Another 'must win' game for Cards

Brian Caffarey
8:43pm, Sun 4th Apr 2010

Eastleigh v Woking
3pm on Monday 5 April 2010

The Cards travel to Eastleigh tomorrow afternoon with their play-off hopes still hanging by a thread after their 2-0 win at home to Lewes on Saturday. Graham Bakerâ€™s side now lie in 9th place with 57 points, six points behind fifth-placed Staines Town but with a game in hand. Tomorrowâ€™s game looks to be the most difficult of Wokingâ€™s remaining fixtures, so a win would certainly significantly boost the Cardsâ€™ chances of pulling off a very unlikely comeback after a dreadful sequence of results which saw them go nine league games without a win in February/March.

WOKING

Nathaniel Pinneyâ€™s loan spell comes to an end tomorrow, and the Cards will certainly miss his muscularity, pace and eye for goal. Letâ€™s hope he can sign off with a crucial strike at Eastleigh.

Although Jerome Maledon has performed very creditably in midfield in the last couple of games, Cards fans will be hoping that the Arter/Ricketts partnership, which has served the side so well this season, will be able to resume.

EASTLEIGH

The Spitfires have suffered quite a few injury problems to key players â€“ which probably explains why they havenâ€™t challenged as strongly for the play-offs as many expected. At present they lie in 11th place, with four points fewer than the Cards and having played the same number of games. Their home record reads won 7, drawn 3 and lost 8, with 34 goals scored and 29 conceded.

Their main threat this season has come from Richard Gillespie and the ever-reliable Andy Forbes, with 12 and 10 league goals respectively. The side includes ex-Card Tom Jordan, who is their captain.

Eastleigh have struggled of late. Recent results have been:

3 Mar BSS Lewes 1 Eastleigh 2
6 Mar BSS Eastleigh 0 St Albans 1
13 Mar BSS Eastleigh 1 Bath City 1
17 Mar BSS Eastleigh 1 Bath City 3
20 Mar BSS Hampton & R 4 Eastleigh 1
3 Apr BSS Dover Athletic 2 Eastleigh 1

GETTING THERE

Silverlake Stadium
Ten Acres
Stoneham Lane
Eastleigh
Hampshire
SO50 9HT
Tel. 023 8061 3361

By coach
Leaves 12 noon; Â£11 members, Â£15 non-members.

By car
Take the M3 to J13. Turn right into Leigh Road. Go on till the crossroads and turn right at lights into Passfield Avenue. Go past Fleming Park Sports Centre on right. At the roundabout take second exit; at the next take the first exit; go past Concorde Club. Take the first turning right into Stoneham Lane and the ground is 100 yards on left-hand side. There are 500 â€œfree parking" spaces at the ground

By train
There are the usual Easter engineering works on Easter Monday, so getting to Eastleigh by train would be difficult. Youâ€™d have to get a train to Basingstoke or Alton and then a coach to Eastleigh. The journey would take about 2 hours, plus a 20-minute walk to the ground. Look up www.trainline.com for journey times.

Come on, you Cards!

Cards win again to boost play-off hopes

Brian Caffarey
5:08pm, Mon 5th Apr 2010

Eastleigh 0 Woking 2
5 April 2010

The Cards significantly boosted their play-off chances this afternoon with their fourth win in five games. Gez Sole opened the scoring four minutes before half-time, with Nathaniel Pinney (pictured), playing his last game for the Cards, scoring from the penalty spot in the second half as the Spitfires went down to nine men.

Graham Baker started with the same side that lined up at home to Lewes on Saturday. Harry Arter returned to the bench after his recent injury.

Woking had the best of the early play, with Moses Ademola making two fine breaks down the right but not picking out Craig Faulconbridge in space in the middle. Eastleigh threatened around the half hour mark but Woking responded with a break from Pinney. It was the on-loan Palace player who created Wokingâ€™s lead with a run down the flank and a cross into Nicky Nicolau. The latterâ€™s shot was saved by the Eastleigh keeper but Gez Sole drove the ball home.

Half-time: Eastleigh 0 Woking 1

Shortly after half-time Pinney should have extended Wokingâ€™s lead after a terrific run from the Woking half. But, having rounded the Spitfires keeper, he blasted the ball over the bar.

Graham Baker made three substitutions around the 60 minute mark, bringing on Matthew Wright, Harry Arter and Jon Boardman for Craig Faulconbridge, Gez Sole and Ricky Anane.

Almost immediately the Eastleigh captain, Tom Jordan, picked up a second booking for a foul on Arter, reducing the Spitfires to ten men.

Shortly afterwards the Cards made the game safe with their second goal. Arter slipped the ball through to Wright, who was brought down by the Eastleigh keeper, Matthews, who was sent off for his troubles, reducing the home side to nine men.

Pinney sent the substitute keeper the wrong way to make it 2-0.

In the last ten minutes Ross Worner tipped a corner onto his own crossbar but the Cards had several opportunities to add to their lead, with Nicolau shooting wildly and Arter going it alone when he might have played in a team mate.

Wokingâ€™s next game is on Saturday 10 April, when they are at home to Bromley.

Eastleigh LINEUP
1	Jason Matthews
2	Warren Goodhind
3	Brett Poate
4	Anthony Riviere
5	Tom Jordan
6	Aaron Cook ('75)
7	Peter Adeniyi
8	Shaun McAuley ('84)
9	Ross Bottomley
10	Richard Gillespie
11	Tony Taggart ('86)
BENCH
13	Billy Lumley ('75)
12	Ian Oliver
14	Sam Butler ('86)
15	Ashley Nicholls
16	Alex Easton ('84)

WOKING LINEUP
1	Ross Worner
2	Ricky Anane ('64)
3	Aswad Thomas
4	Nicky Nicolau
5	Tom Hutchinson
6	Tony Sinclair
7	Moses Ademola
8	Jerome Maledon
9	Craig Faulconbridge ('60)
10	Nathaniel Pinney
11	Giuseppe Sole ('60)
BENCH
18	Matt Pegler
12	Jon Boardman ('64)
14	Matthew Wright ('60)
15	Charlie Moone
16	Harry Arter ('60)