Luke Is Looking To Fuel Wood On Road To Recovery

But it is his chairman who could have the widest smile around come Saturday night if all goes to plan.

The manager is looking forward to the club’s first BT Sport appearance of the season.

An away day at Chorley would usually mean an overnight stay in Lancashire - and a hotel bill for the Meadow Park chief.

But Garrard says the 5.20pm kick-off thanks to the TV cameras means they can travel on the day - and that will put his boss in a good mood.

What will make him happier, of course, is three much needed points following three successive narrow defeats.

Garrard told us: “If it’s a 3pm kick-off it would probably have needed an overnight stop over.

“But we have extra time so we’re now going up on the morning of the match and heading straight for Chorley.

“That is honestly my preferred choice. I don’t like players sitting around in hotels twiddling their thumbs all day. We would have been there until 3pm, and they get bored.

“The coach is excellent and really comfortable, so we’ll leave at 11am and be there in good time.

“I think the players prefer being with their families and waking up in their own beds. And I know the chairman is happy he doesn’t have to shell out for the cost of staying up overnight!”

It’s not been the start Boreham Wood wanted as they look to improve on last season’s frustrating 20th place position.

Although the Hertfordshire club ended a good eight points above the drop zone, their performances towards the end of the last campaign suffered.

Save for August 13’s sensational win at Dagenham, they haven’t been able to remedy that quite yet - but Garrard says there are a lot of pluses to be found.

“There is certainly no panic setting in, none at all,” he said.

“Take Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Bromley as an example. We actually played better that we did at Dagenham when we won 3-0.

“But when you play well you need to follow it up. We didn’t, on Monday we lost at home to Ebbsfleet and it’s was a disappointment.

“But, in general, the performances are there. I know it’s a results business, I’m not an U23 manager who can get away with losing as long as the players are playing well. I know that.

“There’s a few factors behind the results. Sendings off certainly haven’t helped - and the goals we are letting in are individual errors a lot of the time.

“I could easily go in and pin people to the wall but I won’t do that. It’s not how we operate here. We win together, we lose together and that won’t change.

“But we do need to make sure we cut out the mistakes and start putting our chances away.”

The same can be said of Chorley, this weekend’s opponents.

The live match offers Boreham Wood the chance to showcase themselves and Garrard doesn’t want them to pass it up.

“There’s no better way to start things off again than in front of the cameras,” he said.

“It adds something - but I’m sure Chorley will be saying the same thing as well. Putting on a performance with the nation watching is a really good feeling.

“We did it last season against the would-be champions Leyton Orient and it gave us a massive lift.

“Now we need to do it again to give ourselves a kick-start. Once that next win arrives it will boost every single one of us.”

Garrard hopes to have a near fully fit squad to choose from.

“All the other 23 managers in the National League will have niggles, it’s to be expected because of the schedule,” he added.

“I’m no different but we’re confident we’ll be alright come kick-off.”