Boreham Wood vs Norwich City U21

Boreham Wood controlled the opening exchanges and created early chances through Matt Rush and Zak Brunt, but it was Norwich who had the first clear opportunity. Amankwah Forson sprinted clear in the seventh minute and clipped the outside of Luca Gunter's post.

Wood grew into the half and hit the lead in the 18th minute. Regan Booty slipped Tylor Golden through on goal, and the defender finished calmly across the goalkeeper — his first goal of pre-season.

Norwich responded immediately. Two minutes later, Forson squared the ball to Elliot Myles, who rifled a first-time effort past Gunter before the goalkeeper could react. Myles went close again before the break, curling just wide in the 41st minute.

HT: Boreham Wood 1-1 Norwich City XI

The visitors controlled possession early in the second half, with Luke Chukwu drilling wide three minutes after the restart. But Boreham Wood gradually reasserted themselves.

The winner arrived in the 70th minute through Matt Rush's perseverance. The forward's deflected effort found the net at the near post, with the slight touch taking it beyond Norwich goalkeeper Caleb Ansen.

Myles fired wide soon after, and Booty tested Ansen with a 25-yard strike in the 82nd minute, but the 2-1 scoreline held.

Norwich had seized momentum after Myles' equaliser and created three further chances before half-time. But Garrard's half-time reshuffle — introducing Finn Marshall-Miranda and Lewis Richardson — stemmed the flow. The hosts absorbed Norwich's early second-half pressure and struck decisively through Rush when they regained control.

Zak Brunt (Boreham Wood) — Named man of the match by the club. Controlled the central midfield zone, linked play between defence and attack, and created chances throughout. His passing range forced Norwich to defend deeper as the game progressed.

Matt Rush (Boreham Wood) — Scored the 70th-minute winner with a deflected effort and was a persistent threat. Earlier in the half he had broken through on goal but unselfishly tried to square to Richardson; his perseverance on the winner rewarded that industry.

Regan Booty (Boreham Wood) — Provided the assist for Golden's opener and drove forward from midfield. His diagonal passes caused Norwich problems, and he forced a late save from Ansen.

Elliot Myles (Norwich City XI) — Norwich's most dangerous player. Scored one, created several other chances, and curled just wide in first-half stoppage time. The Canaries' U21 setup will hope he carries this form into the Professional Development League season.

Boreham Wood's xG advantage reflected a game they controlled for longer spells, though the first half was even. The hosts had more shots on target (5 to 3) and forced three saves from Caleb Ansen compared to Gunter's two. Norwich's 21st-minute equaliser came from their only shot on target in the opening 25 minutes, underscoring how clinical Myles was.

Wood's five-match pre-season yielded four wins and a draw — victories over Watford (2-1), Tottenham Hotspur XI (2-1), Dagenham & Redbridge (2-1) and now Norwich, with a 1-1 draw against Arsenal XI. They scored 10 goals across those five games and conceded five.

Boreham Wood's pre-season programme is complete. Luke Garrard's side now turn to the National League campaign, which begins at home to Tamworth on Saturday 8 August 2026 (15:00). The unbeaten run through July builds confidence, though the competitive step-up from friendlies is significant.

For Norwich City's U21 squad, this was part of a pre-season that included a 1-1 draw with Hornchurch and a 2-1 loss to Lechia Gdańsk. Their competitive season in the Professional Development League kicks off later in August.

A useful workout for both sides. Boreham Wood's first XI looked sharp and deep enough to cope with Garrard's half-time changes, while Norwich's young side matched them for 25 minutes either side of half-time. The difference was Rush's willingness to shoot from a half-chance — the kind of moment that separates pre-season from the real thing.

Boreham Wood: Gunter, Clarke (Bainbridge 54), Golden, Bush, Reynolds (Marshall-Miranda 46), O'Connell, Brunt (Kensdale 82), Booty, Allarakhia, Abdulmalik (Richardson 46), Rush. Subs not used: Millar, White, Stapelberg.

Norwich City XI: Ansen, Forson, Myles, Chukwu (and eight other starters not disclosed).

Player of the match: Zak Brunt (Boreham Wood).