Boreham Wood are in pole position going into the Conference South play-offs after finishing the season in second place with a 4-3 win at Chelmsford City.

Ian Allinson’s side will face fifth-placed Havant & Waterlooville in the play-off semi-finals. The first game will take place in Hampshire on Wednesday, April 29, whilst the second kicks off at Meadow Park on Saturday, May 2.

Historically Boreham Wood's clashes with Chelmsford have the unerring ability to produce goals in abundance and this encounter proved no different. 

Indeed, when Graeme Montgomery finished off a superb flowing move to secure the win with nine minutes remaining, it was the 24th goal in four meetings between the two sides.

Ian Allinson's men produced free flowing football which harked back to the first half of this season.

Lee Angol opened the scoring after 15 minutes in some style, having already missed a fine opportunity when he burst past Marvin Ekpiteta only for goalkeeper Tom Lovelock to save with his legs.

The dangerous Angol was back to full fitness after several weeks and it showed.

When he was hauled to the ground just two yards outside the penalty area he got up to hit a superb free-kick into the top corner of the net, leaving Lovelock well beaten.

The Luton loanee’s strike made him the league's joint top scorer and Wood continued to press forward creating chances.

Then, out of the blue a comedy of errors between James Russell and Josh Hill gifted the Clarets a corner from their first attack of the game.

Harry Hickford, a player previously on loan at Meadow Park, stole in unmarked to bury a superb header from the corner and level the match.

The goal from nothing took Wood briefly out of their comfort zone. Roared on by their largest gate of the season, hosts Chelmsford pushed for a second with Ekpiteta flicking a header just wide of Russell's post from the restart.

With 32 minutes played, Wood won a free kick out on the right. Montgomery stepped up and using the wind to his advantage, curled in for Callum Reynolds to put Wood in front again.

Back came the Clarets, though, with another shaky moment in the Wood defence leading to keeper Russell misjudging the flight of a Michael Cheek cross and relying on his defence to clear off the line.

If the defence were showing pre play-off nerves, the midfield in particular remained fully focused.

Sam Cox epitomized his faultless afternoon by winning possession with a header before threading a sublime ball between two defenders for Junior Morias to chase.

Morias had looked hungry in front of goal and in his mood there was only going to be one outcome, the diminutive striker slotting past the outrushing Lovelock into the bottom corner of the net.

Clarets youngster Hugo Skepelhorn got beyond Reynolds before laying up for Cheek who saw his shot beat Russell, only for the outstanding Ben Herd to clear off the goal line.

The end-to-end action continued apace when Russell’s long clearance was touched into the path of Morias by Angol, but the striker’s volley drew a fine save from home keeper Lovelock.

And Angol had chances to move clear in the race for the golden boot but contrived to fire over following good work from Ricky Shakes and Montgomery.

But Wood’s two-goal cushion soon became one when the visitors failed to cut out a cross from the right which was met by the head of Rohdell Gordon. Hill miscued his goal line clearance and the striker stuck out a leg to force home after 71 minutes.

Four minutes later the Clarets leveled in some style as substitutes Evans Kouassi and Leon Redwood combined to produce a moment that almost took the roof off the packed stand at Melbourne Park.

Kouassi accelerated through the middle, playing a ball to Redwood on the left who hit a spectacular left-footed strike from 30 yards which left Wood gloveman left Russell no chance.

But there was yet more drama left in the contest. Just four minutes after being introduced from the bench, Matty Whichelow gathered possession on the right before cutting inside to cross. Shakes met the delivery with a deft touch into the path of Montgomery who expertly slotted home.

Boreham Wood: Russell; Nunn, Hill, Reynolds, Herd; Shakes, Cox, Thomas, Montgomery; Morias (Walker 85), Angol (Whichelow 77).

Subs not used: Garrard, Martin, Courtnage.