Cards share spoils with Bards

Stratford Town 1-1 Woking
Pre Season Friendly
8th July 2023

Darren Sarll took his team composed of 22 players, including five trialists, up the M40 and to Warwickshire, to take on Stratford Town at Knights Lane.

As is traditional in pre-season, the Cards had a different team for the first and second halves, with the first half team containing the likes of Dennon Lewis, Greg Taylor, Sam Habergham and Charlie Wakefield, whilst there was a welcome return for Reece Grego-Cox to the lineup for the first time this calendar year.

The hosts kicked off towards the aptly named Golf Course End, and just under a minute in, a poor tackle on Charlie Wakefield seemed to go against the spirit of the friendly.
After good work from Rhys Browne forced a corner on the 10-minute mark, Rohan Ince fired wide from just outside the box. Woking continued to take control of the game, with Browne firing a shot towards goal, but a slight deflection took the ball wide of the Bards’ goal.

With just over 20 minutes gone, the Cards had the opener. A good cross towards the back post from Browne was headed across by Scott Cuthbert, and Grego-Cox was in the right place to nod the ball home.

Woking continued to press for a second goal, and when good work from Wakefield resulted in a low cross, his fellow winger Lewis was unfortunate to just be on the wrong side of the ball.

And it was those two combining again for another Woking chance just before half time, Wakefield bursting forwards before finding Lewis, whose shot was brilliantly tipped around the post by Liam O’Brien.

Half-time: Stratford Town 0-1 Woking

For the hosts, it was one change at the break, for the Cards, ten. Three trialists joined Dan Moss, Josh Casey, Luke Wilkinson, Padraig Amond, Matt Robinson, Dennon Lewis, Ricky Korboa and academy player George Wallace on the pitch.

And it was Lewis who came close to doubling Woking’s lead, twisting past a defender just outside the box before curling narrowly wide of the far post.
In a second half disrupted by numerous substitutions and lacking any flow or rhythm, a good cross from Korboa just evaded Amond at the back post, before an exquisite Robinson turn and pass nearly found the Irishman through on goal.

However, a superb free kick from Lewis Ison from about 25 yards with three minutes left gave the home side an unlikely equaliser. Curled over the wall and into the top corner, the strike gave Woking’s trialist keeper absolutely no chance, and that was to be it in terms of action.

A game with many squad changes didn't allow for much fluency, but it was a good run out for the Cards, with most of the first team squad getting minutes, and next up is the visit of AFC Wimbledon to the Laithwaite next Saturday.




Woking First Half: Will Jaaskelainen, Trialist, Sam Habergham, Scott Cuthbert ©, Greg Taylor, Rohan Ince, Jim Kellermann, Charlie Wakefield, Dennon Lewis, Reece Grego-Cox, Rhys Browne

Woking Second Half: Trialist, Dan Moss, Josh Casey ©, Trialist, Matt Robinson, Ricky Korboa, Padraig Amond, Trialist, George Wallace

Goals: Reece Grego-Cox 21’

Bookings:


Stratford Town: Liam O’Brien (Beresford 73’), Lee Vaughan (White 63’), Harvey Portman (Morrison 55’), Lewis Ison, Paul McCone (Worley 73’), Liam Daly (Vann 65’), Riley Sullivan (Molyneux 63’), Tom Solanke (Williams 45’), Callum Ebanks (O’Sullivan 73’), Charlie Dowd (Akubine 55’), Dan Lafferty

Goals: Ison 87’

Bookings:

Referee: Callum Fisk