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Trio Head to Boreham Wood

Vanarama National League club Boreham Wood have announced the signings of forward Timmy Abraham and midfielder Tom Whelan and the return of Angelo Balanta.

Monday 10 July 23 I 15:32:40	I	Photo by

Twenty-two-year-old Abraham arrives at Meadow Park after signing a two-year deal, with an option to add another year following his release by SkyBet League Two side Walsall Abraham spent last season on loan at National League counterparts Oldham Athletic from his parent club Walsall. His loan was initially set to be until January 1st, however, the deal was extended to the end of the season. The striker made 15 appearances in the league for the Latics, scoring on 2 occasions. Prior to Walsall, he had various loan spells with the likes of Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Newport County, all whilst being a part of the under-23 set up at Fulham. He joined Fulham’s youth set-up from Charlton Athletic at the age of 19, and was a key member in their Premier League 2 side. The athletic forward scored twice in five EFL Trophy games for Fulham under-23s. Manager Luke Garrard told https://www.borehamwoodfootballclub.co.uk: “I’m very excited with the addition of Timmy to the squad. Timmy has all the characteristics to be a real talent; he possesses blistering pace, strength and physicality and a real hunger to score goals. “Timmy is relentless in his work rate and will defend from the front, which is something I look for and something I definitely know the supporters will appreciate. We worked on capturing Timmy’s signature right at the start of the window once we knew he was available, because we know the potential Timmy has. I’m very happy to have him here at Meadow Park and genuinely feel he can be a great addition to the squad.” Whelan (pictured) arrives from league rivals Chesterfield. The 28-year-old arrives at Meadow Park after signing a two-year deal, with an option for a further third year. Whelan made 32 appearances in the league last season. He began last campaign at Chesterfield before having a one-month loan spell at Aldershot Town in September 2022. Once arriving back at the Technique Stadium in late-October, Whelan made 8 appearances, including a substitute appearance in a 2-0 win against the Wood in November, a period that saw the team go eight games unbeaten. However, despite Whelan’s positive impact on the pitch for the Spireites, in January 2023 he moved to Solihull Moors in a loan deal that would keep him there until the end of the season. Whelan quickly became a key component for the Moors, starting 18 out of 20 games whilst on loan with the Midlands club. He featured again two more times against the Wood; firstly, a one-all draw at Meadow Park back in February, and then in 2-0 Moors win at the ARMCO arena. This left Whelan with an unbeaten record against the Wood over his three encounters during the 2022–23 season, clearly making an impression on Garrard. Garrard said: “Finally, we got Tom! I’ve tried on several occasions to prize him away from first Eastleigh and then Chesterfield, and it’s now finally materialised. Tom is player who has a range of qualities that will definitely compliment what we already have in the building. He has a very good footballing brain and has an eye for a pass, his legs and energy will again aid the way we want to play this season. He has fitted in superbly with the squad already and has shown a real leaders mentality off the park as much as he has on it.” Balanta returns to Meadow Park following his departure from league rivals Dagenham & Redbridge this summer. Balanta is fondly remembered by the Wood faithful for his first period at Meadow Park between 2016 and 2018. Arriving from Carlisle in the summer of 2016, he spent two seasons in a Wood shirt, scoring 19 goals in 85 appearances. He is best remembered for his contributions during the 2017/18 campaign, registering 10 league goals and 6 assists from 32 appearances to help Wood secure a fourth-place finish. He then scored in the play-off semi-final against Sutton United to help secure a historic 3-2 win and book Wood’s place in the final under the Wembley arch. Although we devastatingly lost out to ten-man Tranmere Rovers for a place in the coveted Football League, that same season he was an integral part of the Wood team that beat a Football League side for the first time in the club’s history when Wood defeated Blackpool 2-1 in the Emirates FA Cup First round proper. In October 2018, he signed for Dagenham & Redbridge for an undisclosed fee, where he spent five-years making 118 appearances and scoring 35 goals. His most prolific season came in 2020/21, where he scored 12 times in 35 appearances as Dagenham narrowly missed out on the end of season play-offs. Garrard commented: “Angelo needs no introduction. He was a huge part of our successful season when we reached the play-off final back in 2018 and returns to the Club hoping to go one better. We know what Angelo can produce, and on his day he is an asset within the division. He will bring much needed experience and quality into the attacking unit, and I really look forward to working with him again”.

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