Cards hit back to reel in Wood
PROMOTION chasing Woking rallied back from two goals down to salvage a hard-earned point against fellow playoff rivals Boreham Wood.
Rhys Browne was the hero for the Cards with with two second half goals after a brace from Josh Rees had given the visitors a two-goal cushion.
“We never really gave ourselves a foundation today,” said Cards boss Darren Sarll, whose side remain third, four points clear of Barnet having played two games more.
“Our performance never ever hit the kind of mere structure we have to hit.
“However, I thought the quality and attitude of the players in the second half was excellent.”
A fast and furious opening saw Woking create the first shot in anger when Rohan Ince twisted and turned
Inside the area before unleashing a shot which Wood keeper and captain Nathan Ashmore palmed away.
Wood created their first real opening on 13 minutes but Erico Sousa fired over from inside the area when he could and should have done so much better.
Indeed, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock on 27 minutes when Woking failed to deal with a long throw and the ball fell nicely to Rees on the edge of the area and the former Aldershot midfielder brilliantly volleying into the bottom of the net.
Aware his Cards were struggling to break down a well organised Wood defence, Sarll made a double substitution on 54 minute, bringing on Kyran Lofthouse and Solomon Nwabuokei in a bid to carry more threat.
However, within three minutes, Wood doubled their advantage when once again Woking failed to clear the danger with Rees at hand to snap up his second.
Woking were given hope on the hour when Browne halved the deficit after Ashmore had parried Luke Wilkinson’s effort.
And the Woking comeback was complete 12 minutes from time following a free-kick which was knocked across goal for Browne to take his Woking tally to nine for the season.
With all to play for in the dying embers, both sides pushed for a winner with the game very much on a knife edge. Wood twice had the ball in the net twice during the nerve-jangling six minutes of time added on but both times they were denied by the offside flag.
Wood boss Luke Garrard admitted his side ‘wobbled’ after Woking pulled a goal back but questioned the decision of referee Greg Rollason to award a free-kick in the build-up.
“The manner in which the game went, you go 2-0 up, there’s a free-kick given to them that isn’t a free-kick, it gives them a bit of a lift,” the Wood boss said.
“I have to say we wobbled from 2-1 and they go and get the equaliser.”