There are just three games left for Boreham Wood to preserve their National League status, starting with a trip to face mid table Aldershot Town tomorrow.

Without a doubt, recent results mean this is one of, if not the biggest game in the club’s history to date. Wood are currently fourth-from-bottom in the table and two points from safety, having played a game more than the side directly above them, FC Halifax Town.

The two sides met fairly regularly around the turn of the century, when Town's rise back up the football pyramid after forming a new club, replacing Aldershot FC in 1992, led to them meeting in the Ryman League Premier Division.

The Shots have the upper hand, with Wood managing just one victory against the Hampshire side 2-0 at the Recreation Ground in 2001. That result had a particularly good feel to it, given the 6-0 thrashing meted out by Town three years earlier at the same venue.

The two sides also fought out a Ryman League Cup Final in the 1997/98 season. Staged at the long defunct Wexham Park, home of Slough Town, the tie went to extra-time, with the vast majority of the crowd of over 1600 going home happy, with non-league legend Gary Abbott netting the winner in extra-time, his second of the game to cancel out Junior Samuels strike for Wood.

How times have changed since then. Town went on to gain promotion back to the Football League, before returning to the National League in 2014 after a six-year absence.

It has taken Wood 13 seasons to catch up with The Shots, since the 2002/03 season saw them go their separate ways, quite literally. Wood were relegated from the Ryman Premier, whilst Town gained promotion to the Conference, romping to the title by a 13-point margin.

Returning to this season, the two sides met at Meadow Park back in October and again it was the Shots who were successful, winning 1-0 on the night.

Charlie Walker, one of two Shots players to have featured for both sides, got the only goal. The former Luton Town player, who gained notoriety at Peacehaven and Telscombe, is the side’s top scorer with 12 goals to his name. Omar Beckles, who enjoyed two loan spells with Wood, is also a regular starter for the Shots.

Both sides have struggled to achieve anywhere near their best this campaign.

The Shots recovered from two straight home defeats to do Wood a big favour in getting a 2-0 win up at Halifax in their last outing. They boast 14 clean sheets this season, but have won just seven games at the Recreation Ground. However eight wins on the road means manager Barry Smith can already plan for life in the National League next season, a luxury that Luke Garrard and his side will have to work incredibly hard for.

The atmosphere is sure to play a part given the large a vocal following of the home side on an afternoon where the result will have a massive bearing on the next two weeks and hopefully the next year for Boreham Wood Football Club.