Tranmere will face Boreham Wood at Wembley after Luke Gerrard’s team overcame Sutton United in the play-off semi-final this afternoon.
After Rovers booked a spot at the national stadium yesterday, it was over to Sutton United and Boreham Wood to battle it out today.
Sutton had home advantage having finished third, and with Boreham Wood coming through a midweek game against Fylde, you may have put the hosts as favourites.
It didn’t show though as Boreham Wood dominated from the off. They took the lead shortly before half-time, Bruno Andrade with a smart finish across the keeper.
He and Angelo Balanta have been dangermen for Wood all season and will be again if fit next week. Their team went two up through Simon Doe as they looked to be coasting toward Wembley.
Things were made interesting in the final ten minutes as Sutton pulled a goal back, but as the pressure grew, Boreham broke and won a free-kick. That man Andrade rattled the bar, the ball hanging in the air for what seemed an eternity before dropping on to the line for Fovili to chest home. Inexplicably, no Sutton players had followed the ball in.
Sutton would grab another goal through Lafayette to make it a little tenser at the end, Boreham Wood’s keeper denying the same player a dramatic leveller in the sixth minute of added time.
Both Andrade and Balanta were withdrawn towards the end, Balanta seemingly lipping off with a hamstring injury, but both the player and his manager later said it was cramp.
It’s just six days until Tranmere will do battle under the arch at Wembley for that spot in the Football League.
