By Toby Pike
Salisbury fell to defeat at Boreham Wood, with two first-half goals from Matt Rush and a second-half rocket from Chico Sousa ensuring all three points stayed in Hertfordshire.
The hosts started the game like a team that had been given a stern telling-off the week before after a damaging loss to playoff-chasing rivals.
The Wood came out playing passing football with an electric tempo.
Abdulmalik and Benton on the flanks asked questions of the Whites’ fullbacks from the get-go. Sam German made a strong standing tackle to prevent Abdulmalik from getting a shot off in the Salisbury box three minutes in.
Minutes later, former White Tom Whelan had the game’s first attempt. The Midfielders’ strike was well wide of Rhys Byrne’s post.
The Whites’ first chance of the contest fell to skipper Dan Fitchett. The striker controlled a lofted ball into the box and got a shot away, but the attempt flew just wide of the post.
In the 10th minute, the Hertfordshire side took the lead. Matt Rush smashed the ball home into an open goal after Byrne’s impressive initial save of Jon Benton’s close-range effort fell kindly to the player.
Ten minutes later, Rush was a whisker away from doubling his and Boreham Wood’s tally. Whelan provided the opportunity with a whipped ball across the box to the head of Rush, who couldn’t direct his header into the far corner.
The Whites went into halftime with a mountain to climb.
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Minutes into the second period, the hosts were awarded a spot kick after Abdulmalik was deemed to have been brought down unfairly in the box.
Sousa failed to convert seeing his effort stopped by Byrne, who was able to cleanly gather the ball. A lifeline for the Whites.
The attack-minded introduction of Josh Hedges and Craig Fasanmade provided Dutton’s side with an injection of energy as the Whites started to pose a threat of their own, seeing more of the ball in the Boreham Wood final third.
Despite the improvement from the Wiltshire side, it was the hosts the chances kept falling for. Byrne made an excellent double stop to prevent the hosts.
In the 68th minute, Fitchett went fractions away from reaching Jordan Ragguette’s fizzed low cross across the six-yard box. The Whites had started to take authority in the match.
Sousa made up for his spot-kick miss earlier in the half, scoring a corker into the top corner for the hosts’ third of the afternoon.
Nicholas Dunn sounded his whistle after the indicated four additional minutes were up to confirm defeat on the road for the Whites.
Attention turns to Saturday, April 12, where the Whites welcome Aveley to the RayMac for a 3 pm kick-off.
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