BOURNE AGAIN
Bournemouth 0 Boreham Wood 1: National League minnows STUN Cherries as Mark Ricketts earns FA Cup fifth-round spot
BOREHAM WOOD produced the shock result of the fourth round when they knocked out Bournemouth thanks to old man Mark Ricketts.
Ricketts’ sweet first half winner was enough to give the Conference League boys a tasty fifth round trip to Everton.
And Frank Lampard’s Toffees will be delighted to welcome Ricketts, 37, and non-League heroes to Goodison Park.
Wood’s ecstatic fans left their distinctive mark on the area before kick-off by planting club flags in the gardens of the big tree-lined house’s leading up the stadium.
The Cherries made nine changes from their last match giving Liverpool loanee Nat Philips his debut.
What a contrast that was for the young defender whose last game was in the Champions League for the Reds in December against AC Milan in the world famous San Siro.
Bournemouth head coach Scott Parker, who made five transfer deadline day signings, also picked Newcastle loanee Freddie Woodman for his first game in goal.
But it was a nervous start for the stopper who messed up a pass to one of his defenders in the second minute.
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Fortunately for the home side ten-goal Josh Rees couldn’t take advantage of the error much to his manager’s frustration.
Wood boss Luke Garrard praised Parker in his pre-match interviews even suggesting that he would love to visit the south coast for a few days to see his training sessions.
Well that’s all very nice because Gerard’s boys threw caution to the wind and went hell and leather to get an early goal against the Championship side.
And they were a tad unfortunate not to get a penalty or two when Kilkenny appeared to stamp on Rees’ foot.
Then Kane Smith got in behind the home defence and his cross caused such havoc that Phillips appeared to upend Rees in the box.
But much to the the annoyance of Rees and the visiting bench again referee Graham Scott immediately waved aside their penalty appeals.
The All Whites were painting a very pretty picture of the standard of Conference League football in their historic first ever taste of fourth round football.
There may be 74 places between the teams in the football pyramid but Boreham Wood weren’t playing like inferior opponents.
And they were showing millions of TV armchair fans just why they are unbeaten in 16 previous games in all competitions conceding just 15 goals in 23 league fixtures.
Then the dream started to come true on 38 minutes when old man Ricketts, 37, was presented the opportunity write his own headlines.
Jacob Mandy’s cross into the box saw Cherries Gavin Kilkenny clear the ball straight to Ricketts who side-footed home from the edge of the box.
Such was Wood’s stranglehold on the match when Lewis Cook fired over in stoppage time the home fans sang “We’ve had a shot” before booing their side off.
Desperate Parker brought on new boy Todd Cantwell and Ryan Christie for Lewis Cook and Ben Pearson after the break.
And yet Ricketts nearly added a second goal when he swirling cross was tipped clear by Woodman.
But the substitutions finally injected some life into Bournemouth’s game and Christie’s thunderbolt was punched clear by Wood’s under-worked goalkeeper Taye Ashby-Hammond.
Then Christie slipped in sub Phillip Billing who chipped the ball over Ashby-Hammond and an unguarded net.
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Ashby-Hammond then got high fives all round when he somehow deflected Christie’s shot onto the underside of the bar.
Jayden Anthony thought he had rescued the tie when he slammed in the loose ball until an offside flag ruined his celebrations.
And when top scorer Dominic Solanke missed a sitter in stoppage time Garrard hugged Parker as his team rushed over to celebrate with their fans.
