Tommy Sampson tasted defeat for the first time as Wood boss on Tuesday evening, but could be excused for feeling a little hard done by as he departed a blustery Camrose Ground.

"I think I used up all the good fortune that I had at Croydon tonight, but I felt that we were good enough to win this game," he said afterwards.

"We created three great chances in the second half and if any of them had gone in we would have got what we deserved.

"Basingstoke are one of the division's above average sides, and they were keen to do well against us after being pegged back late on by Dagenham in the cup last Saturday.

"Once or twice we overplayed, but I was very impressed with young Steve Sinclair, who came in at wingback due to Dominic Grime's unavailability and was very positive."

Wood's neat pass and move game, coupled with the home side's surging attacks through the midfield made for an entertaining first half, but both team's inability to put their final passes exactly where they wanted gave each goalkeeper an easier time than they could have expected.

Sampson's men were constantly frustrated by Stoke's monotonous offside trap, which reduced them to long range efforts through Sinclair, a deflected free kick from Phil Mason and Jeran Meah's shot as the sum total of their first half goal attempts.

Noel Imber athletically tipped round Matt Hayfield's header on 26 minutes, but could do little to prevent the game's only goal four minutes from the break.

A spectacular effort it was too, as Garry Wotton could only head Mike Davis' cross to the edge of the box where Rob Cook thrashed the dipping ball into the bottom corner with a sweetly struck volley.

Wood's frustration showed in bookings for Meah and Carl Drew, both for fouls, and the latter spurned the visitors' best chance so far, ten minutes into the second period, when he turned onto Meah's low cross but could only direct his half-hit shot straight at the keeper.

Stoke's abrasive striker Tim Sills got away with only a yellow card for what appeared to be a punch on Dave McDonald as things hotted up, and what Sampson described as his men's "passion" was taken to extremes as skipper Wotton was forced to step in to separate team mates Meah and Micky Engwell as they squared up to each other!

Great trickery on the byeline by John Lawford saw home keeper Scott Tarr prevent a Wood equaliser with his feet. Wood were now in command and pressing for that elusive leveller, but were frustrated by the woodwork in the 76th minute as Engwell and Meah put their differences behind them and the latter crashed a header from the former's superb cross against the underside of the bar.

But the match was to finish in unfortunate circumstances. Firstly, Hayfield was stretchered off after falling in a challenge with Mason, and then somehow Engwell survived what seemed an automatic red card for an appallingly late and high tackle on Stoke sub Jimmy Fraser, which led to an ugly melee in front of the dugouts with the full supporting cast from each bench.

Sampson observed: "It wasn't a good tackle by Micky, but he's a committed player and shows a lot of passion every time he goes out there.

"The body language has improved since I've been here, and I'm trying to get my ideas across to the players and build something at this club."

WOOD: Imber, McDonald, Engwell, Wotton, Harvey, Sinclair, Meah, Mason, Lawford, Drew (Dixon, 73 mins), Capone. Subs (not used): Mehmet, Kodra.

Basingstoke Town 1

Boreham Wood 0

Ryman League Premier

October 31, 2001 15:17

By DAVE RAWLINGS