Seymours
3:00pm - SaturdaySat 19th SeptemberSep 2015
The Laithwaite Community Stadium | Att: 2035

Woking
Woking
0 - 1

Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town

Cards face Cheltenham Town on Saturday

Nick Shaw
10:18am, Fri 18th Sep 2015
Woking v Cheltenham Town
Vanarama National League
3pm on Saturday 19 September 2015


A big crowd is expected at The Laithwaite Community Stadium on Saturday, following the Cards’ excellent 2-1 win against table-toppers Forest Green Rovers. Gary Johnson’s Cheltenham Town side are targeting an immediate return to League 2, so this should prove another tough test for Garry Hill’s side. Come down and cheer the Cards on to victory!

WOKING

The Cards moved up to 4th place in the Vanarama National League on Tuesday night after defeating Forest Green 2-1, with John Goddard grabbing his 7th goal of the season and Jimmy Keohane, who yesterday signed contractual forms with the club, scoring his 2nd. Keiran Murtagh returned to the starting lineup, but Joey Jones remained on the sidelines following his injury.

CHELTENHAM TOWN

Experienced manager Gary Johnson almost completely revamped the Robins’ squad on taking over at Whaddon Road in the summer. He’s brought in some experienced players, including midfielder Kyle Storer, previously with Wrexham, Nuneaton and Kidderminster Harriers amongst other clubs; two well-regarded centre backs in Aaron Downes, signing from Torquay United but who had eight years with Chesterfield, and Daniel Parslow, who racked up nine years at York City; strikers Danny Wright, who has appeared for a number of non-League sides, Amari Morgan-Smith, who was with Gary’s son, Lee, at Oldham Athletic, and ex-Crewe Alexandra striker, Billy Waters; midfielders Harry Pell and Jack Munns; and keepers Calum Kitscha, who won an England C cap with Hayes and Yeading, and on-loan Dalton Phillips, a 20-year old from Charlton Athletic.

The Robins started the season with draws against Lincoln City and Aldershot Town before gaining a convincing 3-0 home win over Southport. A draw at Chester was followed by three victories, over Barrow at home, Torquay away (0-3) and Wrexham at home. But the Robins suffered their first defeat at Altrincham two weeks ago. They got back to winning ways against Dover Athletic last Saturday, and on Tuesday they defeated Macclesfield Town 2-0 at home.

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. Features include profiles of our Guest of the Day Trevor Baron, Keiran Murtagh, and the launch of Junior Cards. There’s also a look at what’s been going on 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 1 Cheltenham Town 5 (aet)
LDV Vans Trophy 2nd Round
28 November 2005

In what was rather a bizarre game Glenn Cockerill played a number of second string players against a mainly full-strength Robins side. However, it wasn’t till the second period of extra time, when Cheltenham rattled in three goals, that the visitors got a decisive grip of the game.

Woking took the lead in the first half through Lloyd Blackman and could have gone two ahead early in the second half when Steve Evans lingered too long over a glorious chance. Cheltenham, who had had much more of the play, finally pulled a goal back through Steve Gillespie in the 59th minute but failed to take advantage of a penalty award when Clint Davies made an excellent save from Grant McCann’s spot kick.

The Robins got their noses in front in the first period of extra time when Jamie Victory seized on a rebound and then added three more in the second period through Brian Wilson, Craig Armstrong and then Wilson again.

Woking: Clint Davies, Karim El-Salahi, Jimmy Aggrey, Matt Ruby, Paul Watson (Karl Murray). Sam Cockerill, Steve Evans, Ian Selley, Liam Cockerill (Craig McAllister), Lloyd Blackman (Justin Richards), Mark Rawle

Unused subs: Shwan Jalal, Simon Jackson

COMING UP

The Cards follow Saturday’s game with two away trips: first to Braintree Town on Tuesday evening (22 September) – make sure on Saturday that you book your place on the coach – and then to Dover on Friday 25 September, the latter game being televised by BT Sport.

Come on, you Cards!

P.S. Don’t forget to pick up a Junior Cards application form at Saturday’s match, where the scheme is being launched officially!

Cheltenham edge out Cards in close contest

Matt Goldsmith
8:17am, Sun 20th Sep 2015
Woking 0 Cheltenham Town 1

The Vanarama National League

September 19th 2015

Woking were left pointless on Saturday as promotion-tipped Cheltenham Town made a maximum withdrawal from their trip to The Laithwaite Community Stadium thanks to a second-half Danny Wright header.

Both teams will have felt like a million dollars going into this top of the table clash after posting superb midweek wins - particularly Garry Hill’s men, who overthrew runaway leaders Forest Green Rovers’ 100% record in Tuesday night’s electric 2-1 win.

Over in Cheltenham it’s been a steadily improving, if unspectacular, start since being relegated after 16-years in The Football League – with three draws and a defeat recorded in their opening 10 matches back in Non-League action.

But make that three wins on the bounce for Gary Johnson’s side now after their narrow win - in a tightly-contested tie at Kingfield – which followed back-to-back wins at Whaddon Road over Dover Athletic (3-2 last Saturday) and Macclesfield Town (2-0 on Tuesday night). This was an evenly matched encounter between an attacking young Cards line-up and the neat, streetwise Robins – the team’s sitting fourth and third in the standings respectively ahead of the game.

Cards’ boss Hill had one change to his starting line-up enforced upon him from his side’s electric 2-1 Tuesday night win over (previously) unbeaten league leaders Forest Green – left-back Chris Arthur’s hamstring tweak meaning yet another new name for Cards’ fans on the team sheet, ex-Cheltenham player, Craig Braham-Barrett the man filling in having been borrowed from Ebbsfleet United on a month’s loan.

