Both sides had taken maximum points from their opening two fixtures, and following the home win over Chippenham Town at the weekend Marc White resisted the temptation to rotate his side by naming an unchanged starting eleven for the first midweek fixture of the campaign.

The contest began at a high tempo which rarely dropped off throughout the evening as both sides look to pass and move at pace, the visitors beginning the sharper and causing Wanderers early bother in the final third with Craig clearing a decent cross from Erico Sousa in the early minutes, and the industrious Kuhl, guilty of initially giving the ball away just outside his own box, making an excellent recovery block to deny Tom Whelan’s strike at goal.

Mo Sagaf fired a strike just wide of target after Prior had been dispossessed on the ball, but the Wanderers front-man had already had a sniff at goal after being played through from the right channel, and managed to open the scoring on 10 minutes to open his account for 24/25. After being forced out wide with his initial low effort palmed away by Nathan Ashmore, ‘JP9’ managed to retrieve the ball, and, from an awkward angle to the left of the penalty area, curled the ball impressively and clinically into goal whilst Ashmore was still recovering back into position.

It didn’t take too long though for Ross Jenkins side to get themselves back on terms; the lively Sousa, a threat throughout the night down the right side, shifting in from the opposite channel after play had been worked short to wrap a superb effort into the far side of goal from 20 yards out.

Craig almost put Wanderers straight back in front heading a corner ball over at the back post, but Wanderers were fortunate not to go in behind themselves at the break, The Wood heating up the pressure in the build up to half-time and Sousa going very close to adding his second of the night after pouncing on a giveaway from Josh Taylor in midfield and splicing his fierce strike at goal fractionally wide.

Picking up where they left off after the interval, Camp tackled well to deny Tyrone Marsh the opportunity to lob Foulkes, and the Boreham No10 also nodded over the bar just a few minutes later. Foulkes would then make the ‘save of the night’; thwarting Lee Ndovlu as he raced through on goal, the goalkeeper with an impeccably timed tackle with an outstretched leg to halt the striker making any further progress.

Marc White made a double substitution on the hour introducing Niall McManus and Matt Briggs into the action, and the change in personnel paid immediate dividends; Briggs gathering the ball on the right hand side with his first touch and crossing for Prior, who kept a cool head to finish from close range and bag his second goal of the evening.

Despite getting back in front and kicking towards the packed-out Bank, it was testament to the resolve of The Wood that they prevented Wanderers from being able to build momentum; continuing to press effectively as they had done throughout the evening, and carving out a number of opportunities in the latter stages. Francomb made a timely clearance on the goal line moments after Wanderers had re-taken the lead, but with less than ten minutes to go the deserved equaliser duly arrived for visiting side, substitute Cameron Coxe arriving in the box with a well-timed run and flashing the ball home from several yards out after slick play down the left.

Neither side could snatch all three points through 7 minutes of added time, the lengthy stoppage enforced mainly by injuries incurred by Brennan Camp and Aaron Kuhl during the second half after respective firm challenges for the ball. Both key in the early part of the season, Marc White will of course be hoping the injuries are impact-based and minimal in recovery time, the manager acknowledging post-match that with Dan Pybus, Dan Gallagher, Jordan Norville-Williams and Rhys Murphy all remaining sidelined the complexion of the squad with a busy schedule ahead is starting to become tight.

The Wanderers boss was also typically candid in his post-match interview and felt Boreham were the ‘better side on the night’, but with a point ultimately gained against a fellow full-time side likely to be in the promotion mix come the end of the season, Wanderers can build on the positive of tonight’s result and 7 points taken from the opening 9 available ahead of the visit to Torquay United this weekend.

Dorking Wanderers (3-5-2): 1 Harrison Foulkes; 2 Brennan Camp (22 Barry Fuller 68′), 5 Tony Craig, 37 George Francomb; 7 Jimmy Muitt (8 Matt Briggs 58′), 25 Aaron Kuhl (18 Luke Moore 75′), 16 Charlie Carter (c), 17 Josh Taylor, 30 Seb Bowerman (3 Bobby-Joe Taylor 88′); 9 Jason Prior, 10 Alfie Rutherford (6 Niall McManus 58′)

No Unused Subs

Goals: Prior 10′, 60′

Yellow Cards: Kuhl 70′, Prior 75′, McManus 82′

Boreham Wood (3-4-3): 1 Nathan Ashmore; 5 Chris Bush, 12 Josh Hare, 15 Charlie O’Connell; 19 Erico Sousa, Jack Payne (c), 7 Tom Whelan, 3 Femi Ilesanmi (2 Cameron Coxe 71′); 8 Mo Sagaf (18 Junior Dixon 57′), 9 Lee Ndovlu (14 Kwesi Appiah 88′), 10 Tyrone Marsh

Unused Subs: 11 Johnny Goddard, 21 Gus Mafuta

Goals: Sousa 25′, Coxe 82′

Referee: Morgan Conn

Stonegate Homes Man Of The Match: Jason Prior