Wolves’ National League Cup group has changed following Morecambe’s expulsion, with Brackley Town and Boreham Wood shifting into new positions. Louie Lefevre shares everything you need to know.
Wolves’ National League Cup group has now been finalised for a second time following a re-shuffling due to Morecambe’s expulsion. ‘The Shrimps’ were previously in Group A but have been replaced by Brackley Town due to an ongoing suspension from the National League and related competitions over financial problems, as fans desperately plead for owner Jason Whittingham to sell the club. Meanwhile, Brackley’s group switch leaves a gap in Wolves’ group B for Boreham Wood to seize the opportunity and enter the competition as it prepares to enter its second year.
Late entry Boreham Wood come in after winning promotion from the National League South via the play-offs last season. ‘The Wood’ finished the regular season in 5th place before going on to beat George Elokobi’s Maidstone side to ensure they would play in the top tier of the non-league pyramid.
Wolves’ National League campaign however will open with a visit to the furthest reaches of the Metropolitan line to take on Ruislip based Wealdstone. ‘The Stones’ had mixed success in the competition’s first year, finishing 4th in group A with two wins and two losses. They also finished just one point above relegation in the National League last season, securing their berth in the fifth tier with a 3-1 victory over Halifax. Wolves U21s will certainly be hoping to raid Wealdstone for three points when the two sides meet.
A more familiar opponent for James Collins’ side will be Forest Green Rovers, who they met in the last edition with Wolves coming out victorious. Fletcher Holman and Temple Ojinnaka grabbed the goals in a 2-0 win at The New Lawn and will want to repeat this result in this year’s rematch. The nation’s first full vegan football club narrowly missed out on promotion in 2024/25 with a play-off semi-final loss to Southend United after finishing the season in 3rd. New manager Robbie Savage will hope to take the club one step further this time around.
Braintree Town are Wolves’ other opponents in group B for this season. While their league campaign only resulted in a disappointing 17th place finish, the National League Cup proved to be the highlight of their season. ‘The Iron’ topped group D and made it all the way to the semi-final, losing out to eventual runners-up Sutton United on penalties. This will also be the first competitive meeting between a Wolves side and Braintree in the history of the two clubs.
Wolves are expecting to meet Wealdstone the week commencing 11th August, Forest Green the week commencing 15th September and Braintree in late November. Due to Boreham Wood’s late placement provisional dates are yet to be released. Full details will be released by the clubs in due course along with ticket details for any Wolves fans wishing to travel.
ARTICLE BY LOUIE LEFEVRE
I’m a student and a season ticket holder. I enjoy talking about the next generation of Wolves players and you can usually spot me on Match of the day behind the goal!