With Ashford in 6th place in the table and having reached the 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup, it would be folly to overdo the sackcloth and ashes, but it has to be admitted that, in this particular game, the Short Lane side did not perform to their best and that Boreham Wood fully deserved their victory. That said, it is, of course, goals that change matches and Ashford were within a whisker of taking the lead soon after the start of the second half when Scott Harris’s close range effort was toe poked to safety by a desperate home keeper.  A meaty clearance then sent the ball deep into Ashford territory and within 30 seconds of it being cleared off the line at one end, the home team were in front courtesy of JOEL MASON, on his 1st team debut. When the same player repeated the dose five minutes later the writing was on the wall.
It had looked promising at the start though for the visitors. Mark Butler juggled his squad giving Byron Harrison and Gavin Bamford a rest in favour of Scott Todd and Adam Logie (pictured) and it was typical of the spirit that has prevailed within the camp as club skipper Gavin went round shaking the hand of every player before the game. After five minutes of lively play, Billy Jeffreys met a Ricky Wellard corner kick with ferocity but his effort was superbly palmed away by home keeper Tony Anstead. A second corner resulted and this time Adam Logie met it with equal ferocity but it went a foot wide Boreham Wood were expected to be jaded and dispirited after their cruel FA Cup exit on Saturdayut they had clearly not read the script and they asserted themselves to such an extent that they controlled possession for much of the half after that. Nevertheless, they were generally restricted to fairly long range efforts that mostly sailed over the bar and on two occasions out of the ground. Ashford’s attacks were spasmodic but just before half-time a rocket from Logie again went the wrong side of the woodwork. As described, it all then went wrong in the early part of the second period for the visitors and when ELLIOTT BUCHANAN made it three with fifteen minutes left the destiny of the points was fairly apparent. Boreham Wood were looking comfortable but suddenly and belatedly Ashford came to life and reduced the arrears through LOGIE whose header from a well directed free kick gave Anstie no chance. A minute later Scott Harris sprang to meet another right flank cross and but his header was inches wide. If that had gone in, it may well have been a highly interesting final ten minutes but that was just about Ashford’s last fling and the points remained at home where indeed they deserved to be on the night. The Forest Green Rovers representative will have doubtless made his way back to Gloucester quietly confident that his side will have little to fear from their visit to Short Lane on Saturday week, but the Tangerines can play so much better than this and the best time to prove it will be in the next match at Wingate and Finchley on Saturday in the FA Trophy. | 
Saturday, 04 February 2012
