WOOD ARE DENIED AT THE DEATH BY SPITFIRES

A GOAL at the very end of each half – including a stoppage-time equaliser from Tyrone Barnett – saw Eastleigh salvage a point from a Boreham Wood side who will feel they should have sealed all three long before.

Fast-starting Wood excelled at the beginning of both halves with Piero Mingoia and Jamal Fyfield twice putting them in front, only for Danny Hollands and then Barnett to restore parity.

“We had more than enough chances to win the game,” moaned Wood boss Luke Garrard. “While 2-1 up, we should have got the third, then it would have been all over.”

With both teams inactive on Boxing Day, both seemed energised in a bright opening.

Mainly, though, it was Wood who controlled the early exchanges, and on nine minutes it was they who broke the deadlock – Mingoia heading home Kane Smith’s cross for his first goal of the season.

Soon afterwards, the home side were forced into a change when an injured Justin Shaibu was replaced by Ricky Shakes, but Mingoia could have doubled the home side’s advantage, denied only by a fine save from Spitfires keeper Max Stryjek.

The impressive Kabongo Tshimanga was then denied brilliantly by Stryjek while, at the end, wing-back Fyfield should have scored when well placed.

But just as two minutes were indicated for firsthalf added time, Eastleigh got their equaliser. An excellent cross by Scott Rendell was expertly headed in by Hollands to bring the Spitfires back level at the break.

If Wood heads had dropped following the Eastleigh equaliser, they didn’t show in when the second half started. Just seconds into the restart, Keiran Murtagh floated in a corner that Fyfield buried in the corner past Stryjek to put Wood back in front.

The second half continued in the same vein as the first with Wood in control and creating chances. Murtagh let fly from 25 yards, only for his effort to go narrowly wide, Mingoia blazed over from six yards when it was easier to score.

Tshimanga then hit the underside of the crossbar – a goal seemingly the only thing missing from former Oxford City striker’s afternoon.

Smith had a further chance for the home side but just when it looked as though they had done enough to hold on, Eastleigh struck again. Jack Payne floated over a corner and Barnett was on hand to bundle the ball home and spark to the jubilation among the travellin g support.

Boreham Wood though, to the credit were not finished yet and almost staged the grandstand .

Murtagh and Fyfield both went close late on, only to denied by the outstanding Stryjek in the Eastleigh goal.