Ryman Premier League

Injury-hit Wood came away from struggling Walton and Hersham with a point on Saturday -- much to the disappointment of boss Bob Makin.>

Sick note Wood limp to a point

Walton & Hersham 1 Boreham Wood 1

Ryman Premier League

Injury-hit Wood came away from struggling Walton and Hersham with a point on Saturday -- much to the disappointment of boss Bob Makin.

He said: "It was a disappointing result. We only got one point when we should have got three."

Wood were without the injured Martin Taylor, Steve Daly, Paul Shaw, Kerry Dixon, Andy Prutton and Shaun Marshall. While Mark Brown was serving the second of a five match FA suspension.

Short on numbers, Makin was forced to name himself and newly signed keeper Paul O'Reilly as substitutes. And despite team selection concerns, Wood could easily have been 4-0 ahead at half-time, putting the result beyond any doubt.

However, they only led 1-0 and an amazing second half improvement in Walton's peformance saw the Swans, second from bottom in the league, equalise and almost snatch victory.

Tony Samuels had the chance to give Wood a sixth minute lead, but his shot from the edge of the penalty area was easily saved by Delroy Preddie. Two minutes later, it was Samuels who set up an opportunity for skipper Jason Shaw -- but his rising shot struck the crossbar.

Wood continued to attack and a tremendous right-footed shot from Samuels dipped past Preddie, crashing against the underside of the crossbar and bounced down. But Preddie regained his composure and cleared the ball upfield.

Wood were playing some very creative football against relegation-threatened Walton, while the home side adopted the long ball method.

Midway through the half, Matthew Brady ran clear on the left, and crossed to Tony Samuels, but as he prepared to shoot Preddie blocked his effort with a brave save. Soon after Walton mounted a rare attack to force their first corner of the match -- which came to nothing.

Samuels, having threatened throughout, put Wood ahead in the 32nd minute. He shot over Preddie from an acute angle on the right of the penalty area.

This stung Walton into taking positive action, as winger Barry Rake fired a low cross towards the far corner of the net, but Paul Hart dived and pushed the ball round the post. Then the home side forced another corner which failed to cause any concern for the Wood defence. And just prior to the interval a tackle by Ross Pickett prevented Jason Shaw from increasing Wood's lead.

Walton started the second half with a far more determined approach which saw them score a magnificent equaliser after 51 minutes. The pacey Nathan Ellington ran clear of Dave Hatchett, and crossed the ball from the right and Steve Moss launched a full-length dive to head past the helpless Paul Hart at the far post.

Then another Walton assault saw veteran striker Andy Sayer shoot over the Wood bar with only Hart to beat.

Then ten minutes from time Dominic Grime broke clear on the left and crossed to Simon Ireland, but the Wood forward headed clear of the post.

In the second half Walton had abandoned their long ball tactics and were playing more constructive football, so in an effort to change Wood's method of attack, Makin came on for Robert Collins, suffering a calf strain, two minutes from the end. But he could not turn up the winning goal.

Boss Makin, said: "We played quite well in the first half and quite badly in the second. We dominated the first half."

And later this week, said Makin, Boreham Wood are hoping to complete the signing of Danny Foot from Bishop's Stortford. And Makin hopes to play the 22-year-old defender-cum-midfielder against Carshalton on Saturday.

New keeper Paul O'Reilly will deputise for Paul Hart, who is commited to playing for Crawley for a short period. Martin Taylor requires a scan on his injured right knee.

WOOD: Hart, Sanders, McCarthy, Hatchett, Brady, Grime, J Shaw, Heffer, Collins (Makin 88mins), Samuels, Ireland. Subs: (not used) O'Reilly, Dalli.

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