Walsall Wood 1 Spalding United 3 - Report
KEEPER Kieran Boucher prevented Walsall Wood’s baptism of fire in the Northern Premier League from becoming a rout.
The Midland Football League champions kicked off life at Step 4 with a 3-1 defeat at home to Spalding United, last season’s beaten play-off finalists in the Midlands Division.
Dan Sweeney was nudged over by Corey Currithers 15 minutes in and coolly rolled in the penalty with Boucher denying his former Redditch United team-mate from point-blank range moments later.
Wood improved after conceding, Dan Gyasi cutting inside only to fire wide of the near post and Dan Bradley stinging the palms of Tony Breeden with a free-kick, but hope of a fightback was quickly extinguished early in the second half.
Wilson Carvalho got Spalding’s second, firing low across goal following Lewis Hilliard’s lay-off and Sweeney soon bagged his second, nodding home unchallenged after Sam Warburton had lifted to the far post.
Wood pressure built again but a series of scrambled set-pieces came to nothing before Boucher really earned his corn with four one-on-one saves – three from Sweeney and one from substitute Mikey Taylor – in the final 12 minutes.
Kyle Montague bagged a late consolation for the hosts, thumping fellow substitute Sam Unitt’s centre from the left inside the near post in added time.
Wood: Boucher, Mansell, Lycett, Currithers (Unitt, 68), Brown, McKerdy, Purves (May, 80), Monteiro, Cooper (Montague, 66), Bradley, Gyasi. Unused subs: Liam Riley-Stewart, Clarke.
