Laithwaite Independent Financial Advisers
FCP
7:45pm - TuesdayTue 16th SeptemberSep 2014
Plainmoor | Att: 2144

Torquay
Torquay United
1 - 0

Woking
Woking

Another big test for Cards

Brian Caffarey
8:56am, Mon 15th Sep 2014
Torquay United v Woking
7.45pm on Tuesday 16 September 2014

This game looks the toughest test yet of Woking’s unbeaten start to the season, with the Gulls, also on an impressive winning streak, notching up their fourth victory in a row at Grimsby on Saturday. Let’s hope the Cards can produce yet another of their fine performances on their travels.

WOKING

On Saturday the Cards struggled to get past a Chester side whose display belied their lowly position in the table. Fortunately, Gez Sole once again came to the rescue with another classy goal.

The victory, Woking’s fifth in a row, lifted Garry Hill’s side to second place in the table and stretched their unbeaten run to nine games. Away from home, it’s now ten trips since they tasted defeat, taking into account the Cards’ fine run at the end of last season. All that resilience will be needed on Tuesday against a confident Torquay side.

The Cards will presumably still be missing captain Mark Ricketts as well as long-term absentee Kevin Betsy.

TORQUAY UNITED

Relegated last season from League 2 and returning to the Conference after an absence of five years, the Gulls, under former captain Chris Hargreaves, have made a very promising start to the season. A long and tough opening day trip to Gateshead produced a 3-1 reverse but they are unbeaten since then, with a record of five wins, three draws and one defeat. Saturday’s 2-0 win at Grimsby was particularly impressive, given the Mariners’ status as one of the promotion favourites. At home Torquay have beaten Welling and Nuneaton very comfortably and drawn against Southport and Aldershot Town.

The squad contains a mix of players who stayed with the Gulls in spite of relegation, including keeper Martin Rice, defenders Aaron Downes and Krystian Pearce, last season’s ‘player of the year’, and striker Elliot Benyon plus a number of new signings. The latter include big striker Duane Ofori-Acheampong; winger Louis Briscoe, part of Mansfield’s Conference-winning side; former Hereford and York striker Ryan Bowman; skilful midfielder Toby Ajala, who had a spell at Welling last season; and midfielder and captain Luke Young, surprisingly released by Plymouth Argyle. On Saturday Young scored the second goal, following up Courtney Richards’s opener.

GETTING THERE

Torquay United Football Club
Plainmoor
Torquay
Devon
TQ1 3PS

Official website: www.torquayunited.com

The Cards Trust is not running a coach to this game.

By car

M3, A303, A30 and M5 to Exeter. A380 to Newton Abbot (Penn Inn Roundabout). Follow signs to Torquay, past the Willows Shopping Centre, then next left at traffic lights. Follow signs for Torquay United/Plainmoor through three roundabouts. At top of hill traffic lights go straight on into Warbro Road. Ground is on the right-hand side. Away turnstiles are just off Warbro Road, down the lane next to the Gulls’ Lodge. AA estimate: three and a half hours for 170 miles

By train

It is not of course possible to do a return trip by train on the same day. Getting down there by train is easy enough. For example, the 14.46 train from Woking would get you to Exeter St.David’s at 17.39, from where you could take the 17.50 to Torquay, arriving at 18.36.


ADMISSION PRICES

Bristow's Bench / Away Seating
Adult - £21
Concessions [65 and over / Students with NUS] - £17
17 - 18 Years -£10
12 - 16 Years -£6
Under 12s [must be accompanied by a full paying adult] -£5

Popside / Away Terrace
Adult - £17
Concessions [65 and over / Students with NUS] - £13
17 - 18 Years -£10
12 - 16 Years -£6
7 - 11 Years -£5
Under 7s [must be accompanied by a full paying adult] -FREE

