Boreham Wood breeze past blunt Eastleigh to progress into the next round of the FA Cup

Two Scott Boden goals were the difference between the two National League sides at Meadow Park as Boreham Wood’s victory earned them a spot in the hat for the Second Round. 

The Wood came into this game sitting pretty at the top of the National League with 30 points from 14 games and were looking to build a cup run to maximise the momentum.

Eastleigh, meanwhile, sit 12th in the league, seven points off the play-offs and 10 points above the relegation zone. A mid-table season beckons for the Spitfires unless they can put a run together, but the FA Cup could have provided them with a boost of sorts to carry over into the National League campaign. 

Despite the prestige of the FA Cup, modern-day demands and various other factors have led to managers up and down the country into making wholesale changes for these cup games.

That being said, the First Round of the year’s competition has actually seen a reversal of that trend, with most clubs fielding strong teams and making few, if any, changes regardless of their opponent.

This contest proved to epitomise this stat, as just one change was made between the two teams combined from their last National League fixtures with 37-year-old Mark Ricketts the only change for Boreham Wood. 

A chance to reach the Second Round and get a big draw against a Premier League opposition, it perhaps came as no surprise when this game endured a scrappy start to proceedings.

Neither side wanted to give anything away and chances came at an absolute premium. Eastleigh had the better of the ball and the territory. They had the first real chance of note as Tom Whelan struck an effort from outside the area, but Taye Ashby-Hammond was equal to it in the Boreham Wood goal.

Moments later, the hosts’ failure to clear their lines resulted in the first chance on goal for the Wood. The ball was met powerfully by Jacob Mendy but he failed to hit the target with the effort. 

Eastleigh still edged out the possession and territory stakes but Boreham Wood strode forward with intent as Kane Smith whipped a low ball into the back post for Scott Boden to poke home.

There were incensed calls from Eastleigh players and fans alike for offside, but the linesman kept his flag firmly down and the goal stood.

The visitors were slow out of the blocks after the interval and were eventually punished as Tyrone Marsh found his strike partner Boden in the box. The 31-year-old had his shot blocked by Christian Maghhoma but he fired in the rebound to double Boreham Wood’s advantage.

After the second, the game became a stop-start affair and Eastleigh knocked the ball around a lot without ever really threatening the opposition goal.

On the other hand, Boreham Wood were compact out of possession and did very well to control the game when they did have it. Boden did have the ball in the net for a third time after dinking it over Joe McDonnell, but he was denied access to the match ball by the linesman. 

All in all, Eastleigh battled well in a scrappy first half and were getting into the better areas, but were unable to truly test the goalkeeper at any point. The Wood were difficult to break down and took their chance when it came to them at the end of the first half.

From that point on, you always felt as if they were in control of the game, even when out of possession for long spells. Eastleigh were just second best in almost every department, and at times looked weak on the ball and devoid of ideas. 

Luke Garrard’s men will be in the hat for Monday’s draw and will be looking out for some possible big hitters from League’s One and Two. As for National League business, the Wood will make the long trip up to Altrincham, whereas Ben Strevens will look for a reaction as Eastleigh travel to Huish Park to face Yeovil Town. 

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