Signing him on loan from West Ham just a week after his goal in the National League Cup final, it is fair to say Boreham Wood know what to expect from Josh Landers.
Scotland Under-19 international Landers moved to the fifth-tier for the remainder of the season late last week. The striker is now the third West Ham United youngster to represent the Meadow Park outfit in 2025/26 alone, after goalkeeper Finlay Herrick and right-back Junior Robinson.
Landers scored against Boreham Wood in that dramatic National League Cup final in mid-March, too. A silky, left-footed finish which took his tally to 18 goals in 33 starts for the Hammers’ Under-18s and Under-21s sides.
They say never fall in love with a loan player, but we’ve all done it before 😂
A graphic asking West Ham United fans when they last loved a loan player as much as Axel Disasi.
Credit; Getty Images/Izzy Poles – AMA
Now, Josh Landers would not mark his Boreham Wood debut in style, coming off the bench late in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Truro City.
But manager Luke Garrard, speaking via the club’s YouTube channel, was quick to thank his parent club for sending another rising star 33 miles down the road.
West Ham United loanee Josh Landers has a big role to play at Boreham Wood
“Obviously, we have a great working relationship with West Ham. I want to thank them,” says Garrard. “Firstly, we’ve had Finn Herrick, Junior Robinson, and now Josh.
“Obviously, we’ve enjoyed watching him. I watched him closely with regards to the prep going into the [National League Cup] final. He gets his goal, assisted by our skipper [in a defensive mix-up]…
Milton Keynes Dons v West Ham United U21 - Vertu Trophy
Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images
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“But for me, he brings legs and energy. He went and did his Bronco yesterday and he recorded an unbelievable score.”
A ‘Bronco’, by the way, is a fitness test designed to analyse a player’s aerobic capacity, speed, and endurance.
“He’s coming to us fresh,” adds Garrard. “I like the fact that he’s coming in with an eagerness, and we have him for the remainder of the season. I believe he’s going to have a massive impact on what we want to achieve.”
Fin Herrick is certainly the best West Ham academy keeper we’ve seen in years. When wil Nuno give him his first-team debut?
Boreham Wood look set to secure a play-off spot, as they aim to earn promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history.
West Ham’s decision to recall Herrick did not go down well following a superb ten-game stretch in the autumn, though. Herrick headed back to his parent club due to an injury suffered by Lukasz Fabianski, denying Boreham Wood the services of a goalkeeper who had kept seven clean sheets in that ten-game run.
If Landers fires Garrard and co to the EFL, all will be forgotten.
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