FA Cup: National League Boreham Wood looking to upset Everton
- Published
'It's taken us 23 years to get this far' - can Boreham Wood's FA Cup run continue?
Boreham Wood will attempt to become the second non-league club to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals in the modern era when they face Everton on Thursday.
The Wood, third in the National League table, take on the Toffees, 17th in the Premier League, at a sold-out Goodison Park (20:15 GMT).
Lincoln City, then in the National League, beat Premier League Burnley on their way to the quarter-finals in 2016-17, where they lost 5-0 at Arsenal.
So will the Hertfordshire club's fairytale FA Cup run continue?
The non-league player facing his idols
Boreham Wood are averaging attendances of 949 in the fifth tier of English football this season but have double that number of fans making the 400-mile round trip to Merseyside.
Before this season, they had not gone beyond the third round - but under manager Luke Garrard, they are enjoying an outstanding campaign.
As well as challenging for promotion to the Football League, they have won five games to get to this stage of the FA Cup for the first time.
Highlights: Boreham Wood shock Bournemouth in FA Cup fourth round
Garrard, 36, is a former Tottenham youngster who went on to play in League One for Swindon Town.
He had three spells at Boreham Wood as a player before they made him the youngest boss in England's top five divisions when they appointed him manager in 2015.
He said he will not stop any of his players swapping shirts after the game - because he has his eyes on an exchange with Everton boss Frank Lampard.
"I'm taking Frank Lampard's shirt off his back! His zippy, his ball. I'm getting everything," Garrard said.
"He texted me after the Bournemouth game and I think he's a class individual.
"Just to have the luxury of five minutes with him before the match or potentially an hour afterwards, I'm really looking forward to it."
Their team includes Scott Boden, 32, who was on furlough and making plans for a life outside football, external 12 months ago.
The former Chesterfield forward is based in South Yorkshire and leaves his home most days at 06:15 GMT to make the 260-mile round trip for training.
FA Cup highlights: Boreham Wood 2-0 AFC Wimbledon
Right-back Kane Smith is an Everton fan, external who celebrated the memorable fourth-round win over Bournemouth on the pitch at full-time by donning a Toffees shirt bearing the name of his idol Tony Hibbert.
"When we were celebrating, I thought, 'I need to get my Everton shirt' - and I ran back into the changing room and stuck it on," said Kane.
"Playing as a right-back, I always wanted to be someone like Tony Hibbert.
"I watched him every week and he is an Everton hero. I always wanted to get one of his shirts and when I first saved up a bit of pocket money, I went and got myself that one!"
Boreham Wood's Meadow Park ground holds 4,500 while Everton's Goodison Park has a 40,000 capacity
'We've done our analysis on them - the respect's there'
Everton lie just one point above the relegation zone and have lost three of their four games since defeating Brentford 4-1 in the last round in Lampard's first match in charge.
Despite a poor season, the five-time FA Cup winners start as overwhelming favourites to reach the quarter-finals.
Nevertheless, they are without several key players because of injury, including defenders Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey, England forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin and midfielder Fabian Delph.
Boreham Wood will certainly not be phased by facing opponents from much higher up the league ladder.
Two of their five wins to reach this stage have come against teams from a higher level - League One AFC Wimbledon in the third round and Championship Bournemouth in the fourth round.
"We've done our analysis on them," said Garrard. "So the respect's there. Hugely. I'm not foolish in any way, shape, or form. They are unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.
"These are international players playing week in, week out the highest level."
Boreham Wood boss Luke Garrard was on the books of Tottenham as a youngster
'Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good'
Only one of the previous seven non-league sides to pit their wits against top-flight opposition at the fifth-round stage (since 1925-26) have progressed - Lincoln City beating Burnley in 2016-17.
There is another example of a non-league club knocking a Premier League club out of the FA Cup in recent times.
In January 2013, National League Luton Town won 1-0 at Norwich City in the fourth round.
Yet a Boreham Wood win over Everton would surely go down as one of the great FA Cup shocks of all time.
"We go there with a purpose, we go there with a job," said Garrard. "And if we can implement our game plan, we will cause them problems. But we need to be lucky.
"And sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
"Through this cup run, we've been lucky. It's been really simple - working hard and working together as a team and riding our luck. And if we can do that on Thursday night, we have a chance."
Step into the multiverse: Explore a dimension where Fergie quits Manchester United and Ronaldo joins Portsmouth
'Eight outstanding prison breaks': What is the greatest escape ever, according to Morgan Freeman?
