Play-off Preview | Boreham Wood (A)

Forest Green Rovers travel to Meadow Park tonight to take on Boreham Wood in the National League Play-Offs Quarter-Finals.

Rovers ended the regular season in fine style on Saturday afternoon, defeating already relegated Morecambe 5-0 at The New Lawn.

A Jili Buyabu strike, Kyle McAllister penalty, Gabe Kircough’s towering header and a Riccardo Rees brace grabbed the goals for Rovers.

Results elsewhere meant Robbie Savage’s side finished seventh in the table, setting up Wednesday night’s tie in South Hertfordshire.

Ahead of tomorrow night’s clash, here is everything you need to know about our opponents.

The Opposition: Boreham Wood

Nickname: ‘The Wood’

League Finish: 4th

Boreham Wood have had a superb National League campaign, finishing fourth in the table on an impressive 90 points. They have had a solid opening month of the season before an unbeaten September, which included five wins in seven games, saw them fly up the table. The Wood have continued in that form throughout the season, picking up several impressive victories and proving tough opposition to beat. They finished the season strongly, winning their last three games, scoring seven goals and not conceding.

It is the Wood’s first season back in the National League after achieving promotion from the National League South via the play-offs. The club bounced back at the first attempt after dropping out of the National League the season prior. In the two meetings between the sides this season, Rovers picked up four points. The two sides first met back in October at The New Lawn, with Rovers coming away with all three points. A Jili Buyabu strike and a Harvey Bunker penalty saw Rovers win 2-1. A closely fought encounter in March in the reverse fixture saw the spoils shared in a 1-1 draw. Robbie Savage will be hoping his side can extend their unbeaten run against the Wood for one more game.

The Manager: Luke Garrard

Luke Garrard is the current man in the dugout for Boreham Wood.

Garrard is in his second spell as the Wood’s Manager, having managed the club for just shy of a decade from 2015 to 2024.

The 40-year-old departed the club after their relegation from the National League, but would return less than six months later after his replacement Ross Jenkins was sacked.

Garrard would guide the club straight back to the National League via the Play-Offs, further enhancing his status as a club legend.

He will be hoping his side can keep their season alive by overcoming a free-scoring Rovers side.

Player To Watch: Matt Rush

It will come as no surprise to National League fans that Matt Rush is the player to watch for Boreham Wood.

The striker has been in prolific form in the league this season, featuring in every game in the campaign and scoring a remarkable 26 goals.

Rush joined the Wood from Sutton United for an undisclosed fee in the midway through the 2024/25 season.

The striker would go on to help the club achieve promotion back to the National League after ending the season with 18 goals.

The 24-year-old finished tied second in the National League Top Goal-scorers chart, level with Rochdale’s Mani Dieseruvwe.

A player who certainly knows where the back of the net is, Rovers will need to be aware of the forward in and around the penalty area.

Head-To-Head:

19/12/2015- Rovers 1-0 Boreham Wood (Guthrie 67th)

06/08/2016- Boreham Wood 1-0 Rovers

11/02/2017- Rovers 2-0 Boreham Wood (Doidge 83rd & Bugiel 88th)

25/10/2025- Rovers 2-1 Boreham Wood (Buyabu 34th & Bunker (P) 75th)

21/02/2026- Boreham Wood 1-1 Rovers (McAllister’s (P) 65th)