After the drama of the FA Cup, and both clubs certainly had an exciting path to the first round, it's time to return to league action with a belter!
It's third versus second in a massive match between two sides with serious title ambitions.
While Wrexham are the division's top scorers, The Wood have the second-best defence but have a surprisingly disappointing record at home. They've dropped 10 points out of 18 on their own patch, and Wrexham will hope to catch them out before they find their rhythm at Meadow Park.
It's a mouth-watering fixture, so it's no real surprise that the home team anticipate a huge crowd. Indeed, they've been suggesting it'll be a club record for a league match.
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Phil Parkinson has an interesting selection dilemma, having taken the oportunity to rotate his squad against Blyth Spartans. Seventeen players made a start over the two cup ties, so Parkinson has plenty of players staking a claim for a place in his starting side.
One of those players is Jordan Tunnicliffe, who made an impressive debut at centre back on Tuesday.
Boreham Wood had the midweek off after their own cup exploits on Saturday. A remarkable 5-3 win against Wealdstone saw them through to the second round and a home tie against Eastleigh. After their heroics in the tournament last season, they'll be eager for another run.
The Wood have bolstered their squad with the addition of Cameron Coxe on loan from Colchester United, and he's likely to make his league debut on Saturday. A regular in the Welsh Under-21 side, Coxe was named in a preliminary squad for the senior team at the age of 20, having caught the eye at Solihull Moors. Coxe scored on his club debut last Saturday in the FA Cup, along with fellow loanees Zak Brunt and George Broadbent, who have both made the temporary move from Sheffield United.
WREXHAM'S RECORD AGAINST BOREHAM WOOD
Considering the relative strength of the two sides – in the seven seasons since being promoted to the National League, Boreham Wood have finished above us three times – the results in this fixture have been remarkably lop-sided.
We’ve met 14 times, and Wrexham have won 11, losing just once.
Admittedly, one of the two draws we’ve played out felt more like a defeat. At the end of last season Wrexham were desperate to keep the pressure on league leaders Stockport County, who we would play next, as we went into our penultimate away game of the season at Meadow Park. County were just one point ahead of us with a game in hand, but that advantage would grow as we suffered a terribly frustrating afternoon at Boreham Wood’s hands.
Although we struggled to get into our stride in the first half, the dismissal of former Red Dragon Jamal Fyfield for a two-footed lunge at Jordan Davies gave us 58 minutes to have a go at a 10-man opponent. Boreham Wood dug in, understandably, as Wrexham bombarded their penalty area, and took the lead through Paul Mullin. However, Nathan Ashmore repelled the visitors with a string of magnificent saves, and his efforts were rewarded in the 89th minute. A rash lunge by Tyler French conceded a penalty, and Tyrone March stepped up to stroke the ball home and frustrate Wrexham. Having dismissed The Wood comprehensively on the two previous times the sides had met that season, both at The Racecourse, the frustration was hard to bear.
The game was the first time Wrexham had attracted a four-figure crowd to Boreham Wood, and the first time over a thousand of the Wood Army had attended the fixture, although the travelling army of away fans outnumbered the home contingent.
The previous season we travelled to North London at a similar point in the campaign and it looked like we’d be thwarted. We trailed 2-0 at half time, but Dean Keates acted decisively, bringing off Paul Rutherford and Gold Omotayo and replacing them with Dan Jarvis and Jordan Ponticelli.
The change had the desired effect as we took control of the match. Reece Hall-Johnson pulled a goal back after an hour, assisted by Jarvis, but despite being on top, we were still behind with three minutes left. Hall-Johnson then whipped in a great cross which Ponticelli headed brilliantly home, and in the last minute Hall-Johnson grabbed the winner.
The previous season it was Boreham Wood who got a crucial late goal, as Kieron Murtagh smashed home a last minute equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw. Mark Harris and Bobby Grant had given us a two-goal lead, but in truth we were kept in the game by the heroics of Christian Dibble in goal.
Earlier in the year we travelled south for a midweek game and enjoyed a 2-0 win as Ben Tollitt struck twice.
We enjoyed a 1-0 win at Boreham Wood at the start of the 2017-18 season, as on-loan Alex Reid scored the only goal of the match with an alert header. Again, Dibble was impressive, though, as Wrexham’s defence mounted a heroic rearguard action against an aerial assault.
That continued the pattern of Wrexham’s games at Meadow Park, as we’d also won our first two visits there 1-0. In 2016 John Rooney scored the only goal in the 57 minute, while our first game there saw Connor Jennings’ early goal secure the win, although it ought to have been more.
HEAD TO HEAD FORM
POTENTIAL MILESTONES
Bryce Hosannah's 50th career appearance.