Woking v Welling United
Vanarama National League
3pm on Monday 31 August 2015

After their draw at Boreham Wood yesterday the Cards will be keen to make home advantage pay against the Wings tomorrow afternoon but Garry Hill and Steve Thompson will have to quickly assess the extent of injuries received to key players. Come on down to the Laithwaite Community Stadium to cheer the side on to victory!

WOKING

The Cards now sit in fourth place in the table, having gained four wins and a draw and suffering only one defeat. Yesterday they looked to be on course to pick up three more points at Boreham Wood after Kadell Daniel’s terrific free-kick gave them a first half lead but injuries to Joey Jones and Mark Ricketts disrupted the midfield and, to add to Garry’s woes, star defender Ismail Yakubu also hobbled off after the Wood had equalised late on. One suspects that Garry’s first fallback for replacing central defenders was to call on Ricketts or Jones! Keiran Murtagh filled in there for the remainder of Saturday’s game but he’s surely too valuable as a creative force in midfield to leave there.

Whatever line-up Garry comes up with, there is still enough potency in this Woking side, with Dan Holman and Kadell Daniel looking sharp up front, to hope that the Cards can overcome the Wings and maintain their promising start to the campaign.

WELLING UNITED

Player/Manager Loui Fazakerley did a superb job to engineer the Wings’ escape from what looked like almost certain relegation when he took over the reins from Jody Brown (the short-lived successor to Jamie Day). Like Boreham Wood, the Wings look to have been handed a pretty tough start to the season and it was therefore particularly important to have claimed an opening day 1-0 home win over Guiseley. Narrow defeats followed at Forest Green Rovers and Macclesfield before they gained a creditable 2-2 draw at home to Eastleigh, which was followed by a last-minute 1-0 defeat at Wrexham last weekend. Fazakerley will have been disappointed by yesterday’s 2-1 home defeat by Braintree, with the Wings apparently well beaten after Abolafi Obafemi had given them an early lead.

Loui Fazakerley damaged his Achilles tendon in the opening game and missed yesterday’s match as he was recovering from an operation. He’s brought in a number of young players, either on loan or signed permanently, including 20 year-old keeper Tom King, on loan from Millwall; 21 year-old defender Michael Charles, who had a couple of loan spells from Crystal Palace last season, who had reportedly paid Dulwich Hamlet a considerable sum for his services; 20 year-old Harry Lee, a midfielder on loan from Leyton Orient; Nortei Nortey, 20, released by Chelsea; Kevin Lokko, a 19 year-old defender, who was previously with Norwich City and Colchester United; and highly-rated midfielder 20 year-old Xavier Vidal, another player from the Dulwich conveyor belt. Experienced signings come in the familiar (tall!) shape of midfielder Ricky Wellard, who won the Conference title with AFC Wimbledon and who was with Sutton last season; speedy striker Sahr Kabba, who was previously with Havant and Waterlooville and Weston-super-Mare; and midfielder George Porter, who has played for a number of League clubs after starting his career at Cray Wanderers. Still with the club from last season are strikers Abolafi Obafemi, Tashan Adeyinka, who scored the equaliser against us last season, and Kieron St Aimie, who has played for a number of non-League clubs.

ADMISSION PRICES

Adults £18
Over 65s and Students with NUS card £13
U16s £5

MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

Make sure you get your copy of the Club’s excellent 64-page matchday programme. In a packed edition features include an interview with Geoff Chapple Lounge Special Guest ex-Spurs and England Graham Roberts, quick-fire questions with Chris Arthur and a report on the Academy’s recent tour of Holland. There’s a new feature, Socially Speaking, which picks up news and views from social media, plus a Junior Cards Quiz. There’s also a look at what’s been going at other National League clubs; and news from the Cards Trust, plus match previews, reports and the usual superb match action photos.

LAST TIME WE MET

Woking 2 Welling United 2
4 April 2015

A lot hung on this game for both sides, with Woking pushing hard for a play-off place after six wins in their last seven games, and the Wings desperately – and ultimately successfully – fighting to avoid the drop under recently-appointed Player/Manager Loui Fazakerley.

As usual, Welling proved to be tough opponents. They took the lead in the 9th minute when Ross Lafayette, who had recently had a loan spell at Kingfield, stooped to head in a Dominic Vose free-kick. Woking had plenty of possession in the remainder of the half but couldn’t penetrate a porous-looking Welling defence.

The Cards broke through early in the second half, Scott Rendell scoring from the spot after Yemi Odubade had been tripped. And it was the on-loan striker from Eastleigh who gave the Cards the lead in the 68th minute, firing home following a good move. But the Wings bounced back with a header from Tashan Adeyinka to level the scores.

The point was enough to move the Cards into fifth place but the dropped two points, combined with the subsequent defeat at Dover Athletic, scuppered their play-off hopes.

Woking: Michael Crowe, Mark Ricketts, Joey Jones, Brian Saah, Chris Arthur, Kevin Betsy (Manny Oyeleke 78), Keiran Murtagh (Adam Newton 69), Josh Payne, John Goddard, Scott Rendell, Yemi Odubade (Giuseppe Sole 79)

Unused subs: Andy Little, Charles Banya

Goals: Scott Rendell (pen) 52, Yemi Odubade 68

Welling United: Jonathan Henly, Jake Gallagher, Dominic Vose (Sam Corne 74), Keiron St Aimie, Ross Lafayette, Ben Jefford, Sam Berry, Barney Williams, Harry Osborne, Reece Harris (Tashan Adeyinka 74), Joe Healy

Unused subs: Zach Fagan, Michael McEntergat

Goals: Ross Lafayette 9, Tashan Adeyinka 77

Attendance: 2819

COMING UP

The Cards follow Monday’s game with two long away trips: first to Macclesfield next Saturday (5 September) and then, a week later, to newly-promoted Guiseley. Call in at the Club Shop tomorrow to book yourself on the Cards Trust coach for both games.

Woking’s next home game is on Tuesday 15 September when top-of-the-table Forest Green Rovers are the visitors, closely followed on Saturday 19 September by another side expected to do well, Gary Johnson’s Cheltenham Town.

Come on, you Cards!

P.S. Don’t forget to book your tickets for the Elvis Tribute Night this coming Friday (4 September).