LAST TIME WE MET

Woking 2 Torquay United 2
22 November 2008

In a thrilling game the Cards roared into a two-goal lead against table-toppers United. A revitalised Matt Pattison set up Liam Marum (as he was known then) for a sixth-minute strike, which was followed in the 22nd minute by a deflected shot from Paolo Vernazza to double the lead. The Gulls looked dangerous through Carayol on the wing and the aerial threat of Tim Sills but Woking held out till half-time and caused problems themselves through Marum’s and Wilfried Domoraud’s pace. Shortly after the break Domoraud missed a great chance to make it 3-0 before the Gulls’ fight-back began. Benyon netted in the 55th minute from a Sills header and, ten minutes later, Danny Stevens was given too much space and fired across Nick Gindre.

Woking: Nick Gindre, Patrice Konan, Paul Lorraine, Colin Miles (Goma Lambu, 70), Danny Bunce, Daniel Spence, Matt Pattison, Paolo Vernazza, Abdou El Kholti, Liam Marum (Delano Sam-Yorke, 78), Wilfried Domoraud
Subs not used: Charlie Moone, Joel Ledgister, Giuseppe Sole
Attendance: 2452

NEXT GAME

The Cards are on the road again next Saturday, when they travel to Bristol Rovers. Phone the Club Shop (01483 772470) or email shop@wokingfc.co.uk to book a seat. The coach leaves at 11.30am and the cost is £16 for members and £21 for non-members.


Come on, you Cards!






Cards bite bullet of a late free kick

Ray Avards
12:08pm, Wed 17th Sep 2014
Torquay United 1 Woking 0
Vanarama Conference
Tuesday 16th September 2014


Woking faced the other form side in the Conference on Tuesday, Torquay United, with four wins in a row, on their own ground.

Ross Worner and Mike Cestor continued in goal and at centre back. The one change being Keiran Murtagh (for Theo Lewis) returning to join a midfield three with Joey Jones, anchored by Josh Payne, behind a front three.

The Cards withstood the home side’s early hustle and created the first chance for themselves when Murtagh slipped through for Sole, who was thwarted by keeper Martin Rice sliding out to smother.

Woking were also forced to make an early change in an unfortunate recent sequence. James Clarke limped off after a challenge, replaced like for like by Adam Newton, at right back.

Dean Morgan found Joey Jones, who fired well wide from the edge of the area:a range finder, as he skimmed the cross bar from further out, a couple of minutes later.

Murtagh nearly set Torquay in with a loose pass back through the middle forcing Ross Worner to slide out and hack clear. On the break Torquay sought to repeat the feat only to bisect their two attackers with a ball too straight and Worner cleared again.

Jones’ mazy run nearly undid the Gulls, dribbling past at least four defenders into the penalty area, only for a stifled shot from 15 yards. Murtagh’s sudden volley from a rebound cannoned off a Torquay back to safety. A Morgan lay-off teed up Scott Rendell to fire an angled drive just wide of the far post with Rice beaten.

Ajala created space at the other end but his shot was blocked for a corner. McNerney was also forced to tidy up as last man under pressure from a through ball as The Gulls sought to counter Cards’ possession with through balls. Jones, seeking to retain possession back to Worner, left it short forcing his keeper to rush out and clear. Worner also had to be sharp to half-smother close in and concede a corner at the feet of Bowman, fed through from midfield. Chappell then shot tamely for Worner to save, having worked his way in on the edge of the area. This was the home side’s best spell now and, as half-time loomed, Jones, having had a knock in midfield but playing on, brought down Bowman on the very edge of the area. Luke Young fired the free-kick in but Worner held well.

The resilient Cards countered as Jones galloped away again and found space to hammer just wide of Rice’s right-hand post. A spirited half from both sides in which the Cards midfield had probably contrived the most dangerous moments at both ends of the pitch!

