Vanarama National League

Boreham Wood 0 Forest Green Rovers 1

KURTIS Guthrie bagged a stunning header to maintain Forest Green’s  one hundred per cent record with a fourth straight Vanarama National League victory at  new boys Boreham Wood.
Guthrie, who scored in the 4-0 victory over Barrow on Saturday, nodded in with 13 minutes to go from a Rob Sinclair cross.
Rovers have yet to concede a goal in six hours of football.
The Nailsworth side were again without Jon Parkin (hamstring) Darren Jones (calf) and Danny Coles (knee). Marcus Kelly, left out for the win against Barrow, was also missing.
A tepid match saw the Hertfordshire outfit hit the bar three times and lose Billy Clifford to a red-card before Guthrie won it for Ady Pennock’s in-form side.
The Hertfordshire club looked more than capable of providing a threat at this level, and from as early as the fifth minute they rattled Rovers crossbar for the first time on the night.
Clifford picked the ball up just outside the box but saw his chipped attempt clip the bar.
The frame of Maxted’s goal was shaken once again only seven minutes later when the Wood’s on-loan Bristol Rovers forward Jamie Lucas tried his luck with a header from a Ricky Shakes cross.
Former Chelsea man Clifford demonstrated his pedigree throughout the evening, and he produced two shots that slipped wide at the end of the half.
The rhythm of the second half mirrored the opening 45 minutes, and Forest Green’s best opportunity yet fell to Keanu Marsh-Brown on 55 minutes from a free kick on the edge of the box, but it failed to threaten James Russell’s goal.
Both teams continued to struggle to force the goalkeepers into action, although Wood keeper Russell was picking the ball out of his net when Guthrie claimed the ties only goal.
Luke Howell’s handball offence on the edge of the Boreham Wood area offered Sinclair the opportunity to ship a ball into the danger zone.
And the former Salisbury City man did so to brilliant effect as he picked out Guthrie, whose header was terrifically directed into the bottom corner.
The hosts challenge was made even harder only minutes later, when key man Clifford saw red for a second bookable offence after he brought down Guthrie.
It didn’t stop them from threatening to level the affair though. Junior Morais, on as a substitute, saw his looping header connect with the FGR woodwork for a third time.
It looked like Boreham Wood were out of luck on the night, and after Guthrie had seen another header go close, the full -time whistle was blown on another Rovers victory.