Frank Lampard showed his class by sending Boreham Wood manager Luke Garrard a text message congratulating the non-league club on their FA Cup exploits.
The message dropped the day after Boreham Wood dumped Championship club Bournemouth out at the fourth-round stage to set up a trip to Everton.
The Hertfordshire club’s run came to an end in a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park on Thursday night, with Salomon Rondon’s two goals finally breaking down Wood’s resistance in the second half.
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Boreham Wood manager Luke Garrard (right) revealed he received a ‘classy’ text message from his Everton counterpart Frank Lampard (left) ahead of their FA Cup meeting
A screenshot of Lampard’s text message went viral on social media after ITV revealed it
Garrard has revealed Lampard’s warm wishes to him with the screenshot going viral on social media as an example of Lampard’s fine character.
The text 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.’
Garrard applauds the travelling Boreham Wood fans at Goodison Park on Thursday night
Garrard had spoken of his admiration for former England midfielder Lampard pre-match
Speaking ahead of his side’s trip to Merseyside, Garrard spoke of his astonishment at receiving the message from the former England midfielder.
He said: ‘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.’
Salomon Rondon celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal against Boreham Wood
Boreham Wood defended well but Rondon was ultimately able to make the pressure pay
Rondon rose highest to meet Andros Townsend’s cross from the left and double the lead
In an interview with The Sun, Garrard, 36, added: ‘It would be like me messaging a Sunday league manager. That number now won’t be going anywhere, not even my wife.’
After the win at Bournemouth in round four, Garrard, who has been in charge of the National League club since 2015, spoke of his hope that he could spend some time observing Lampard’s methods on the training ground at some point in the future.
He said: ‘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.’
Everton progressed to a quarter-final away to Crystal Palace, leaving Boreham Wood to concentrate on their push to win promotion to League Two.