Half-time: Torquay United 0 Woking 0

Torquay rolled up their sleeves for the second half and Chapell cut in from the left wing to shoot narrowly wide across Worner, though he waved it by. Another Torquay exchange down their left also saw the ball travel a long way across the Woking box without a strike at goal. Dean Morgan, working back to keep possession alive, set up Jones on another drive forward and the loose ball was eventually hacked away by Rice, wide and deep, in his own area. Morgan also turned his man, creating space outside the ‘D’ to fire just over.

Torquay’s change on the hour brought on Courtney Cameron for Chapell in an apparent straight swap. But it was down the right that nearly undid Woking as an overlap created forced Joe McNerney to head over his own cross bar practically from under it.

Woking’s energy levels had dropped and Garry Hill switched to 4-4-2 by replacing Sole, who had little change out of Tonge in the second half, with John Goddard. The game was becoming stretched. A swift counter saw Bowman neck and neck with last man Cestor through the middle, both falling in a heap. Referee Swabey incurred the wrath of the Gulls fans by waving it away but Mike Cestor seemed to be gaining on his man so it looked a fair decision.

A Payne drive was well held by Rice and Jones’ long diagonal cross was met by Rendell’s downward header, clutched on the bounce by the keeper.

Still the Cards would not allow Torquay to settle or lay siege to the away goal. Substitute Cameron was induced to get involved with Morgan on the touchline and got booked for his reaction. Payne’s whipped free-kick bounced in front of Rice’s dive at his right-hand upright but he held on to the ball. Tiredness from four games in eleven days was creeping up on the Cards. Adam Newton’s attempted hack away was late and he was booked on 83 minutes, whilst Theo Lewis joined the action for Murtagh, tiring on his return to the starting line-up.

The Cards still probed when they could. Goddard’s earlier effort on goal lacked venom. Now he dwelt fractionally too long on the ball deep in the opposition area, having been set up by Morgan, who had wriggled free, to allow a foot in and clearance. A tired lunge in midfield as time ran out proved Woking’s undoing. Young lined up the free-kick from all of 35 yards, ignoring his teammates he drove low and hard at goal past the wall. Whether Ross Worner was unsighted or defeated by a deflection, he was beaten.

Woking rallied and pushed up during 5 minutes of added time but the tide was against them and Bowman nearly got in again, before finishing without sting, on the break. Then the referee ignored a trip on Morgan, centre field and on the counter, well inside Torquay territory.

The Cards must recover quickly from their first league defeat and the end of the last unblemished record in the Vanarama Conference this season, as Saturday poses another big test away in the west at ex-Football League regulars Bristol Rovers.


Woking: Ross Worner, James Clarke (Adam Newton, 13), Mike Cestor, Joe McNerney (c), Chris Arthur, Josh Payne, Joey Jones, Keiran Murtagh (Theo Lewis, 85) Dean Morgan, Scott Rendell, Giuseppe Sole (John Goddard, 71)

Unused Subs: Andy Little, Nick Arnold

Booked: Adam Newton

My MOTM: Joey Jones for his marauding style, close control, tenacity and threat on goal.

Torquay United: Martin Rice, Dale Tonge, Aaron Downes, Angus Macdonald, Tom Cruise, Toby Ajala, Courtney Richards, Luke Young (c) Jordan Chapell (Courtney Cameron, 61), Tom Bowman Duane Ofori-Acheampong

Unused Subs: Jordan Seabright, Krystian Pearce, Josh Wakefield, Ashley Yeoman

Booked: Courtney Cameron, Luke Young

Goal: Young 90

Attendance: 2,144
Torquay United LINEUP
WOKING LINEUP
30Ross Worner
6James Clarke ('13)
32Chris Arthur
5Joe McNerney
3Mike Cestor
7Josh Payne
8Keiran Murtagh ('85)
21Joey Jones
24Dean Morgan
10Giuseppe Sole ('71)
9Scott Rendell
BENCH
31Andy Little
2Adam Newton ('13)
33Nick Arnold
14Theo Lewis ('85)
22John Goddard ('71)

Torquay United 1 - 0 Woking (Garry Hill Interview)

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