Boreham Wood F.C.
Full name | Boreham Wood Football Club | ||
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Nickname(s) | The Wood | ||
Founded | 1948 | ||
Ground | Meadow Park, Borehamwood | ||
Capacity | 4,500 (1,700 seated)[1] | ||
Chairman | Danny Hunter | ||
Manager | Luke Garrard | ||
League | National League South | ||
2023–24 | National League, 21st of 24 (relegated) | ||
Website | http://www.borehamwoodfootballclub.co.uk/ | ||
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Boreham Wood Football Club is a professional football club based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently members of the National League South, the sixth tier of English football, and play at Meadow Park. Established in 1948, they are known as "the Wood" and have a local rivalry with St Albans City.
History
The club was established in 1948 as a merger of Boreham Rovers and Royal Retournez, and began playing in the Mid-Herts League.[2] In 1951 they joined the Parthenon League, and finished as runners-up in 1953–54 and 1954–55 before winning the title in 1955–56.[3] After finishing as runners-up again in 1956–57,[3] they joined the Spartan League.[4] They finished as runners-up in 1963–64 and again in 1965–66,[4] after which they switched to Division Two of the Athenian League.[5]
The 1968–69 season saw Boreham Wood win Division Two, earning promotion to Division One. The following season they finished as runners-up in Division One and were promoted to the Premier Division.[5] After the division was disbanded in 1973, the club were placed in Division One for the 1973–74 season, in which they were league champions and reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, eventually losing 3–0 at Southend United.[5] At the end of the season the club joined Division Two of the Isthmian League. They won the division in 1976–77 and were promoted to the renamed Premier Division.[5] The following season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup again, losing 2–0 in a replay to Swindon Town after a 0–0 draw at home.[5]
The club remained in the Premier Division until being relegated to Division One at the end of the 1981–82 season, in which they finished bottom of the table.[5] In 1994–95 they were Division One champions, and were promoted back to the Premier Division. The 1996–97 season saw them reach the second round of the FA Cup for the first time after they beat Rushden & Diamonds 3–2 in a first round replay. In the second round they lost 2–1 at Luton Town. In the same season they also won the Isthmian League Cup.[6] They repeated their FA Cup feat the following season, beating Hayes in the first round before losing 2–0 to Cheltenham Town in a replay.[5] In 1998–99 they reached the first round again, losing 3–2 at home to Luton.
After being relegated in 1999–2000 they won Division One at the first attempt to make an immediate return to the Premier Division.[5] However, they were relegated again at the end of the 2002–03 season, although the season did see them reach the FA Cup first round again, where they lost 5–0 at Torquay United. After one season in Division One North (and another FA Cup first round appearance, a 4–0 defeat at Blackpool), they were transferred to Division One East of the Southern League.[5]
After winning Division One East in 2005–06, a season in which they also reached the semi-finals of the FA Trophy, losing 3–0 on aggregate to Woking, the club were promoted to the Premier Division of the Isthmian League. A fourth-place finish in 2009–10 saw them qualify for the promotion play-offs, and after beating Aveley 1–0 in the semi-finals, a 2–0 win over Kingstonian in the final resulted in promotion to the Conference South.[5] The 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons saw the club reach the FA Cup first round again, losing at home to Brentford and away at Carlisle United in a replay.[5] In 2014–15 Boreham Wood finished as runners-up in the Conference South. In the subsequent play-offs, they beat Havant & Waterlooville 4–2 on aggregate before defeating Whitehawk 2–1 in the final to earn promotion to the renamed National League.[5] Their first season in the National League saw a tenth FA Cup first round appearance, ending with a 2–1 defeat at home to Northwich Victoria.[5]
In the 2017–18 FA Cup Boreham Wood beat Football League opposition for the first time, defeating Blackpool 2–1 at home in the first round.[7] In the second round they lost 3–0 at Coventry City. The club went on to finish fourth in the National League at the end of the season, qualifying for the play-offs. After beating AFC Fylde 2–1 and Sutton United 3–2, they lost 2–1 to Tranmere Rovers in the Wembley final. In 2019–20 the club finished fifth and again qualified for the play-offs. After defeating Halifax Town 2–1 in the quarter-finals, they lost 1–0 to Harrogate Town in the semi-finals.
Ground
The club initially played at Eldon Avenue until moving to Meadow Park in 1963.[8]
Current squad
- As of 20 August 2020.[9]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Management staff
Position | Staff |
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Manager | Luke Garrard |
Assistant Manager | Vic Akers |
Assistant Manager | Cameron Mawer |
Goalkeeper Coach | Martin Brennan |
Club Therapist | Adam Woodrow |
Club Therapist | Angelika Brown |
First Team Analyst | Elliot Allum |
Kit Manager | Loretta Browne |
Source: [citation needed]
Honours
- Isthmian League
- Division One champions 1976–77, 1994–95, 2000–01
- League Cup winners 1996–97
- Southern League
- Division One East champions 2005–06
- Athenian League
- Division One champions 1973–74
- Division Two champions 1968–69
- Parthenon League
- Champions 1955–56
- Herts Senior Cup
- Winners 1971–72, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2007–08, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19
- Herts Charity Cup
- Winners 1980–81, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1988–89, 1989–90
- London Challenge Cup
- Winners 1997–98
Records
- Best league performance: 4th in the National League, 2017–18[5]
- Best FA Cup performance: Second round, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2017–18[5]
- Best FA Amateur Cup performance: Third round, 1970–71[5]
- Best FA Trophy performance: Semi-finals, 2005–06[5]
- Record attendance: 4,030 vs Arsenal, friendly, 13 July 2001[8]
- Most appearances: Dave Hatchett, 714[2]
- Most goals: Mickey Jackson[2]
- Record transfer fee paid: £18,000 to Dagenham & Redbridge for Morgan Ferrier[10]
- Record transfer fee received: £25,000+ from Walsall for Morgan Ferrier[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ Preview: Rovers prepared for opener Forest Green Rovers F.C.
- ^ a b c Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p269 ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0
- ^ a b Parthenon League 1951–1966 Non-League Matters
- ^ a b Spartan League 1955–1983 Non-League Matters
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Boreham Wood at the Football Club History Database
- ^ A Brief History of the Club Boreham Wood F.C.
- ^ MATCH REPORT: Boreham Wood 2–1 Blackpool Blackpool Gazette, 4 November 2017
- ^ a b Boreham Wood Pyramid Passion
- ^ WOOD FINALISE 20-MAN PLAY OFF SQUAD Boreham Wood FC
- ^ Morgan Ferrier apologises to Boreham Wood after transfer saga The Non-League Football Paper, 25 July 2018
External links
- Boreham Wood F.C.
- Borehamwood
- Football clubs in England
- Football clubs in Hertfordshire
- Association football clubs established in 1948
- 1948 establishments in England
- Mid-Herts Football League
- Parthenon League
- Spartan League
- Athenian League
- Isthmian League
- Southern Football League clubs
- National League (English football)