Penn: We Wood like to have done better
GATESHEAD midfield man Russell Penn believes his side missed an opportunity when they went down 2-1 at play-off hopefuls Boreham Wood.
It was the fourth meeting between the two sides this season - and the first time The Wood have managed to come out on top.
Gateshead had knocked the Hertfordshire outfit out of the FA Trophy in a replay at Meadow Park but were unable to repeat the feat in the league.
National League sharp-shooter Bruno Andrade proved to be the difference between the two sides on the day.
The Portuguese striker gave Boreham Wood the lead just before the break and then grabbed the winner 16 minutes from time.
In-between the goals, Penn had been close to scoring his first counter for Gateshead in his 51st appearance.
The former Cheltenham, Kidderminster, Burton and York schemer’s 54th-minute shot at goal was deflected into the net by team-mate Wes York.
That gave the Heed momentum and a platform to kick on and take all three points - an opportunity they failed to take.
In the end, the long trip south proved pointless, something Penn believes should not have been the case.
Penn said: “It is disappointing because after the equaliser we were on the front foot and it looked like there was going to be only one winner.
“Boreham Wood are sixth in the table but they are not any better than us, which is frustrating. The result was our own doing.
“We were not at our clinical best going forward but we were always in the game.
“We restricted Boreham Wood to very few chances but it is the fine lines in football and they have come out on top.
“We played them twice in the Trophy recently and both of the games could have gone either way.
“It was the same again here, only this time it has swung in their favour instead of ours.” It was a first away defeat in nine games, a run stretching four months - manager Steve Watson frustrated but keen to move on.
He said: “I was really disappointed with the way we played.
“However, there is no time to sulk and we have to go again on Tuesday.”
Gateshead are in Cumbria tomorrow night to take on relegation battlers Barrow ahead of their FA Trophy quarter-final at Leyton Orient.