Match Report: Notts County 3-2 Boreham Wood (AET)

Last minute goals in normal and extra time were enough for Notts County to overturn a two-goal deficit and squeeze into the National League play-off final to leave Boreham Wood heartbroken.  

 

The Wood had taken a first-half lead thanks to goals from Femi Ilesanmi and Lee Ndlovu but a double from Aden Baldwin took the game into the extra-time before Jodi Jones etched himself into Notts County hearts.  

 

A packed out Meadow Lane was the venue as Notts County hosted a team that finished closer to the relegation zone than their own points tally, evidencing the scale of their success over 46 league games.  

 

After managing bodies in recent weeks, Luke Williams was able to name a near fully fit squad, selecting the same starting XI as the one that played on final day, with goalkeeper Archie Mair replacing Frank Vincent on the bench.  

 

Luke Garrard’s side exacted revenge over local rivals Barnet on Tuesday night and despite putting plenty into the game, they made just one change here, Erico Sousa returning to the squad and replacing ex-Notts County man Dion Kelly-Evans.  

 

The hosts had no intention of taking their time here, looking for a fast start against a side more likely to be weary-legged. Adam Chicksen found Ruben Rodrigues at the back post but the bounce of the ball came too quickly for the Portuguese controller to prod home. He then blazed over a bobbled cut back a couple of minutes later after wing-back Aaron Nemane burned Ilesanmi down the right.  

 

The game settled down after that with The Wood reorganising and Notts patient in their approach. The first sign that the hosts high line could cause them trouble came when Tyrone Marsh escaped. He and Ndlovu showed composure to link up but the finish was tame.  

 

That moment appeared to wake Notts up and when Jamal Fyfield dropped to his six yard box in open play, Rodrigues was able to find 41-goal man Macaulay Langstaff inside the area but he couldn’t generate enough power with his strike on the turn. Matt Palmer and Austin then linked up to find the run of Rodrigues who was denied by McDonnell. 

 

A long throw from Chris Bush was cleared to Jack Payne and Sam Slocombe did well to tip over his half volley before the visitors took the lead. As Notts pushed up, Broadbent ran behind without being tracked and Evans’ punt over the top found him. He settled himself and a low ball across goal was bundled in by the powerful Ilesanmi.  

 

The hosts’ attempts to get back into the game saw Nemane cut inside and have a shot blocked, Aden Baldwin curl wide from 20 yards before firing from 25 and forcing a good stop. Then a Fyfield error allowed Austin to slip in Rodrigues only for his touch and finish to let him down.  

 

They were punished for their profligacy. John Bostock’s loose pass allowed Ndlovu to slide in and win the ball, take out Baldwin and have a free run at goal. He didn’t pass up the opportunity to put his side two to the good.  

 

Notts County needed a quick response in the second half and they got it. After a couple of sighters from distance in the first half, Baldwin had another pop, this time from 25 yards and he found the bottom corner.  

 

After getting his side back into the game, he completely switched off a moment later, jogging to a ball over his head until he realised Ndlovu was rampaging onto it. The centre half looked to be punished after Ndlovu rounded Slocombe but he managed to get a toe on the eventual shot to divert it wide.  

 

After Langstaff curled just wide, Notts earned a penalty, Rodrigues the man involved again. He glided through the centre of the pitch and cut inside of Broadbent who caught the playmakers left hoot. He stepped up to take the shot himself only to see McDonnell spring to his right and save. Talk about having one of those days.  

 

The rest of the team weren’t having much luck. Bostock curled straight at McDonnell. A deflected Palmer cross and a precise Rodrigues pass gave Langstaff chances but he found the target with neither. Cedwyn Scott and Jodi Jones 

 

Cedwyn Scott and Jodi Jones were brought on to help. Bostock saw his curling effort saved. Langstaff blazed over a deflected Palmer cross then curled wide after being found again by Rodrigues. Notts struggled to create thereon as the visitors held firm, hoping to defy the odds yet again and reach the final. Fyfield was a magnet to everything in the air and the rest was cut out and cleared.  

 

Jones cut inside from the right but his effort was deflected. He then tried again a few minutes later and his strike fell perfectly for Baldwin to nod in again. Just under a year after being rocked by an injury time equaliser, they had found one of their own.  

 

Incredibly, there was still time for two genuine penalty shouts at either end as Scott was clipped by Jack Payne and moments later bear-hugged Fyfield in his own box. The drama.  

 

The first half of extra time was cagey as emotions rode high. Baldwin thrashed an effort over the bar early on but both sides were otherwise in the mood to find their own rhythms again. Notts were dealing with huge pressure while The Wood were leggy from their midweek excursions and broken by the equaliser.  

 

The visitors had the better chances in the second half. A long throw found the head of substitute Josh Rees and forced a save and Rees ought to have clinched it but Dennon Lewis couldn’t find him after beating the high line once more.  

 

There’s 120 minutes on the clock. Luke Williams’ side have a corner and it’s typically headed away from danger. Jones picks up the loose ball, steadies himself and takes on Broadbent. He unleashes a shot towards goal and McDonnell, who had been such a standout, couldn’t get a clean connection on the strike, only managing to parry it into the top corner of his net.  

 

Jodi Jones. The man that had suffered multiple ACL injuries that left him playing just 21 matches in four and a half years. Who thought he had a chance for a fresh start at Oxford United only for it to turn out badly. Who joined Notts County and gave an emotional interview after playing 90 minutes for the first time in as long as he could remember. Now he was writing himself into Notts County folklore with a goal that would be remembered for a long time by his fans. A special, special moment.  

