AFC Bournemouth
The Cherries will be hoping to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup for only the sixth time in their history when they host National League high-fliers Boreham Wood on Sunday (6.30pm kick-off).
Scott Parker’s class of 2021/22 will be looking to match a feat achieved twice in recent seasons, once in the late 1980s, in the club’s memorable FA Cup run of 1956/57 and in 1928-29.
Victory over Yeovil Town in the third round, courtesy of an Emi Marcondes hat-trick, earned the Cherries a date at Vitality Stadium with the Wood, one of non-league’s major success stories.
The Hertfordshire-based club has risen from the Isthmian League to the upper reaches of the National League in 12 years and are just two points off top spot with two games in hand.
Promoted to non-league’s top flight in 2014/15, the Wood were beaten by Tranmere in the play-off final at Wembley in 2017/18 – the season they first beat Football League opposition in the FA Cup after knocking out former winners Blackpool.
The Wood lost out to Championship outfit Millwall in the third round last season having beaten Wimborne Town in the fourth qualifying round, a game which saw current Cherries goalkeeper Billy Terrell star for the Magpies while he was on loan there.
Luke Garrard’s team went one better this season, reaching the fourth round for the first time in the club’s history after dumping out League One AFC Wimbledon at Meadow Park.
Goals from Tyrone Marsh and Adrian Clifton earned them a 2-0 win against Garrard’s former club as the Wood continued their FA Cup run having also accounted for Barnet, Eastleigh and St Albans City.
Ahead of the clash, afcb.co.uk caught up with talkSPORT’S Ian Abrahams, a Borehamwood resident and keen follower of the club’s fortunes.
BOREHAM WOOD PROFILE
Ground: LV BET Stadium Meadow Park
Nickname: The Wood
Head coach: Luke Garrard (appointed October 2015)
Club captain: Mark Ricketts
Current league position: Fifth in National League
Leading goalscorer 2021/22: Josh Rees and Tyrone Marsh (ten in all competitions)
Last game: Boreham Wood 3-1 King’s Lynn Town
afcb.co.uk: What’s your connection to the club?
IA: The club have been really good to me all the time I’ve lived in Borehamwood. I’ve always got on well with the chairman Danny Hunter and his family. It’s a family-run club. His partner looks after the boardroom and his sons are involved at various points throughout the club as well.
My daughter Skye used to come with me when I used to watch them and she would help out in the boardroom. She said she wanted to be a ball-girl but they already had enough so they asked if she would sell programmes and 50-50 lottery tickets. She loves it.
She’s been doing it for three years and wouldn’t miss a game for anything. It’s only a small job and isn’t a full-time paid job but she’s absolutely thrilled to say she works for Boreham Wood Football Club. They make her feel part of the club and she loves what she does there.
afcb.co.uk: Sum up the season so far for the Wood?
IA: I’ve seen a lot of their games. They are unbeaten at home and have yet to concede a goal in the FA Cup. They are quite a physical team but they have an awful lot of skill and the players work very hard.
It has to be remembered that what Boreham Wood have achieved in reaching the fourth round for the first time in their history, battling to win promotion and still in the FA Trophy has come off the back of selling their two best players in the past two years.
They sold Sorba Thomas to Huddersfield and he’s gone on to not only star in the Championship but is also now a Wales international which is mind-boggling when you consider he was on the wing for Boreham Wood two years ago.
At the start of this season, they sold striker Kabongo Tshimanga to rivals Chesterfield who have a lot more money than Boreham Wood. When he came in from Oxford City, a lot of people didn’t know how good he would be.
Their scouting is excellent, their coaching is excellent and they are very proud of their academy and rightly so. They have a very good reputation throughout the town.
If you go shopping on any given day, you will see teenagers wearing Boreham Wood tracksuits. They are not fans, they are players from the academy. That’s a good advert for the club as well.
afcb.co.uk: Give us your thoughts on Luke Garrard’s tenure as manager?
IA: He’s a personal friend and one of the nicest people I know in football. In terms of his footballing ability, I think he will go on to coach a lot higher. He never gets too high or too low.
I remember when they were beaten in a play-off final at Wembley by Tranmere. It wasn’t like it was the worst day of his entire life whereas, for a lot of managers, it would have been.
Likewise, when they beat his former team Wimbledon in the third round of the FA Cup and his former manager Ian Allinson at St Albans, he wasn’t bouncing around. You wouldn’t have known they had won in all honesty. He's so level-headed.
The word everyone uses in football is humble and he is very humble. He’s very much like Scott Parker. The two managers on Sunday, their demeanour is very similar.
They both have a fierce will to win, they are both excellent coaches and yet they are very grounded and are able to keep their feet on the floor.
afcb.co.uk: Tell us a little about Adrian Clifton?
IA: He came on and scored with his second touch in the last round against Wimbledon. I’ve seen him play two or three different positions and he can play up front or on the wing. There are some brilliant characters in the team and Adrian is one of them.
At the back, they’ve got Dave Stephens who has been around football in Hertfordshire for a long time. The team they’ve got together now is really good and it epitomises the personnel and personalities the manager wants.
afcb.co.uk: Who is Boreham Wood’s one to watch?
IA: Tyrone Marsh. He’s in his second spell at the club after rejoining from Stevenage in February 2021.
He’s a striker and scored a cracking opening goal against Wimbledon in the third round. He scores from outside the box and gets inside the box as well.
He’s good foil for Scott Boden who he plays alongside. He could give the Bournemouth defence a lot of trouble.
afcb.co.uk: What has been the mood in the town in the build-up to the game?
DOK: Borehamwood is a unique place because a lot of people support either Arsenal or Spurs. But they have a real hard-core of supporters who get behind the team.
In the build-up to the cup ties this season, the club have worked really hard to get people excited about the games, hence they had sell-outs against St Albans and Wimbledon and great atmospheres at Meadow Park.
When the cup ties come round, the club don’t leave any stone unturned to make sure everybody knows there is a big game coming up.
afcb.co.uk: Do you think an upset could be on the cards?
IA: I’ve known Scott Parker for a long time and Bournemouth are one of the friendliest clubs I go to in the EFL. I want to put that on the table straightaway.
I love an upset in the FA Cup. I like to see the underdog have their day in the sun. I would love to see an upset. Can it happen? Yes, of course it can.
Boreham Wood are a strong defensive side and, if they were to score first, I think anything is possible. But you also have to remember they are taking on a team three leagues above them.
They beat Wimbledon who were two leagues above them this season but lost the previous season to Millwall. A year on, they are a better side and, of course, they could cause an upset.
Will they cause an upset? I don’t think so.
You can follow Ian on Twitter – @BroadcastMoose
Officials: Graham Scott (referee), Harry Lennard (assistant referee), Mark Scholes (assistant referee), Joshua Smith (fourth official).
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