Saying that this game was competitive enough to command seven yellow cards along with two dismissals would be an injustice to two sides who were rarely able to test the opposing goalkeeper, and arguably neither one deserved to come away with a positive result.
But in the end, Boreham Wood will take their place in Monday’s draw for the Fourth Qualifying Round courtesy of an own goal from young fullback Jack Sullivan and a hotly disputed penalty from Wood’s player-assistant manager, Luke Garrard.
Sullivan, the Stones’ 17-year old Youth team captain, was unfortunate to be involved in both goals; deflecting Greg Morgan’s long throw over Lee Worgan and into his own net, then leaving his leg dangling as he attempted a clearance that Graeme Montgomery went over. Mr Lugg pointed to the spot to the dismay of the hosts, and Garrard made no mistake from 12 yards.
Both sides were reduced to ten men inside the last ten minutes as tempers boiled over. Maidstone’s Tom Mills received his marching orders, somewhat harshly, by being adjudged to have brought down Donovan Simmonds when the last man; although many believed he had made first contact on the ball before the player, from the way the ball broke from the tackle. Simmonds then followed Mills from the pitch a couple of minutes later for reacting to something said by the Maidstone players and seemingly headbutting Michael Phillips while the ball was out of play.
Maidstone’s manager, Jay Saunders, was unusually scathing about the official’s performance, especially concerning the penalty that sealed the game and the dismissal of Mills. He said, “It’s an absolute disgrace. Alright, Tom’s had a bad touch, but he’s sprinted back and made a great tackle and gets sent off. We’re now going to lose him for at least one game, possibly three. The linesman has said to Lee Worgan that he knows Tom won the ball and would let the ref know, but hasn’t said anything to him. At one down, you are in with a chance, but when it looks like decisions are going against you, you’ve got no chance.”
“It was a disappointing afternoon for different reasons. It was an even game; they had a go then we seemed to have a little spell. We had a good chance first half through Zac (Attwood), which if taken it might have been different. Some of the boys are really down in there. There wasn’t really a bad tackle in the game; it was fairly even. I don’t think they out-passed or out-played us, but I thought there was a lack of a spark from both teams. The goal didn’t really change it, and even at one-down I still thought we were in with a chance.”
Saunders had some words of comfort though for his young fullback, adding “Sully (Jack Sullivan) has been unlucky with the own goal, he’s tried to get his head on it and it’s gone into the far corner. That happens. Hopefully he will be strong enough to brush it off, and ready to go again. He’s a good lad with a big future. But then, after that, how does the ref give a penalty when the tackle’s clearly outside the box? He seemed to give them everything, and that’s what disappoints about this afternoon.”
It was a strange opening that saw both sides more interested in seeing who could hit the longer, and sometimes the higher clearance, but when they tried to play a passing game, the ball was moved around effectively. Inside five minutes, Zac Attwood had a chance to open the scoring as Orlando Smith latched onto Charlie O’Loughlin’s poor header – probably the only mistake the Boreham Wood skipper made all day. Smith slid the ball past the defender to Attwood; whose first time shot hit the side netting from a tight angle.
Graeme Montgomery, who along with Greg Morgan were constant threats to Maidstone’s defence, had a tame shot saved by Lee Worgan, and Billy Lobjoit fired a freekick into a solid Stones’ wall as Boreham Wood seemed to get an edge in the game.
Almost against the run of play then, Attwood had probably Maidstone’s best chance just before the half-hour mark. Alex Brown flicked a ball between the two Boreham Wood centre-backs, for Attwood to chest down and head towards the area but for a man who had scored eight goals in his previous nine games; Attwood’s shot was curled tamely at James Russell.
Orlando Smith and Morgan cracked volleys over the bar for their respective side, with Maidstone in particular looking to apply pressure from three successive corners. Neither side was fluent enough to find the clinical pass in the final third, although Brown did threaten for the home side just before the interval. Smith’s reverse pass released Brown on the right wing and, having been shepherded to the by-line by Callum Reynolds, Brown slipped inside the defender and fired a low ball across the six-yard box, where Frannie Collin was stretching fruitlessly to apply the killer touch.
Although Alex Flisher had a powerful shot cannon away from the backside of O’Loughlin, it was Boreham Wood who seemed to have a greater determination and presence at the start of the second half. And this was converted into the opening goal on 56, as Morgan’s long throw glanced off the head of Jack Sullivan, defending the near edge of the 6-yard area, over the helpless Worgan, and dropped into the right corner of the net.
The goal seemed to affect Maidstone more, and the visitors had a chance to increase their lead as Reynolds found himself unmarked in acres of space in the area, but powered his header wide of the target.
Boreham Wood were awarded a penalty on 63, as Sullivan attempted to poke the ball away from Montgomery, only for the winger to be slightly quicker to the ball. Montgomery went down over the full-back’s outstretched leg and Mr Lugg pointed to the spot, despite Maidstone’s protestations that the tackle had taken place outside the area. Worgan guessed the right way, but Luke Garrard’s cleanly struck penalty was too good for the Maidstone keeper.
Maidstone threw on Paul Booth and Rory Hill for the final quarter in a bid to get back into the game, and Alex Brown had two good chances inside the Boreham Wood area; first volleying high over the bar, then dragging a shot across the goal, and agonisingly wide.
The home side was reduced to ten men on 83 with the dismissal of Tom Mills. The fullback missed a long clearance on the halfway line, allowing former Dover forward Donovan Simmonds to break clear. Mills gallantly chased Simmonds down, but was adjudged to have fouled in attempting his tackle, when the subsequent roll of the ball suggested that Mills had won his challenge.
Worgan was also cautioned for his discussions with the assistant, and the apparent injustice fired up the home players, although the keeper was alert enough to save when Matthew Ball was presented with a free header eight yards out. Moments later, with the ball out of play near the corner flag, Simmonds reacting to something that had been said and appeared to headbutt Michael Phillips, and after a melee that saw a number of players exchanging views, Simmonds was also ordered from the field.
Deep in stoppage time, Frannie Collin, who had been struggling with an injury, saw a goalbound right foot volley blocked by Ben Nunn, as time ran out on Maidstone’s FA Cup dreams for another season.
MAIDSTONE UNITED: Lee Worgan, Jack Sullivan (Rory Hill 78), Tom Mills, Steve Watt ©, Jerrome Sobers, Michael Phillips, Orlando Smith (Paul Booth 66), Alex Brown, Zac Attwood, Frannie Collin, Alex Flisher.
Subs not used: Danny Lye, Fabio Saraiva, Charley Robertson, Graeme Andrews, Charlie Mitten.
Bookings: Steve Watt 35, Michael Phillips 43, Alex Flisher 61, Alex Brown 74, Lee Worgan 83.
Sent Off: Tom Mills 83.
BOREHAM WOOD: James Russell, Ben Nunn, Mark Jones, Sam Cox, Charlie O’Loughlin ©, Callum Reynolds, Graeme Montgomery, Luke Garrard, Donovan Simmonds, Billy Lobjoit (Matthew Ball 80), Greg Morgan (Robert Hastings 77).
Subs not used: Jerome Jibodu, Brett Longden, James Courtnage, Raheem Sterling-Parker.
Goals: Jack Sullivan (og) 56, Luke Garrard (pen) 64.
Bookings: Callum Reynolds 80, Mark Jones 86.
Sent Off: Donovan Simmonds 86.
Attendance: 1781
Referee: Mr Nigel Lugg
Assistants: Mr Peter Georgiou and Mr Peter Killip