Club

Report | Boreham Wood 1-3 Luton Town

The Town won their fourth straight pre-season friendly this afternoon, but were made to work hard for it by National League side Boreham Wood before two goals from Jordan Clark and Carlos Mendes Gomes beauty secured a 3-1 victory at Meadow Park.

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The Hatters started in the ascendancy and after Bree had found Potts with a sweeping ball out wide in the sixth minute, the left-back’s attempted cross was deflected behind for a corner that the former delivered for Potts to head narrowly wide at the far post.

Harry Cornick was looking lively down the right, but similarly his cross-shot was blocked behind, and when the corner found him on the edge of the box, his shot was blocked almost as soon as it left his boot.

Wood grew into the game and started to pose a real threat. They got their noses in front on 26 minutes when one of two trialists in starting XI finished at the far post, drilling his shot into the ground and back across James Shea.

Henri Lansbury was dictating the play from a Hatters perspective, and the former Arsenal man won, and took a free-kick just outside the area, but couldn’t clear the wall to trouble home keeper Nathan Ashmore.

Fred Onyedinma went closer in the 34th minute, his mazy run into the box ending with a curling shot that didn’t bend back enough.

The summer signing from Wycombe went closer still on 42 minutes, forcing Ashmore into a good save low to his right after Lansbury fed him a short free-kick when most expected the midfielder to have another crack.

Two minutes later Lansbury stood another free-kick up for Sonny Bradley to get his head on, but this attempt looped just wide of the the upright.

The same line-up started the second half, but Glen Rea picked up a knock and was replaced by Leicester City trialist Khanya Leshabela on 53 minutes. Within seconds, Onyedinma was going close once again, this time meeting Cornick's cross with a downward header that went just wide of the far post.

Jones changed nine of the players on the hour, with just Leshabela and Shea remaining on the pitch. Joe Morrell unleashed a 71st-minute piledriver after a short corner between Kal Naismith and Jordan Clark, but again a Wood defender got an important block in.

Naismith soon let fly from 25 yards, his effort was straight at Ashmore, but the equaliser wasn't long in coming as Sam Beckwith's low ball from the left found its way right across the hosts' box for Clark to confidently stroke home.

The Yorkshireman was soon linking the play all over the attacking third, setting Muskwe to the byline for a chipped cut-back that Cameron Jerome couldn't profit from, then jinking his way to the left byline himself to send in a cross that Wood cleared.

Peter Kioso then teed up a cross for Carlos Mendes Gomes to fire into the side-netting, before Clark shot left-footed straight at Ashmore from 20 yards with ten minutes to go.

Beckwith had a shot blocked in the 83rd minute after more good work from Kioso and Clark, with Morrell and Mendes Gomes at the heart of a patient passing move.

It was the latter two who combined again for the winner, with Morrell feeding the Spaniard who unleashed a 25-yard beauty that beat Ashmore into the top corner with four minutes left.

Clark added his second, and the Hatters' third, in the last minute with Morrell again the architect, picking the wideman out at the far post with a curling cross that Clark volleyed confidently past Ashmore.

There was still time for Morrell to pick the ex-Accrington man out again with a peach of a cross, but Clark's header was straight at the hosts' keeper and the score remained 3-1.

Starting XI: Shea, Bree, Lockyer, Bradley, Potts, Rea (Leshabela 53), Campbell, Lansbury, Cornick, Adebayo, Onyedinma.

From 60 mins: Shea, Clark, Kioso, Osho, Naismith, Beckwith, Leshabela, Morrell, Mendes Gomes, Jerome, Muskwe.

Att: 877

Goals: Clark 74, 89, Mendes Gomes 86

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