COWLEY’S MEN JUST KEEP ON MARCHING
ARSENE WENGER we’re coming for you – that was the message from the Lincoln City fans as they beat Boreham Wood to progress to the semifinals of the FA Trophy.
A goal from the outstanding Joel Ward and an unfortunate own-goal by Wood centre-half Matt Paine was enough to see the National League leaders into the next round, and also continue their fight on three fronts, including the looming FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal.
Imps boss Danny Cowley showered his players with praise after the game, especially after making a number of changes due to fixture congestion.
“The players were magnificent” said Cowley, “to make the amount of changes that we did, and to be as focused as we were, says everything you need to know about our players. We’ve got great depth, and for us to win like this against an excellent Boreham Wood team is really pleasing.”
The star man on the day was winger Ward, on loan from Brighton. The youngster was a constant threat and capped off a top performance with a sublime goal. Just after the hour mark, Ward picked up the ball on the right wing, cut inside and danced his way past the home defence, before dragging a well-placed left-footed shot into the bottom corner and beyond Grant Smith in the Wood goal.
Up to that point, Wood had been the better side, but it wasn’t long before they found themselves two down when Paine inadvertently headed into his own net from a Lincoln corner. Wood were left kicking themselves after a number of great chances to take the lead. Kenny Davis saw two glancing headers go wide, and Bruno Andrade twice tested Imps’ keeper Paul Farman with dangerous efforts from distance. The home side’s best chances fell to Angelo Balanta after a wonderful team move. Andrade found space on the right wing, before crossing into the box for Davis, who nodded down into the path of the former MK Dons striker. Balanta’s shot looked destined for the bottom corner, but Farman was able to tip the shot onto the post with his fingertips. Wood players and manager Luke Garrard cut frustrated figures as the game wore on and that frustration spilled over when Andrade was booked for a poor challenge on Lincoln captain Sam Habergham. There was no such frustration for the away side, who celebrated with their travelling fans after the game.