Boreham Wood 2-2 Rochdale (1-3 on pens): Dale complete dramatic EFL return at Wembley

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By Andy Mitchell

BOREHAM WOOD 2

Rush 22, Abdulmalik 69

ROCHDALE 2

Smith 78, Dieseruvwe 90+6

(Rochdale win 3-1 on penalties after extra-time)

Irresistible Rochdale scrapped back from two down to seal a return to the EFL on penalties and consign Boreham Wood to another Wembley heartbreak. 

The Wood had seemed destined to bag League status for the first time after Abdul Abdulmalik’s fizzing cross looped in – somewhat fortuitously – off the chest of Matt Rush midway through the first half with Abdulmalik seizing on and squeezing in from a half-cleared corner 21 minutes from time.

Dale had been second best but snatched a lifeline having gone long, substitute Tyler Smith sweeping in after the ball dropped his way from an aerial battle between Mani Dieseruvwe and Chris Bush. 

With the pressure ratcheting up, Dieseruvwe got the kind of luck Rush had benefited from just in the nick of time, heading in via the shoulder of James Clarke from Casey Pettit’s deep ball six minutes into added time to take it the distance.

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Shootout hero

Extra-time came and went with little incident, Dieseruvwe the closest to snatching it with the final touch but Manchester City loanee Oliver Whatmuff proved the shootout hero, pushing away Callum Reynolds’s first and producing a one-handed wonderstop from Rush.

And it was all over when Cameron Coxe’s bounced out having hit the underside of the bar. 

This season’s EFL shootout took place on the back of the most breakneck promotion race in National League history. 

While Dale’s epic tussle for top spot with York City and 106 points grabbed all the headlines, fourth-placed Boreham Wood ended up as Step 1’s second-highest goalscorers with more points (90) from a 46-match season than 2009 champions Burton Albion (88) and 2019 standard bearers Leyton Orient (89).

Match action

The Wood had a huge chance within the opening minute with Leon Ayinde racing into the right of the box but his near-post shot was pushed to safety by Whatmuff’s big left hand.

At the other end, Tobi Adebayo-Rowling whipped in a teaser that Charlie O’Connell coolly glanced away with Dieseruvwe lurking behind him.

It continued in a cagey fashion until the fancy footwork of Abdulmalik created the breakthrough, seemingly hammering a cutback too hard only for it to loop up off Rush and drop inside the far post. 

The effervescent Abdulmalik was oh so close to the second after half an hour, picking up the scraps and jinking inside to unleash a dipping bending shot across goal that Whatmuff did well to watch and tip over.

Rochdale continued to threaten with Kyron Gordon mixing it up to release Devante Rodney down the right but Dieseruvwe’s close-range header on the run was well wide, while Clarke’s glance rippled the top of the net on its way over for the Wood in first-half stoppage time.

Second half

Half-time substitute Joe Pritchard sought to make an early impression by dancing past Clarke but his shot flew closer to the corner flag than the goal.

Dale continued to up the ante at the expense of precision but Boreham Wood’s moments continued to be the most exciting, Regan Booty bending to the back post for Rush to peel away, his shot blocked by the foot of Whatmuff, with Abdulmalik first to the loose, marauding across the right of the box only to have his stinger blocked by the sliding Ethan Ebanks-Landell. 

By now a proper game had broken out with Ayinde racing into space in the right of the box but heads were in hands as his drive flashed just past the far post.

A gentle flick-on allowed Pritchard to bear down on goal but he scuffed his shot at exposed and rather grateful keeper Ted Curd and what felt like the killer second came with 21 minutes to go.

An inswinging corner was nodded away from goal but to the waiting Abdulmalik who nudged to the side of his man and fired low through the crowd and across goal to find the bottom corner via the only route available.

A trio of Rochdale changes followed and the lifeline followed within two minutes – and not in the usual methodical manner. 

Whatmuff launched forward and Dieseruvwe’s battle with Bush, who wanted a foul, saw the ball break for Smith to stroke past Curd to alter the feel around Wembley with 12 of the 90 minutes left.

Abdulmalik hobbled off and made sure he exited by crossing the pitch, one last contribution to the cause. The Wood knew what was coming but resisting it was another matter.

Pressure built and built and while chances didn’t flow, Dale waited for the right moment in customary fashion, Pettit free to float into the mixer where Dieseruvwe’s header nicked off Clarke’s shoulder, killing Curd’s hopes of stopping it. 

Extra-time and penalties

Perhaps surprisingly, the Wood made the early running in extra-time but neither team wanted to risk anything daft and the first 15 minutes passed by without incident.

Dale waited for a flag that didn’t go up and Josh Landers headed into Whatmuff’s gloves five minutes from the end of extra-time, while an under-pressure Dieseruvwe could not connect at point-blank range with the last touch.

Wood took first with Reynolds heading to the box long before Whatmuff who easily saved low to his right. 

Sam Beckwith slammed to Curd’s left after a stuttered run-up to hand Rochdale control and while Erico Sousa and Ed Francis made no mistake to make it 2-1, Rush’s mid-height stroke to the left was pawed away by Whatmuff. 

Callum Perry put Dale 3-1 up despite Curd getting a touch and it was all over when Coxe’s effort bounced out. 

Teams, ratings and more

Boreham Wood (4-2-3-1): Curd; Clarke, O’Connell, Bush, Ilesanmi (Sousa, h-t, e-t); White (Henry, 104), Booty (Reynolds, 70); Ayinde (Coxe, 82), Brunt (Landers, 90+1), Abdulmalik (Richardson, 82); Rush.

Unused subs: Ashmore (g/k). 

Rochdale (3-4-2-1): Whatmuff; Gordon, Ebanks-Landell, Perry; Adebayo-Rowling (Beckwith, 76), Gilmour (Francis, f-t), East (Pettit, 87) Hannant (Henderson, 76); Rodney (Smith, 76), Barlow (Pritchard, h-t); Dieseruvwe. 

Unused subs: Baptiste. 

Star Man: Abdul Abdulmalik (Boreham Wood)

Entertainment: ★★★★

Attendance: 17,470.

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