Luke Garrard was full of praise for his Boreham Wood side after a lightning quick start helped them overcome Hemel Hempstead Town on Tuesday.

Angelo Balanta and Kane Smith both struck in the opening two minutes to put Wood on the front foot.

Kieran Murtagh and Bradley Ash were also on target in the 4-2 win, which left Garrard suitably impressed.

“I felt the first 30 minutes were phenomenal this evening and felt some of the movement, passages of play and work rate was right up there,” Garrard said.

“We are trying to get on the front foot early on and we have a few little details we want to get ticked off in the first five or ten minutes.

“The players have taken that on board and you can see that from Angelo’s finish and the build-up for the second goal.”

Wood were ahead within a minute of kick-off as Balanta got on the end of a long throw to lash into the top corner.

It was two moments later when Balanta’s whipped cross fell for Smith to turn into an empty net.

Murtagh’s effort from the edge of the box and a James Kaloczi free-kick for the hosts ensured Wood led 3-1 at the break.

Ash soon restored the three-goal advantage after the break after getting on the end of a deep cross, before a Hemel trialist completed the scoring.

The result saw Wood bounce back from a 2-0 defeat against Luton Town on Saturday as goals from Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu and Olly Lee gave the Hatters a routine win.

The manner in which his side recovered from that defeat was also pleasing for Garrard.

He said: “On the back of the game against Luton, 48-hours later, I felt the boys looked sharp and started very brightly against a Hemel side who were a decent test for us.”

Focus is fast turning towards the National League opener against AFC Flyde on Saturday, August 5.

Garrard is eager to ensure his side start the season in the best shape possible and says the hard work will continue in pre-season.

“There is a lot of work and there are still details we need to improve as well,” he said.

“We are looking forward to starting the season. We want to hit the ground running and peak on August 5. It is about building players up."