Boreham Wood boss Luke Garrard praised his players as his team sealed their miracle survival.

They won 3-0 at already-relegated Welling United to maintain their status in the National League and complete their improbable Houdini act.

Afterwards the boss was keen to push the praise in the direction of his players who won their last three games to beat the drop – having not won back-to-back matches all season previously.

He said: “I’m very happy and very relieved but you have to give all the credit to the players. They are the ones who achieved it and got us over the line.”

Just three weeks ago, Wood were staring relegation in the face after a run of three games yielded just one point. It left the club needing three wins from their last three games to guarantee safety.

Garrard said: “It has been tense, horrible and suffocating but it was a million per cent worth it at the final whistle on Saturday. It was a massive weight being lifted off my shoulders. It’s probably my biggest and best day in football.

“Have we achieved? Yes, because of the position we were in and because of the quality of this league. We have done what we wanted to do at the start of the season and stay in the league. Hard work and strong characters have been the secret.

“After the Southport game [a 2-0 home defeat which followed a loss at fellow strugglers Halifax] the players could have folded but it says a lot about their character and my character for getting into them that we could still do it.

“It felt like we lost two games when we lost in injury time at Halifax and the Southport day was really tough. But I never folded. It was always in my head we could get a result at Aldershot.”

The players won that, then rode their luck to beat Guiseley in a relegation six-pointer, before completing their escape with Saturday’s win at Welling.

Garrard said: “The players did deliver on what was asked of them. We’ve had a taste of this league now and it’s been fantastic visiting clubs like Tranmere, Wrexham, Grimsby and Cheltenham and playing in front of thousands of fans. We want more of it now.”

Wood defender David Stephens has signed a new one-year contract.

Re-engagement offers have also been made to three players, who are all under 24. They are midfielder Billy Clifford plus young strikers Junior Morias and Jordan Chedozie. They have 28 days to decide if they wish to accept.