Pools are in action in the National League's early kick-off for Dazn extended coverage. Nicky Featherstone's side have had a turbulent last few weeks to say the least with a SEVEN-nil defeat to Wealdstone backed up by two 0-0 draws over the Easter period against Scunthorpe United away from home on Good Friday and against title challengers Rochdale on Easter Monday. two points from the previous nine available leaves Pools nine points outside of the playoffs with twelve to play for. The opposition for Pools sit fourth in the National League and are battling for an automatic playoff semi-finals place by finishing within the top-three. To do so they would need to close the five point gap to Carlisle within the final three games of their season
It took just shy of ninety seconds for the first action of the game as a long ball from a free kick deep in the boreham wood half was sent forwrd to wideman Leon Ayinde, who beat his man and played a low ball across the face of goal to Matt Rush who could only turn the ball into the side netting. Proceeding the chance the game settled into an early period of dominance for the hosts as Pools struggled to make any inroads towards the Boreham Wood defence.
In the 10th minute the referee dished out his first yellow card of the game as Boreham Wood hit Pools on the counter and club captain Tom Parkes appeared to immitate a rugby tackle in trying to bring Matt Rush down giving the referee little in the way of choice with the decision to make.
Ten minutes later pools started to get a little bit of control in the game coming through Cam John as he beat a number of Boreham Wood defenders before driving into the box and having his low ball cleared out for Pools' first corner of the game. Pools followed this up with a second corner this time played towards the edge of the box to Tyrese Sinclair who just couldn't quite get the ball out from under his feet in time.
The game eventually settled back into a similar rhythm as to how it began. Pools however nicked the ball from Leon Ayinde and found sinclair halfway inside the pools half where he beat one player and as he approached Regan Booty he knocked the ball past him, only to be completely wiped out with the referee obliging in brandishing the second yellow card of the game.
The first real chance of the game came through the Boreham Wood duo out on the left of Abdulmalik and Ilesanmi combine to get into the Pools box and a ball towards the bak post just evaded everybody in a white shirt. Just a few minutes later a similar chance occured this time finding the head of Leon Ayinde in the middle of the 6 yard box. His header was initially tipped up by Nick Hayes in the Pools goal before before catching it at the second attempt.
5 minutes until the break we had the first real injury stoppage of the game as Ayinde's ball in the box was headed partially clear, much higher than further and the second ball was contested by Parkes and John, with the end resultbeing tom Parkes smashing through and past John
Abdulmalik and Alex Reid came the closest to opening the scoring for either side within the space of sixty seconds of each other, initially some good short passing from The Wood, found the danger man out on the left hand side whos curling effort found the inside of Nick Hayes' left hand post somehow staying out and being cleared. from that clearance Pools attacked down the right through Caton and Benn and eventually Charlie Caton managed to whip a ball into the box which found the head of Alex Reid, the header was destined for the top corner until a brilliant diving save from Chelsea loannee and former Hashtag United goalkeeper, Ted Curd, denied him.
Two minutes into the four allotted and the final chance before the half time interval was yet ANOTHER good chance for the hosts as a long ball forward was headed clear by Parkes, who had an unfortunate slip on landing and with the ball falling to a Boreham Wood midfielder it allowed a ball to be slipped through towards Leon Ayinde who's low strike was dragge just wide of Hayes' right hand post.
HALF TIME: And that was all she wrote for the first half with the scores level and still awaiting the first goal in the game as the referee blew for half-time. 0-0.
GOAL: The second half bgan in the same vain as the first with the hosts domintating possesion and trying to pin Pools in our own half. The hosts reaped the rewards this time just 5 minutes in as a defence splitting ball Zak Brunt from found striker Matt Rush who managed to evade Kouogun and Parkes and knock the ball round Nick Hayes to tap into an open net to take the lead.
GOAL: Not too long after the initial goal the hosts doubled their lead once again through striker Matt Rush. This time some good play down the left hand side landed the ball at the feet of Abdul Abdulmalik who's right-footed cross towards the back post found the head of Rush who managed to easially head past Nick Hayes to double the advantage within 10 minutes of the second half.
SUBS: 61 minutes into the game Nicky Featherstone and Gary Liddle rolled the dice for the first time this game with a double substitution, Jamie Miley and Tom Parkes, who was on a yellow, were brought off to be replaced by a returning Reiss McNally and
A counter attack from The Wood just after the hour mark almost brought along a third but not for a good save from Hayes, a ball forward from Daly couldn't quite reach the feet of Caton. Once picked up by the hosts a ball was played into the feet of Zak Brunt who managed to spin away from the Pools midfield and find Abdul Abdulmalik out on the left who managed to beat his man and curl an effor towards the top corner but Hayes was equal to it to tip it wide for a corner.
Pools found chances hard to come by during the second half with the best of the bunch being a half chance that never managed to materialise into a shot. Charlie Caton picked the ball up on the right hand side and played it to the edge of the box finding Huddersfield Town loanee Jay Sway who managed to slip in Tyrese Sinclair who could only turn back and play to the edge of the box with the chance ending with a ball played too heavy out for a goal kick.
Pools' best chance of the half so far came from a free-kick close to the left and side by line halfway inside the Boreham Wood half, Sinclair's whipped ball found the feet of Sway who played a quick ball to a driving sinclair, who layed it off to Matty Daly who could only aim to chip it towards the back post, however the cross was too heavy and was claied by Curd in The Wood's goal
Similar to the hosts first chance of the game Pools managed to get down the left hand side through sinclair yet again who managed to drill a ball across towards the front post to the feet of Caton who's last action of the game was turning the ball past the front post of Curd's goal
SUBS: With just shy of 10 minutes to go Featherstone and Liddle gave it a final roll of the dice by bringing Charlie Caton, Alex Reid and Jack Hunter off for Sam Folarin, Vadaine Oliver and Brad Walker in hopes to try and salvage something from the game.
With just a few minutes remaining the Pools faithful who travelled sing a rendition of Tony Christie's 'Is this the way to Amarillo' culminating in 'The National League waits for me.'
Four minutes alotted before the final whistle and a penalty shout as Matt Rush and Reiss McNally both hit the ground however the referee waved the shout away with nothing doing. A few minutes later a ball was fed through towards Abdulmalik who struck his shot into the hands of Nick Hayes.
GOAL: The hosts killed the game off 90 seconds from time with a hat-trick cemented by Matt Rush with Pools sending bodies forward a ball through found the striker one on one with Nick Hayes and yet again he managed to hit the back of the net.
FULL TIME: Boreham Wood 3-0 Pools.
ATTENDANCE: 1209 (188 Away)
