GARRARD SO GRATEFUL AS STARS ALIGN
STARSTRUCK Boreham Wood boss Luke Garrard wants to pick Frank Lampard’s brains as well as try to outsmart him.
National League minnows Wood booked an FA Cup fifth-round clash with Everton at Goodison Park after knocking out Championship side Bournemouth.
And Garrard cannot wait to pit his wits against the Toffees boss, who is one of his sporting heroes, even if it means upsetting his wife!
He said: “Frank Lampard is an England legend. But I’ll be asking the same thing I did of Scott Parker – can I come in and shadow you for four or five days?
“My wife’s going to hate me because we’re not going to go on holiday and I’ll be jumping from training ground to training ground.
“But I want to learn. I’m scratching the surface as a manager. And to pit your wits against Frank Lampard is unbelievable. Hopefully we keep it under 10!”
Arsenal fan Garrard also admits he won’t know what to say to Gunners and England great Ashley Cole, who is on Lampard’s staff.
He said: “I’m an Arsenal man. To see Ashley Cole, I probably won’t be able to put two words together.”
Boreham Wood’s 1,400-strong travelling army sang all the way through their history-making win at the Vitality Stadium. And Garrard wants more of the same at Goodison.
He said: “I hope it’s full, the away end. I can imagine, knowing the town and the community, that we’ll fill it.
“I asked them to be the 12th, 13th, 14th man. They were 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th man. Everyone loves an underdog and the underdog story is alive and kicking in our changing room.”
Wood booked the first fifth-round tie in club history thanks to a winner from 37-year-old personal trainer Mark Ricketts. And Garrard insists his veteran skipper will never be out of work as long as he’s around.
Garrard said: “Mark Ricketts wasn’t fit. On Monday he was out. So my chairman actioned an injection. He had it on Monday. He didn’t train Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday. Then
he came in on Saturday, did a minimum session. I rang him on the way home and said, ‘How do you feel?’ and he said, ‘I feel it gaffer’.
“I said, ‘You’re walking us out at Bournemouth, I don’t care if it’s 15 minutes or 20 minutes. What you’ve done for the club is incredible.’
“[Then he] goes and scores the winner, puts on a performance for 85 minutes like that. Something’s come over him, because he’s not fit. He’s injured.
“I’ve told him he’s got a job for life at Boreham Wood, if I’m here. He’s amazing. I’m a strong believer in people over players. And we’ve got a good group. A good togetherness.
“We’re making history. They deserve to walk out at Goodison.
“The hair on the back of my neck has just gone up. Frank Lampard will be stood there. And Ashley Cole.
“I’ve just come up against Scott Parker, who’s had an unbelievable career. To then go and face Everton…
“If you’d told me that at the start of the season I’d have said you’re drinking too much. It’s immense.”
Wood’s fairy tale would grace anything filmed at Elstree Studios, just down the road from their stadium.
Garrard joked: “A film role? That would be nice. Brad Pitt can play me.
“I have done everything from toilet cleaner to academy manager, assistant manager and now first-team manager.
“The club’s in my blood. And I had a good moment with the fans towards the end when it was just me and them.”