Boreham Wood 1 : 2 Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Promoted
There was Merseyside magic in the Middlesex air as Tranmere Rovers overcame the dismissal of defender Liam Ridehalgh in the first minute to beat Boreham Wood 2-1 in a memorable National League playoff final.
Roared on by the majority of the 16,306 crowd, the ten men then took the lead, lost three more players before half time, surrendered that lead in first half stoppage time and eventually scored again to win 2-1.
Tranmere return to the Football League after three season in the National, and today’s events will begin to compensate for almost 30 years off playoff hurt.
Preview: Southern David faces Northern Goliath
Rovers full back Adam Buxton had been struggling with a stomach injury in the past few weeks, and was replaced during Tranmere’s semi-final victory over Ebbsfleet United last weekend. He failed to even make the substitutes’ bench today. Connor Jennings had missed the last two matches, but Micky Mellon felt confident enough to include him though not in the starting line up. However, Jennings was forced to play a full hour after replacing Josh Ginnelly at the right midfield slot in the 32nd minute.
Boreham Wood won through to this stage having defeated AFC Fylde in a play-in before seeing off Sutton United 2-3 away from home in their playoff semi-final last Sunday afternoon. Kane Smith, Jamie Turley and Morgan Ferrier all missed that victory over Sutton United, and none were available to Luke Garrard today despite the importance of their contributions in the Fylde triumph. That alone probably made Tranmere the slight favourites this morning.
That changed seconds after kick off.
DON’T CALM DOWN: Norwood’s winner sparked off celebrations among the Rovers fans
The narrative for this match was set in an incredible first six minutes.
Inside 40 seconds, Huntingdonshire referee Neil Hair produced a straight red card to dismiss Ridehalgh for a tackle on Ricky Shakes. One leg was certainly outstretched with studs showing but the other was folded at 90 degrees to prevent a two footed tackle. Nonetheless, Hair kept the yellow in his pocket and produced a red to totally alter the character of this playoff final within 50 seconds.
Five minutes later, the game took another unpredictable turn when the ten men scored. From a throw in on the left, James Norwood volleyed the ball into the Boreham Wood area where Andy Cook headed home, with surprisingly few defenders for company.
If Boreham Wood had momentarily switched off after the red, they soon woke up. The light blue shirts tried to unpick a massed Rovers rearguard but found several defenders in top form.
Captain Steve McNulty and Ritchie Sutton held down the center of defence but most outstanding was the clunky looking Manny Monthe who had a superb first half covering the right back berth, making every decision on whether to stand, tackle or run correctly. Equal to him was substitute Eddie Clarke who took over at left back after the unfortunate Larnell Cole was hauled off shortly after the goal to allow a specialist to take Ridehalgh’s place.
Tranmere’s second substitution was less tactical but more nauseous. In the celebration of their goal, Josh Ginnelly had been hit on the head with a bottle thrown from the Boreham Wood end. He ploughed on but eventually was replaced by Connor Jennings who had been in hospital up to 10 days ago, and had missed the previous two matches.
If the first half had not been traumatic enough for Tranmere, two low blows followed during its embers.
Ritchie Sutton was replaced by Jay Harris just before the interval forcing Micky Mellon to ask Monthe to move to center half.
The boards indicated six minutes to be added on for stoppages including that for treatment to Ginnelly after his beer header. Ironically and cruelly, Boreham Wood equalised in eighth of those six minutes when Bruno Andrade neatly sidefooted home a cut back from his left, a goal Boreham Wood did deserve for their patient creative play.
Tranmere therefore began the second half level, with only ten men and with all their substitutes already used. Despite copious possession and battling two replacement full backs, Boreham Wood only tested keeper Scott Davies on rare occasions, for example when he was forced to palm a free kick around the post. Captain McNulty, Clarke, Monthe, and Harris were having stellar games in Rovers oft overrun back four.
Scenes of joy as Rovers receive their trophy
But the Wembley earthquake was about to come. Having survived pressure throughout the second half, Rovers seemed to have little ambition but to ease that pressure by breaking up-field. With ten minutes remaining, Jennings crossed to Norwood and he timed his jump well and arrowed his header even better, watching as it agonizingly crept over the Boreham Wood line through Grant Smith’s fingers.
Tranmere held on amid an increasing cauldron of noise and Hair’s final whistle sparked off wild celebrations from the noisy and loyal traveling fans.
The Birkenhead side return to the Football League after three forgettable seasons in the National ended on an absolutely unforgettable day.
England
World Cup
