The Wood have the advantage of an extra day’s rest compared to the Rebels, who are looking to recover from a gruelling Friday night shift in Staffordshire.
Despite leading 2-1 heading into the closing stages, a red card for Dom Hutchinson in additional time reduced the side to nine players following Jack Wadham’s earlier dismissal, with their opponents Tamworth capitalising to strike twice deep into stoppage-time to snatch the three points.
Two wins and two losses from the first four games in the fifth tier doesn’t make terrible reading, with a lack of fortune, individual errors and ill-discipline preventing Adam Hinshelwood’s side from collecting maximum points.
Meanwhile, Boreham Wood are one of only three teams to have remained invincible in the 2026/27 campaign and are trailing current league leaders Sutton United by two points.
As previously mentioned, Luke Garrard’s team have enjoyed 24 extra hours to prepare for this fixture, with their narrow success over Boston United occurring on Thursday evening.
This will be the first meeting between the two sides since the 2024/25 campaign, when both teams finished on 86 points and only three points off the league title.
Boreham Wood ended up advancing up the pyramid through the play-offs, while Worthing got their hands on the National League South trophy 12 months later.
Just over a year on, old foes collide again in West Sussex in the top tier of Non-League football and reunite as respected opponents.
The Opposition
Instead of reeling and feeling the effects of May’s play-off final loss, Boreham Wood have carried last term’s momentum into the new campaign.
Scoring at will, the Wood have netted a league high 11 goals and have asserted themselves against some of the league’s finest teams.
A comprehensive 3-0 triumph over fellow title contenders Forest Green Rovers was a statement to the remainder of the division, while a 4-1 win over a typically resolute FC Halifax Town outfit further cemented the Wood as early favourites for a maiden promotion into the EFL.
A major turning point in their existence came under long-serving manager Luke Garrard, who guided the Wood to promotion to the National League in 2015. In the 11 years that have passed, the Wood faithful has been treated to several magical moments. This includes reaching National League Play-Off Finals, with the last one as recent as last May and memorable FA Cup runs. Their greatest achievement came in their 2021/22 FA Cup campaign, when they became only the ninth Non-League club to reach the fifth round of the competition, defeating AFC Wimbledon and AFC Bournemouth along the way before losing to Everton at Goodison Park.
The Gaffer
With over a decade of association between Garrard and Boreham Wood, the manager is considered one of the greatest coaches in the Club’s history.
After hanging up his boots early due to injury, Garrard was appointed manager of Boreham Wood in 2015 at the age of 30, becoming the youngest manager in England’s top five divisions at the time.
Under his leadership, the club enjoyed their most successful period – reaching the National League play-off final at Wembley in 2018 and guiding Boreham Wood to a historic fifth-round run in the FA Cup.
After leaving the club following relegation into the National League South in 2024, Garrard would reunite with the Wood later on in the calendar year and immediately guided Boreham Wood back to the fifth tier. Last season, he led the Hertfordshire based outfit to another promotion final at Wembley, narrowly missing out on a place in the English Football League.
Not willing to risk losing their beloved manager in the near future, Boreham was tied down to a new long-term contract.
As a player, Garrard began in the youth system at Tottenham Hotspur before starting his senior career with Swindon Town. He later played for several non-league clubs, most notably AFC Wimbledon, where he made more than 100 appearances and helped the club win promotion from the Conference South in 2009.
Garrard has built up a reputation widely regarded as one of the most respected managers in English Non-League football, noted for developing players and building competitive teams on modest budgets.
One to Watch
Emphatically leading the National League Golden Boot race, it’s not outlandish to suggest Matt Rush may be the most in-form striker in the country at the moment.
In just four National League matches, the 25-year-old has terrorised opposition defences, scoring a staggering eight times already.
A hat-trick on the opening day’s 3-3 draw with Tamworth was swiftly added to with a brace in the 3-1 victory away to FC Halifax Town before rounding off the scoring in last weekend’s statement 3-0 triumph over Forest Green Rovers.
On Thursday, Boreham Wood’s talisman stole the headlines once again with two late quick-fire goals in the space of three minutes overturning a deficit from Boston United to claim a 2-1 win in the capital.
An overwhelming favourite to land the first Player of the Month accolade of the campaign, Rush will have his sights set on already reaching double figures for the campaign before August has even concluded.
Surprisingly, the Englishman is projected to smash his goal tally from last season of 27 goals in the National League, a number only beaten by former Worthing striker Ollie Pearce.
Rush has been scoring goals for fun for the majority of his career, with Maidstone United the primary beneficiaries of his prowess in front of goal prior to his switch to Boreham Wood in the summer of 2024.
League Form Guide
Worthing FC | W2 D0 L2 GD: 0 | Pos: 13th
League Form: LWLW
MD1: Carlisle United 2-3 Worthing FC | Scorers: Dom Hutchinson, Razzaq Coleman De-Graft, Ricky Aguiar
MD2: Worthing FC 1-2 Forest Green Rovers | Scorer: Teddy Jenks
MD3: Worthing FC 1-0 Wealdstone | Scorer: Ramell Carter
MD4: Tamworth 3-2 Worthing | Scorers: Jack Wadham & Jose Marquez
Boreham Wood | W3 D1 L0 GD: +6 | Pos: 2nd
League Form: WWWD
MD1: Boreham Wood 3-3 Tamworth | Scorers: Matt Rush x3
MD2: FC Halifax Town 1-3 Boreham Wood | Scorers: Matt Rush x2, Abdul Abdulmalik
MD3: Forest Green Rovers 0-3 Boreham Wood | Scorers: Zak Brunt, Lewis Richardson, Matt Rush
MD4: Boreham Wood 2-1 Boston United | Scorers: Matt Rush x2
View from the Camp – Adam Hinshelwood
“Boreham Wood have recruited really well over the summer and added loads of quality. It’s a really good test for ourselves and we should know where we’re at come Monday evening.”
Tickets
Tickets are still available to purchase for the visit of Boreham Wood and are able to be purchased online through the FanBase app/website and on the turnstiles.
However, supporters are encouraged to purchase their tickets online in advance to avoid disappointment of missing out and to minimise the disruption when entering the ground. The Club can never guarantee the availability of tickets at the turnstiles in the event of a sell-out. Buy your tickets here: Worthing FC vs Boreham Wood Tickets
Segregation will be in place for this match. Away supporters will be housed in the North East corner of the stadium, with food and drink refreshments available, including vegetarian options.
Both Worthing FC and Wealdstone supporters can purchase their tickets online via Fanbase.
Please note as part of a newly-introduced league rule, children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult, otherwise they will be refused entry. Refunds are awarded at the Club’s discretion.
Pricing
Prices
Adults – £22.00
Concessions – £18.00
U22 – £16.00
U19 – £9.00
U14 – £6.00
U7 – £1.00
HOW TO FOLLOW
If you can’t be at the game, you can follow the game via live updates from the club’s official Twitter account.
Or if you prefer, you can watch Behind- the-Scenes access over on our Instagram account.
You can also listen to live commentary through the club’s official commentary service or watch the match live on DAZN.
Originally published by Worthing FC ↗