Boreham Wood 4, Worthing 2, Ryman League Division One - Whoever said that Borehamwood was boring could certainly not have been referring to its football team.

Tuesday evening's triumph over Worthing was Wood's fifth win in a row, and their seventh in their last eight games.

In that time they have found the net 22 times, and successive Tuesdays at Meadow Park have seen a total of 15 goals.

Those in the town who continue to desert the local terraces are missing out on a footballing treat lately, and the dark clouds that characterised the middle of Wood's season may yet have a silver lining.

"I want to win this league," said manager Graham Roberts, adding: "That means the Championship not just promotion and I believe that we can do it!

"I got a bit wound up with the players tonight, and I apologised to them and some of the supporters for that, but I know we're a very, very good side, and I'm delighted to be where we are.

"We couldn't have imagined that we'd be in this position seven or eight weeks ago."

Their magnificent run into form has now put Wood joint top of the table, tied along with new leaders Bedford and fast-fading Thame in the three promotion spots.

A heavy downpour on top of an already sodden surface left the match in grave doubt within a couple of hours of kick off time, but as Roberts revealed: "We did well to get the game on at all I was here from 4.30pm in the afternoon, and when the referee turned up he said there was no chance. But a lot of people worked really hard, sweeping the water off and re-marking the lines, and we managed to get things started."

A 20 minute blitz from Wood that saw them three ahead did much to finish the game as a contest, but it also allowed the hosts to drop below their manager's exacting standards in the second half.

Micky Engwell put them one up with his third penalty strike in four games after only three minutes, after Gary Dixon was ruled to have been tripped by Damian Webber.

Jeran Meah sent a 25-yard piledriver just off target, and Dixon was inches away with a diving header, before John Lawford made it two as young Rebels keeper Matthew May allowed his speculative shot from the edge of the area sqirm through his grasp.

That recorded 25 goals for Lawford this term, and the 26th quickly followed, as another May howler saw the Wood marksman prod home on the far post, after Lee Harvey's header had glanced off a post.

From the restart Marc Rice went directly for goal, as Worthing kicked off again, seemingly deceiving Darren Bonfield in the home goal with his 55-yard effort.

Continued on page 60.Continued on page 60.o

However, any arguments over whether the ball had actual crossed the line were made academic when the referee ruled that Rebels winger Ben Carrington had been standing in the opposition half as play restarted.

More farce was to follow as the second period was due to begin, as Worthing boss Sammy Donnelly refused to let his men take the field until the touchline on the main stand side of the ground, which had disappeared into a sea of mud, was marked out.

Once this was addressed, Worthing at last emerged in a more forceful mood, and seemed to have found some competitive spirit too.

Rice pulled one back in the 63rd minute as he ran through a square Wood backline onto Geoff Ward's long ball to neatly round Bonfield and roll the ball home, incurring the wrath of Roberts, who had been instructing his men not to play the offside game.

"There was no need the pitch was very difficult at that end, and we didn't need to play for offside chances or play so many backpasses, we gave them a couple of good chances through our carelessness."

Sponsors' man of the match Dominic Grime corrected the wobble late on, as he converted a delightful move between Andre Delisser and Dixon, capping another fine outing for a man who alone has survived the club's upheavals of the past three years.

Paul Kennett's injury time header was a mere consolation for a thoroughly disgruntled Worthing side, but they can possibly console themselves in the fact that they just might have been beaten by the champions elect.

WOOD: Bonfield, Grime, Engwell, Wotton, Brown, Meah, Hutchings, Lawford (Delisser), Dixon (Polston), Paris (Nabil).