Saturday April 20, 2024: Luke Garrard applauds the North Bank at Meadow Park, seemingly his last act as Boreham Wood manager after nine years in charge. Unfortunately the tears in his eyes are not solely down to the fact that he is leaving the club he loves. Relegation was not how this should have ended.
Fast forward two years. Garrard once again in front of the Wood Army and emotional. Yet these tears are for a very different reason. This is a moment to savour, a shared experience of joy at Carlisle's Brunton Park. Garrard has just led Boreham Wood to a Wembley play-off final and his remarkable road to redemption is complete.
Relegation to the National League South in April 2024 crept up on the club. Previously under Garrard, Boreham Wood had consistently punched above their weight. After a great escape in their first season at National League level in 2015/16, the team reached the play-offs in three separate campaigns. In 2018, Garrard led Boreham Wood to Wembley for the first time in their history.
The inability to beat ten-man Tranmere in that final was hard to take, but what memories had been created on the way. And there was more to come. An FA Cup run to the third round in 2020/21 - sadly without fans - was then followed by a remarkable run to the fifth round in 2021/22. The supporters present at Bournemouth and Everton would never ever forget those nights.
Again it appeared as if Garrard was producing magic again in 2022/23. Defeating local rivals Barnet away in a play-off eliminator, the Wood were a minute away from Wembley at Notts County. Yet an equaliser and a heart-breaking 120th minute winner saw the dream turn into a nightmare. In truth, the stuffing was completely knocked out of the club on that day in Nottingham.
However, relegation was still a surprise. When it was announced in April that Garrard would leave at the end of the season, the club were in serious danger of dropping into the National League South. Two wins and a draw followed, but there would be no happy ending. A 0-0 draw against Ebbsfleet United was not enough to keep the club in the National League.
Chairman Danny Hunter was determined to get back up at the first attempt. Announcing that the club would remain full-time, and managing to keep a number of key players, Hunter brought in a new manager in Ross Jenkins. Promising to play a new brand of football, it was hoped that fans could be entertained under the new management regime.
Yet it never quite felt like the right fit. The football was a lot more possession based than supporters had previously seen, but often there was a lack of penetration as the ball was frustratingly passed from side to side. One look at Hunter's face during half-time of a match at Hampton and Richmond told many all we needed to know. After just eight league matches in charge, Jenkins was gone.
It was not a complete surprise when Garrard returned. Yet opinion seemed divided on whether it was a good move. Garrard's success had been built on a strong defence, and at times a direct style of football. Understandably the fans loved the results and the magical moments along the way. But was it time to move on from the former manager and his preferred system?
The club topped the table and hovered around the play-off positions, but three successive defeats in March threatened to derail promotion hopes. The final match of that run was an abysmal 4-0 loss at Maidstone. It proved to be a turning point. From this moment on, the Wood never looked back.
Something changed that day in Kent. Garrard adjusted his formation after the Maidstone debacle and the results were immediate. Playing a 4-2-3-1, the goals and wins followed. Two 3-0 wins against Salisbury and Hemel Hempstead; both Slough and Enfield hit for four; a final day 3-1 win at Tonbridge. Centre forward Matt Rush was flourishing, scoring eight goals in the final five fixtures.
The play-offs could now be approached with confidence. Yet with just nine minutes remaining in the eliminator against ten-man Dorking, that optimism appeared misplaced. Trailing 3-1, another year beckoned in the National League South. But then carnage.
Goals in the 84th, 90th and the sixth minute of stoppage time somehow saw the Wood snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The force as now truly with the club. A Rush winner at Torquay set up a home final against Maidstone, the club that had proved the catalyst for change. Charles Clayden's beautiful winner provided Garrard with partial closure after the events of April 2024.
Surviving the drop seemed the number one priority as the 2025/26 season started. But the foundations were there for the incredible campaign that has followed. The defensive solidity of Chris Bush, Callum Reynolds and Femi Ilesanmi; the versatility of Charlie O'Connell; the dancing feet of the little genius Abdul Abdulmalik; and of course, Rush banging in the goals up front.
On top of this, the recruitment has been exceptional. Immediately you could see that Tom White was a midfielder that would cover every blade of grass; the purchase of Zak Brunt was a coup, fans excited after his previous season at the club in 2022/23; Regan Booty and his wand of a left foot; excellent usage of the loan market in Finlay Herrick, Ted Curd and Leon Ayinde; a fine addition in right back James Clarke, who scored a hat-trick against Wealdstone.
Some fans placed bets on the Wood getting promoted or finishing top seven - one telling me that he had already cashed out in November - as the team clicked into gear. Playing football that many thought would never happen under Garrard, the Wood were even gaining plaudits from opposition supporters.
The entertainment provided often left you scratching your head, wondering just how the manager had changed from his previous mindset to the free-flowing football that was being seen every week. Goals flew in - 95 in the league, with only York scoring more - and Rush netted 26 goals in the league campaign, as the team finished fourth with 90 points.
Success was achieved with a National League Cup final win over West Ham U21, as the feelgood factor grew at Meadow Park. Yes, other fans still mock the club, calling them tinpot, as the attendance police on social media platforms gather, for some reason annoyed that a club with relatively small, but growing crowds, do well.
But any Wood fans walking down Wembley Way on Sunday are probably happy with their lot. Extra-time play-off wins against Forest Green and Carlisle set up the final with Rochdale, who will understandably be favourites to achieve promotion that they were denied on the final day of the season. Rochdale also achieved a league double over Garrard's team. However, the Wood like nothing more that upsetting the odds.
At the centre of this story is Garrard. Leading Boreham Wood out at Wembley again would have seemed a million miles away just two years ago. Watching the team play with such flair was also a fantasy. Yet the man who said he owed the club after relegating them has fully repaid his debt, win, lose or draw on Sunday.
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