Wood prepare to take on Gunners (From Borehamwood Times)

Wood prepare to take on Gunners

12:40pm Sunday 2nd August 2009

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Boreham Wood will entertain an Arsenal XI in a prestigious pre-season friendly at Meadow Park on Tuesday.

The club are hoping local residents will turn out to cheer the team on against the Premiership outfit.

It is hoped Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will send as strong a squad of players as possible for what has become an annual encounter between the two clubs.

In 1999/2000 the fixture set a new Meadow Park ground record attendance of 3,892. Then, in 2001, that record was broken again, when 4,030 spectators turned up for a match which Wood lost 2-0, with Arsenal’s goals being scored by Francis Jeffers and Dennis Bergkamp.

Last season, Wood lost 4-0, Rui Fonte scoring a hat-trick and Jay Simpson adding a fourth.

Boreham Wood assistant manager and defender Ryan Kirby will be looking forward to the game, as he began his career as a trainee at Arsenal in 1993/94. Another former Arsenal player is manager Ian Allinson. He made more than 80 appearances, scoring 16 goals for the Gunners.

Allinson said: “I am looking forward to the Arsenal game, because it will help all our players to show their fitness levels and gain experience against full-time professionals with a Premiership club. I have been pleased with our pre-season preparations so far, and will have my squad fully prepared for the start of our League campaign on Saturday, August 15.”

Kick-off on Tuesday is 7.30pm. Admission is £10 (adults) and £5 (OAPs/Children).

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