic, Paris Maghoma, Ryan Trevitt, Daniel Oyegoke
THE MANAGER
Luke Garrard started his career at Tottenham Hotspur but was released as a schoolboy. He dropped down the leagues to join Swindon Town as a 17-year-old, going on to make his debut against Oldham Athletic in April 2003. He was released two years later, having made just 17 first-team appearances. After short spells with Bishop's Stortford, Boreham Wood and Northwood, he joined AFC Wimbledon in March 2006.
Garrard became a popular figure in South London, making more than 100 appearances during his first two years with The Dons. After losing his spot following a serious injury, he returned to Boreham Wood in 2010, making 140 league appearances in five seasons. When he took over as The Wood's manager in 2015, aged just 30, he became the youngest boss in all of England's top five divisions.
OUR LAST MEETING
Last season's pre-season meeting saw us emerge 2-0 winners. The goals came from Ivan Toney and Tariqe Fosu in either half.
TICKET INFO
Ticket prices have been set as follows:
Adult/OAP – £15
Under 18 – £10
Under 12 – £5
Tickets for the fixture are on sale now. They can be bought direct from Boreham Wood. Please visit this page to buy.
Getting there
Club address: Boreham Wood FC, LV Bet Stadium Meadow Park, Broughinge Road, Borehamwood, Herts, WD6 5AL.
Recommended car park address: Brook Road Public Car Park, Brook Road, Borehamwood, Herts, WD6 5HQ.
Boreham Wood FC is in close proximity to the M25, A1 and M1. So, getting there by car is relatively easy.
From the A1, exit onto the A5135 (Elstree Way). Continue straight over the double roundabout before taking the second exit at the next roundabout, opposite Elstree Studios. Continue down Brook Road for around 200 metres and the Public Car Park/Stadium will be on your right.
From the M25/M1, leave the M1 at Junction 5 and take the A41 south exit. At the Hartspring Roundabout, take the first exit onto the B462 and follow that for 1.5 miles. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto New Road and then turn left onto Loom Lane. After a third of a mile, take the 1st exit onto Aldenham Avenue and then turn right onto Watling Street (A5183).
Go through one roundabout before taking the first exit onto Theobald Street. After two miles, take the first exit onto Gateshead Road and then at the next roundabout, take the third exit onto Brook Road. Follow the road, until the stadium and car park are on your left.
By train: The closest train station is Elstree & Borehamwood, located on the Thameslink line with easy access from many of London’s major train stations. From the station, the ground is less than a mile away, with Boreham Wood town centre in between the two.
No supporter parking is available at the LV Bet Stadium Meadow Park, the club car park is available to players, directors, officials and guests only.
Access to the Stadium from the Brook Road Public Car Park (details above) is via the South Stand Turnstiles (turnstiles 6 & 7 for visiting supporters) or via a public footpath through the adjacent park. Please note that parking charges may apply.
Alternative parking is also available via the Hertsmere Council Civic Car Park, which is less than a 5-minute walk to ground. Again, please note parking charges may apply.