Boreham Wood 0

Ryman League Premier Division

"My worst defeat ever as a player or a manager," moaned Bob Makin after this thrashing, Wood's heaviest loss for 12 years, "we were annihilated!"

One was even tempted to suggest to the Wood boss that this humiliation was a deliberate ploy to flummox the watching Luton spies in advance of Sunday's cup showdown, but the post match dressing aura immediately dispelled such thoughts.>

Six Shots gun down Bob's boys

Aldershot Town 6

Boreham Wood 0

Ryman League Premier Division

"My worst defeat ever as a player or a manager," moaned Bob Makin after this thrashing, Wood's heaviest loss for 12 years, "we were annihilated!"

One was even tempted to suggest to the Wood boss that this humiliation was a deliberate ploy to flummox the watching Luton spies in advance of Sunday's cup showdown, but the post match dressing aura immediately dispelled such thoughts.

Suffice to say there was an acute lack of community singing in the showers. Makin was dismayed at not only the number of goals conceded, but the nature of them.

"Both of the first two came from terrible mistakes, and the third was straight after half-time when we're looking to keep things tight, our defenders gave Gary Abbott a free header, and the marking in general was awful.

"Our back three, both collectively and individually, had nightmares," he said.

The obvious question to pose was just how much this result was influenced by the Luton match, but Makin replied, "Of course that's an easy thing to say, but I don't think it really counts, the players know how I think, and anyone going through the motions could well pay for it with their place next week. On the other hand, a good performance could well put others in the frame to face Luton, with the signing of Matt Brady, we have even more competition for places."

One had to feel for the former Barnet winger, who started brightly but faded with the late autumn sunshine as Wood began to beat the retreat.

It was certainly a memorable debut for him, and Makin said: "I felt he did OK, we're not an easy team to come into, and it was even harder today."

Ironically, Wood could have been two goals ahead before Aldershot took the lead just after the half hour.

Attacking up the slope, some flowing moves, inspired by the close skills of Mark Brown and the pace of Junior Samuels, had seen the experienced Gary Phillips save from Jason Shaw, but he looked on gratefully as Kerry Dixon hooked just wide of the far post with the former Brentford, Barnet and Aylesbury keeper stranded.

The visitors spurned a wonderful opportunity in the 28th minute, as Phillips' throw was intercepted by Brown, but the midfielder's square pass across an open goal was behind both Samuels and Dixon.

It was to prove costly, as within seven minutes, the Shots hit Wood with a classic double punch. Roy Young was the hitman both times, firstly accepting a rebound off Alan McCarthy to ride Garry Nisbet's challenge and race through to fire high into the net, and then in the 35th minute another McCarthy slip allowed him to sidestep the stranded Martin Taylor and roll the ball home from an angle.

Although the scoreline was harsh on Wood, once more they were the authors of their own downfall, and things got progressively worse after the break, as proceedings rapidly ran away from them at alarming speed.

A little over a minute into the second period, Abbott peeled off the ballwatching Wood defence to head Ian Hathaway's deep cross from the right through Taylor's grasp, and at this Makin immediately made changes, introducing Simon Ireland and Mark Xavier.

He explained: "I was planning to give Ireland something in this game, to give him a chance of facing Luton, but with things as they were, he got longer than expected !"

With Aldershot now marching proudly through the no man's land of Wood's midfield at will, their defences were breached again as the hosts delivered another double whammy just after the hour.

In the 62nd minute, despite being surrounded by yellow shirts, Abbott took Hathaway's cross on his chest and smashed home on the turn, and the in-form striker had a hand in the Shots' fifth, as his header from a corner rebounded down from the bar for Young to complete his hat trick three minutes later.

Dixon, who had a spell just down the M3 at Southampton earlier in his career, was being taunted by the more vocal elements in the 1,964 crowd -- incredibly Aldershot's lowest of the season.

It was Abbott who finally twisted the knife with eight minutes left. Not to be outdone by his junior sidekick, he claimed a birthday treble himself with another unattended header from a corner, leaving Makin to complain at his men's naivety in conceding goals from "identical situations."

The home of the British Army has never been a happy hunting ground for Wood - they have lost on both their previous visits, and Luton's scouts would have been greatly encouraged by the way Aldershot danced the military two-step all over Wood's six game unbeaten run.

One can only wonder at what sort of report landed on Lennie Lawrence's desk on Monday morning.

BOREHAM WOOD: Taylor, Sanders (Ireland, 50,), McCarthy, J Shaw, Nisbet, Brown (Sewell, 66), Daly, Dixon, Heffer (Xavier, 50), Samuels, Brady.

o For the record: Wood's last league defeat by such a margin was at Bracknell Town on December 27, 1986.

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