Dave Challinor says fall of Boreham Wood from National League title chasers to relegation battlers is why Coasters were keen to keep hold of star striker Danny Rowe

AFC Fylde boss Dave Challinor says the fall of Saturday’s opponents Boreham Wood is an example of just why the Coasters were determined to keep hold of Danny Rowe.
Dave ChallinorDave Challinor
Dave Challinor

Fylde’s Hertfordshire hosts have gone from play-off finalists last season to relegation battlers this, and Challinor says that is due to the loss of their goalscorers.Bruno Andrade hit 20 and Angelo Balenta 10 for Boreham Wood last term as they ended the play-off campaigns of Fylde and Sutton United before losing to Tranmere at Wembley.But in the summer Andrade joined League Two club Lincoln City and Balenta switched National League sides with Dagenham and Redbridge.Boreham are now 17th and seven points off the drop zone as they welcome fourth-placed Fylde.The Coasters brushed off bids for Rowe from League Two outfit Cheltenham last summer and resisted further approaches in January. The 29-year-old is the National League’s top scorer with 29.Luke Garrard’s Boreham side ended a three-game losing run to beat Bromley 2-0 last time out. Challinor said he was delighted to see them win and he wishes Garrard and company the best of luck.The Fylde boss told The Gazette: “I know Boreham Wood really well and they know us really well after the battles we had last season.“This season has not gone as well as they would have liked. They obviously lost their two main strikers.“It is always going to be difficult to replace that as we know. That is why we were so keen to keep hold of Rowey (below). They had a good result at Bromley last weekend and, if I’m being honest, I was delighted to see them win.“They had a bit of a losing streak, when they probably did not get what they deserved from games and did not have the results they probably merited.“They have got that off their back now and won a game.”Challinor had injury doubts going into Saturday’s game.Midfielder Dan Bradley pulled up in the warm-up before last weekend’s 2-1 win over Maidenhead and Luke Burke has had a setback.Defender Burke has not featured since the 3-2 defeat at Bromley in January.Challinor is hopeful Bradley will be fit to face Boreham Wood today and Hartlepool on Tuesday, then can have a break for the FA Trophy semi-final double-header against Stockport County.He said: “ We lost Bradders with a niggle in the warm-up but we are hopeful he will be fine for the weekend.“Burkey had a setback. He just tweaked a hamstring, not too serious and maybe a week or so.“But we are in good shape. Gpomg into this part of the season you want to be able to pick from a full squad.“Every club is in the same boat. It is a long season and we all have niggles and injuries.“No-one really is 100 hundred per cent but the motivation we have, with what we could achieve, gets you through games.“Bradders is cup-tied for the FA Trophy games. If we can get him through Saturday and Tuesday , then he has 14 days before we play Leyton Orient in the league.“He trained on Thursday and we will assess him.”