Boreham Wood boss Luke Garrard has lauded Everton manager Frank Lampard as a “class individual” for taking the time to send him a text after the National League outfit booked an FA Cup fifth-round clash with the Toffees at Goodison Park.
The fifth-tier minnows landed themselves a date with the Premier League club after stunning Championship promotion hopefuls Bournemouth in round four.
The Wood were unable to prolong their cup adventure when making the trip to Merseyside, as a Solomon Rondon double broke their resistance in a 2-0 defeat, but Garrard was delighted to see Chelsea and England legend Lampard acknowledge their achievements with a nice personal touch.
What has been said?
Lampard’s text to Garrard read: “Hi Luke, Frank Lampard here. Just wanted to congratulate you on the result yesterday.
“Purely on a coach to coach level, I could see what it meant to you and that's why we do the job!
“Don't normally touch base like this before games but just wanted to say that I, and we as a club, will make you all feel very welcome when you come to Goodison.
“Hopefully not too welcome when the game starts [smiley face emoji]. Look forward to seeing you, Frank.”
ITVGarrard told ITV Sport of Lampard’s willingness to reach out to the non-league giant-killers: “He texted me after the Bournemouth game, on a Monday night. I think he's a class individual.
“So just to have the luxury of having five minutes with him beforehand or potentially an hour afterwards.
“I'm really looking forward to it because we can talk about his playing career, which is amazing, Champions League winner, what he achieved with England, then obviously his managerial career but to do what he did for me is incredible and it shows the measure of the man.
“It was just a really nice message that you don't expect from a Premier League manager.”
The bigger picture
Garrard is hoping to get further opportunities in which to pick Lampard’s brain, with the Boreham Wood boss eager to take as many lessons as possible from those he has crossed paths with this season.
He added on facing elite coaches: “Frank Lampard is an England legend, a Chelsea legend. But I'll be asking him the same thing I did with [Bournemouth boss] Scott Parker.
“’Can I come in and shadow you?’ He's unbelievable.”
Any nuggets of advice that Garrard is able to get could aid the Wood’s cause considerably as, while their cup adventures are over, they remain in the hunt for promotion into League Two.
They are sat fourth in the National League at present, eight points adrift of leaders Stockport but with at least three games in hand held on all of those above them.
Everton, meanwhile, are more concerned with events at the opposite end of their division, with Lampard having been appointed as successor to Rafa Benitez as the Toffees scrap for Premier League survival alongside a run to the FA Cup quarter-finals that will see them face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the last eight.