Report – Maalik Hashi scores and Kyran Thompson features as young Arsenal U21 side draw with Boreham Wood

Pre-season friendly

Boreham Wood 2 (Rush 2, Dixon 83) Arsenal 2 (Marciniak 11, Hashi 63)

By Jeorge Bird @ Meadow Park

Considering that they were without the vast majority of their already small squad, a 2-2 draw against Boreham Wood can certainly be seen as a commendable result for Arsenal U21s in their opening pre-season friendly.

Overseen by interim coaches Max Porter and Ken Gillard, Arsenal suffered a nightmare start as they conceded to a Matt Rush goal in the second minute but a young group showed excellent resilience to respond, with the impressive Alex Marciniak equalising.

First year scholar Maalik Hashi, who was making his U21s debut put Arsenal in front just minutes after coming on but Junior Dixon scored a late equaliser for Boreham Wood.

Arsenal gave debuts to no fewer than eleven players, including highly rated schoolboy Kyran Thompson.

The list of absentees was extremely lengthy, with a host of prospects currently with the first-team in La Manga, while the likes of Osman Kamara and Will Sweet were also missing.

New signing Callan Hamill started at right-back with Sam Chapman also featuring. Theo Julienne was deployed at the base of the midfield, while Seb Ferdinand and Marciniak operated behind a front three of Ceadach O’Neill, Louis Zecevic John and captain Charles Sagoe Jr.

Nygaard

Hamill-Clarke-Chapman-Washington

Julienne

Ferdinand-Marciniak

O’Neill-Zecevic John-Sagoe Jr

Subs: Ranson (for Nygaard, 46), Hamill (for Ismail, 46), Onyekachukwu (for Chapman, 46), Ogunnaike (for Washington, 46), Murisa (for Julienne, 46), Bailey-Joseph (for O’Neill, 46), Oyetunde (for Zecevic John, 46), Thompson (for Marciniak, 46) King (for Clarke, 60), Hashi (for Ferdinand, 60), Phillips (for Sagoe Jr, 60).

It was expected that it would be a tough challenge for Arsenal against a much older Boreham Wood team and it was Luke Garrard’s team who took the lead early on as Rush slotted the ball past Nygaard.

Arsenal, to their credit, did well to respond and they eventually equalised courtesy of Marcinak, who finished adroitly having performed an excellent turn earlier in the move.

Boreham Wood threatened to restore their lead, with Lucas Nygaard having to make some impressive saves.

Ferdinand saw a free-kick saved and then Julienne, who relished playing in midfield, pushed forwards well prior to seeing his effort kept out.

After a slow start it was an impressive half overall from Arsenal, with Marciniak and Julienne amongst the standout performers.

There were a host of changes ahead of the second half, with Thompson amongst the players introduced.

Teshaun Murisa and Brando Bailey-Joseph also made their U21 debuts, with Josiah King, Hashi and Bowen Phillips later joining them in that regard.

Boreham Wood sent an effort over early in the second half with Thompson then showing a glimpse of his ability with a neat cross.

Hashi gave Arsenal the lead just minutes after coming on as he was found by fellow substitute Phillips.

For much of the rest of the half Arsenal had to defend very deep as Boreham Wood saw a lot of the ball.

There were some occasional openings for Arsenal with Bailey-Joseph, for instance, seeing an effort deflected wide after a good pass from Phillips.

Boreham Wood has a penalty claim turned down after a challenge from Murisa, with Samuel Onyekachukwu having made a good clearance just prior to that.

Eventually Boreham Wood’s persistence paid off as Dixon equalised but that didn’t take much away from what had been a spirited performance from Arsenal.

Porter and Gillard will certainly take a lot of positives from the game and it is likely that a similar side will be called upon against St. Albans on Tuesday.

Marciniak and Julienne are certainly intriguing prospects, while in the second half the likes of Bailey-Joseph, Hashi and Phillips all did well, with Thompson also a player to keep an eye on.