Boreham Wood v FC Halifax Town preview

FC Halifax Town kick-off their Bank Holiday double-header with a trip to Boreham Wood on Saturday (3pm).
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Aug 2018, 13:16 BST
Matty Brown heads Halifax in-front against Boreham Wood at The Shay last seasonMatty Brown heads Halifax in-front against Boreham Wood at The Shay last season
Matty Brown heads Halifax in-front against Boreham Wood at The Shay last season

It is the first of two matches in three days for National League clubs, with Town hosting Gateshead on Bank Holiday Monday (3pm).

Boreham Wood are 18th in the table, have only scored in two of their five games so far this season, and have only found the net twice - the joint lowest tally in the division. Halifax, meanwhile, are the joint-highest scorers in the division with 10 goals.

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Boreham Wood’s lack of goals could be something to do with the fact they have lost two of their star players from last season in Bruno Andrade and Morgan Ferrier, who now play for Lincoln and Walsall respectively, and scored 27 league goals between them last term.

Boreham started with a 1-0 win over Dagenham and Redbridge, followed by a 0-0 draw at Havant and Waterlooville.

They then lost 3-0 at Wrexham, drew 1-1 at home with Gateshead and, last time out, lost 1-0 at Leyton Orient.

Manager Luke Garrard will be hoping that on loan striker Josh Umerah can help plug the gap left by Andrade and Ferrier. Umerah is a 6ft 1in striker on loan from Charlton who has started all three of Wood’s games since joining them, but is yet to score. He netted twice in six games on loan at Wycombe last season.

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Justin Shaibu is another young striker on loan at the club, from Brentford. Shaibu has represented Denmark at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-20 level and was on loan at Walsall for the second-half of last season, but failed to score.

He is joined at Boreham Wood by fellow Brentford loanee Ellery Balcombe. The goalkeeper is a replacement for Wood’s first-choice stopper last season Grant Smith, now of Lincoln.

Balcombe is an England Under-19 international and was an ever-present for England’s Under-19s at the European Championships in Finland this summer.

Garrard guided Boreham Wood to the play-off final last season, where they lost to Tranmere Rovers.

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Town drew 1-1 at Boreham Wood last season, with Adam Morgan equalising after Bruno Andrade’s early opener.

Saturday’s National League fixtures:

Maidenhead United v Maidstone United

Barrow v Braintree Town

Boreham Wood v FC Halifax Town

Chesterfield v Barnet

Dagenham & Redbridge v Hartlepool United

Dover Athletic v Eastleigh

Ebbsfleet United v Aldershot Town

Gateshead v Leyton Orient

Harrogate Town v Solihull Moors

Havant & Waterlooville v Salford City

Sutton United v AFC Fylde

Wrexham v Bromley

Related topics:Boreham WoodFC Halifax TownGatesheadNational LeagueWrexhamLeyton Orient