Glen Harrington
8:18am, Sun 29th Jan 2023
Woking vs Torquay United
Vanarama National League
Tuesday 31st January 2023
Woking will be aiming to retain third place in the National League table when they host Torquay United at the Laithwaite Community Stadium on Tuesday evening.
This is an important game for both sides. The disruption to the January fixture list, including the cold weather which put pay to almost every fifth-tier games just over a week ago, has seen the league table continue to shift, with some teams having up to five games in hand on their rivals. The Cards can reinforce their grip on third place with at least a point against their visitors on Tuesday, albeit fourth-place Chesterfield would have two games in hand. At the other end of the table, Torquay are three points adrift of safety whilst Oldham, the team just above the relegation spots, have a game in hand.
Darren Sarll’s side, who beat Scunthorpe United 2-0 last time out, will be aiming to win a fifth successive game for the first time this season. They will be boosted by the return to full fitness of Ricky Korboa, an unused substitute against the Iron after three games out, whilst Luke Wilkinson is available again after being injured at the end of October. Reece Grego-Cox and Sid Nelson remain the only long-term absentees, whilst midfielder Jermaine Anderson will complete the final game of his three-match suspension for the red card against Aldershot.
Opposition Watch
It has been a challenging season for Torquay who have spent almost the entire campaign mired in the relegation places. They have taken 25 points from their 27 fixtures and currently sit third from bottom in 22nd place. However, their recent form has been much improved, with three consecutive wins in all competitions, all at home: 1-0 against Halifax, 4-2 against Taunton Town in the FA Trophy, and, crucially, 1-0 against relegation rivals Maidstone on Saturday. Their last away win came at Dagenham at the start of December.
In fact, the Gulls have only lost two of their last nine in all competitions, having been beaten by Yeovil on New Year’s Day and suffering a narrow defeat at Oldham in mid-December. Vastly experienced manager Gary Johnson, who has masterminded a National League South title win and a National League play-off final appearance in his four years in charge, has made several recent additions to try and turn his side’s fortunes around. These have included striker Tope Fadahunsi, on loan from Sutton, midfielder Ricky Aguiar, on loan from Swindon, defender Nico Lawrence, on loan from Southampton, and forward James Crole, on loan from Cardiff.
Their joint top scorers this season are Aaron Jarvis and Will Goodwin, both on seven, although the latter’s loan spell from Stoke City ended this month ahead of a move to Cheltenham Town. The ex-Card in the Torquay ranks is versatile defender Shaun Donnellan.
Recent Meetings
• Torquay United
1-3 Woking – 29th August 2022, National League (Daly 2, Roles)
• Woking
0-1 Torquay United – 15th April 2022, National League
• Torquay United
0-4 Woking – 30th August 2021, National League (Campbell 2, Ince, Thompson-Sommers)
• Woking
0-2 Torquay United – 20th April 2021, National League
• Torquay United
1-0 Woking – 2nd April 2021, National League
Tickets
When pre-purchased, ticket prices are £20 for Adults, £15 for Concessions, £12 for Next-Gen and £5 for Under 16s. Tickets bought on the gate on the day are charged at an additional £2.
For more information and to book your ticket please
click here.
