85 days after the play off eliminator defeat at the end of the 19/20 season FC Halifax Town returned to Meadow Park and secured a deserved away point following a 0 v 0 draw. Town will feel they had the better of the chances, especially before the break but in truth both keepers had a relatively quiet afternoon.
Pete Wild made one change to the starting eleven that faced Dagenham & Redbridge and Stockport County with Kieron Green replacing Martin Woods in the centre of midfield.
The Shaymen had the better of the first half chances. There was an early opportunity for Jamie Allen who raced onto a clearance on the right side but with no support in the middle he was left to go it alone and won a corner which was cleared. Jeff King brought a fine save out of home keeper Nathan Ashmore in the 4th minute. Good hold up play by Gold Omotayo got the Town wing back onto the ball and his left foot show was turned round the post for a corner.
Boreham Wood’s first opportunity came from a long free kick into the box that Shaquille Coulthirst headed wide but it was the visitors who continued to press forward with the influential Luke Summerfield shooting over from 20 yards out. Good link up play between Summerfield, Danny Williams and Jack Earing won a corner which Nathan Clarke headed narrowly over the bar. And it was Clarke again that headed wide from a free kick in the 28th minute. Another fine Ashmore save denied Summerfield in the 36th minute. Williams and Summerfield exchanged passed on the left before the former Wrexham man’s curling 25 yard shot was spectacularly tipped on the post by Ashmore.
The hosts attacked as the half time whistle approached with Sorba Thomas having a shot blocked and Tshimanga firing wide from 8 yards out.
Kieran Green had a 30 yard shot deflected for a corner as the 2nd half started in a similar way with the visitors attacking. Jeff King’s cross shot drifted wide before the hosts changed things around with a double substitution with attackers Corey Whiteley and Matt Rhead joining the action. And it was a foul on Whiteley that led to the hosts best chance of the afternoon. Sorba Thomas’s free kick was cleared to Jamel Fyfield but he blazed over from 8 yards out.
Town counter attacked with Summerfield releasing Allen on the right but Omotayo was unable to hit the target from a low cross. This was Omotayo’s last action with Martin Woods taking his place. And Halifax Born Jack Senior was the next substitute making his debut in a Town shirt. A pair of late Town free kicks went straight into the wall as the stalemate continued.
Town are back in action on Tuesday night with Yeovil Town visiting the Shay Stadium, 7.45pm kick-off
1 Nathan Ashmore, 5 Tom Champion, 12 Jamal Fyfield, 3 Femi Ilesanmi, 4 Mark Ricketts ©, 10 Keiran Murtagh (8 Gus Murtagh 90), 7 Piero Mingoia (11 Corey Whitely 53), 14 Sorba Thomas, 19 Kane Smith, 18 Shaquile Coulthirst (15 Matt Rhead 53), 9 Kabongo Tshimanga
Subs: 6 David Stephens, , 16 Zaine Francis-Angol
- Sam Johnson, 2 Jeff King (31 Niall Maher 84), 4 Nathan Clarke ©, 5 Neill Byrne, 6 Tom Bradbury, 7 Jamie Allen, 8 Kieran Green, 10 Jack Earing, 11 Danny Williams (3 Jack Williams 70), 17 Gold Omotayo (26 Martin Woods 65), 19 Luke Summerfield
Subs: 12 Harrison Davison-Hale, 15 Gevaro Nepomuceno
Goals: None
Yellow Cards: Williams 11 Byrne 72, Allen 90, Thomas 86
Red Cards: None
Full Time: Boreham Wood 0 FC Halifax Town 0
Read more posts by Kelly Gilchrist
;