 

Notts County had done it. They had made the final and given themselves an opportunity to end this incredible campaign with the ultimate prize of a return to the EFL as Boreham Wood were left to pick up the pieces of what might have been.  

 

 

Notts County: Slocombe; Rawlinson Baldwin (Brindley) Cameron; Nemane Palmer Bostock Chicksen (Jones); Rodrigues (O’Brien) Austin (Scott); Langstaff. Unused: Mair.  

 

Boreham Wood: McDonnell; Evans Fyfield Bush; Sousa Broadbent (Newton) Payne Brunt (Rees) Ilesanmi; Ndlovu (Ricketts) Marsh (Lewis). Unused: Agbontohoma.  

 

 

Tactics

 

Standard formations saw Notts County line up 3-4-2-1 and Boreham Wood 5-1-2-2.  

 

The hosts were the side that dictated possession, naturally. Their set up saw them have Baldwin central, Rawlinson and Cameron stepping out wide with Palmer and Bostock dropping in, making it 5 v 4 in the initial build-up phase. Nemane and Chicksen were tasked with staying high and wide to create a front five with Rodrigues and Austin dropping off their markers to help transition from defence to attack.  

 

Once in dangerous areas, it was often about control and patience, waiting for the opportune moment to strike and make the killer pass.  

 

Trying to deny them were a Boreham Wood side looking for pressing traps. They stepped up with four. Ndlovu and Marsh against the wide centre backs with Broadbent and Brunt pushing on against Palmer and Bostock. The most intriguing development was centrally where Bush effectively stepped into midfield alongside Payne to mark Austin and Rodrigues, which left them 4 v 3 defensively but crucially man for man in central areas.  

 

When they did pick up possession through transition, The Wood looked to transition into attack as soon as possible, immediately looking for the diagonal over the top of the wide centre backs for Marsh and Ndlovu to chase. If that option wasn’t on, the ball would be played backwards to either Fyfield or Ashmore, allowing the team to reset and the ball to be played long for seconds again.  

 

Williams didn’t change much at half-time but one key thing did happen. Palmer was moved out of the defensive five with Bostock effectively a lone holding midfielder. Palmer was instructed to perform as more of an eight down the right-hand side, taking Broadbent with him and trying to exploit the space left by Bush, who was tasked with Rodrigues. Rodrigues was able to drift more, which required more communication from Boreham Wood defenders as Bush couldn’t stray too far from his nominal left centre-back position.  

 

Ricketts replaced Marsh late in the second half as the Wood moved to 3-4-2-1 themselves and this gave them the additional body in defensive areas again. Notts created very little after this change, until they scored.  

 

Meanwhile, Williams switched his wing-backs to see if this could bring joy with Jones and Nemane on alternative flanks. It worked, given Jones cut inside to assist the equaliser.  

 

Newton replaced Broadbent in extra-time and Boreham Wood reverted to their nominal 3-4-1-2 shape.  

 

Brindley replaced Baldwin late in the first half of extra time. Rawlinson moved to centre-back, Brindley to right centre-back and the wing-backs also moved back to their normal flanks.  

 

 

Who Impressed? 

 

For Notts, it was a wild ride. Every player that stood out seems to have a “but” attached to them.  

 

Maybe not Jodi Jones, who had the desired impact from the bench with an assist and goal.  

 

Aden Baldwin scored twice and showed real composure and accuracy in possession but almost cost his team a goal. Matt Palmer switching off did cost his team a goal but he was otherwise excellent in possession. Ruben Rodrigues created a couple of huge chances and exploited space well but his killer instinct went missing on the night.  

 

I’ve found it less difficult to criticise Boreham Wood players who were always up against it.  

 

Femi Ilesanmi was burned early on but otherwise gave Aaron Nemane nothing, using his nous and power to good effect. Jamal Fyfield seems to get his head to everything in the box. Jack Payne quietly went about his work with minimal fuss and got the basics right.  

 

 

The Final Word

 

It’s hard to know how Boreham Wood fans must feel.  

 

To be 2-0 up at half-time in a play-off semi-final and watch it slip away in the final seconds of injury time. To have a great chance to seal an unlikely victory in extra-time only to fluff it. To lose the game in the final seconds of injury time. It was brutal.  

 

There will be pride at the effort and aggression The Wood have put into both of these games. There has been shortage of work rate, structure and willingness to do the hard yards. Sometimes, no matter how well you play, you can end up on the wrong side in these matches through unique moments. 

 

The club are optimistic about who they are and what they represent. They’ve been on an incredible journey in recent years, cementing themselves as a top-10 National League club despite pulling in the lowest crowds in the league and their experiences in big, one-off matches will continue to serve them well.  

 

For Notts, this was always going to be a mental game as much as a physical one.  

 

The expectations on them in these play-offs are enormous. Anybody playing against them is going to raise their game, showing more structure and aggression in their approach because failing to do so almost guarantees defeat.  

 

Notts caused their own problems here but their mentality was excellent. They didn’t move away from instruction, didn’t start playing into the their opposition’s hands by needlessly pumping ball forward or crossing at every opportunity. They were patient, picked their moments, forced the Wood into their own box and while the goals weren’t works of art, they got their rewards for sticking to their principles.  

 

They can’t afford similar lapses at Wembley – they will be taking on a Chesterfield side that can cause serious damage. But this group have proven time and again this season that they can win football matches by blitzing their opposition or by doing it the hard way.  

 

It makes them awfully difficult to back against in the final.