Old acquaintances were renewed on Saturday, with the West Country side making their first Non-League trip back to Surrey since their Conference championship-winning season of 1998-99. For manager Johnson it was also a chance to catch up with old mates – including home boss and fellow Garry (two r’s!) who took over from Johnson’s brother Pete as Weymouth manager back in 2006; Pete having worked as a youth coach under Glenn Cockerill at Kingfield.

Another pal is Hill’s trusted right-hand man, Steve Thompson who had previously been Johnson’s sidekick during Yeovil Town’s rise up the Football League ladder; meanwhile Johnson Snr – aka Gary’s dad Ron – also served at Kingfield for many years in the backroom staff.


Back to Saturday’s action and ‘The View From The Hill’ in the boss’s programme notes was that ‘when we’re on our game, we’re a match for any team in this league’. And, buoyed by going toe-to-toe with Forest Green, Woking’s young and exciting team certainly didn’t suffer from any inferiority complex against Cheltenham – attacking their experienced visitors in the early stages of 90 minutes which ebbed and flowed either way.

Seven-goal topscorer John Goddard and forward Dan Holman again looked to link up as they had to devastating effect to open the scoring in midweek, with the former flashing the first of a number of fiendish crosses across the Town penalty box inside 10 minutes.

Sadly for the hosts, there was to be no Woking boot to apply the all-important finishing touch to Goddard’s, Bruno Andrade’s or Jake Caprice’s numerous centres throughout the contest.

Up the other end in front of the Lesley Gosden Stand, the Robins' sage strike pair Amari Morgan-Smith and Danny Wright were combining well – the former almost profiting from a momentary breakdown in communication between Jake Cole and Terell Thomas, before brushing the side-netting with a stab on goal as the half wore on.

A refocused Cole was at full stretch with a one-handed reaction save to keep out a firm header by Town’s tall No 9 once again 10 minutes before the break, while home debutant Braham-Barrett almost capped a fine first 45 minutes in a cardinal and white shirt with a goal against his former employers but his shot on goal lacked a punch.

Half-time: Woking 0 Cheltenham Town 0

Woking looked the more likely to break the deadlock as they came out with their tails up at the start of the second period – Dan Holman twice coming within a whisker of netting from overlapping full-back Caprice’s whipped low deliveries.

But Holman and his team-mates couldn’t press home their territorial advantage against Johnson’s solid looking 3-5-2 unit who, you suspected, where biding their time until they could utilise their height advantage in one of coach Johnson’s infamous set-plays.

Johnson is known for naming his set-piece routines – his rangy midfielder Harry Pell netted from one such move, dubbed ‘the weasel’ in his side’s win over Macclesfield. But when the Robin’s goal came in the 67th minute, it was perhaps as much to do with the Cards’ missing the aerial power of Ismail Yakubu, Mark Ricketts and Scott Rendell, as it was to a foxy, stoaty, set-play.

A corner was hung up to the back post by Jack Munns - who now surpasses Andrade at the top of the assists charts (6) – for Town’s topscorer Danny Wright, who firmly headed home his 5th goal of the campaign having climbed above Cards’ young Charlton Athletic loanee, Thomas.

It was a sucker punch for Thomas and home team-mates, who had more than stood up against strong opponents for over two-thirds of the game – home boss Hill throwing Thomas’ fellow Addick, Kadell Daniel, and Giuseppe Sole from the bench for a final push.

Another lightening quick reaction stop by Cole from Town sub Bill Waters’ side-footed strike inside the box was required to keep hope alive in the terraces for the final five minutes of the 90, plus four minutes of added time.

Incredibly, somehow the match ball entered and exited the Cheltenham penalty area unscathed twice more in stoppage time – firstly both Sole and Keohane couldn’t lunge enough to meet sub Joey Jones’ centre, before Town stopper Dillon Phillips was first to the punch ahead of Holman and Sole from another fine Braham-Barrett attempt.

A slim one-goal defeat against a side who had been operating in the Football League up until last season - to go with the 1-0 opening loss up at Tranmere Rovers – shouldn’t unduly rock manager Hill’s charges. If anything, another competitive display against a promotion favourite should see his young side’s stock rise even further at the top end of the league table – where Woking sit in a highly creditable fifth place, in spite of the ever-lengthening queue to Steve Snelling’s physio room!

It’s another quick turnaround for a Tuesday night game for Garry and the squad who travel to Essex to meet rapidly improving Braintree Town, who won 4-0 at Altrincham to move up to 7th place on Saturday.

Woking: Jake Cole, Craig Braham-Barrett, Terell Thomas, Brian Saah, Jake Caprice (Giuseppe Sole 81), Bruno Andrade, Jimmy Keohane, John Goddard (Kadell Daniel 81), Keiran Murtagh (c), Harry Cardwell (Joey Jones 55), Daniel Holman



Unused subs: Nick Hamman, Godfrey Poku



Cautioned: Dan Holman (33), Keiran Murtagh (87)


Cheltenham Town: Dillon Phillips, Jack Barthram, George McLennan, Aaron Dowes (c), Rob Dickie, Daniel Parslow, Kyle Storer, Harry Pell, Jack Munns (Asa Hall 72), Amari Morgan-Smith, Danny Wright (Bill Waters 82)


Unused subs: Calum Kitscha, James Rowe, Lee Vaughan



Goals: Danny Wright (67)



Cautioned: Kyle Storer (40), Harry Pell (90)



Sponsors’ MOTM: Craig Braham-Barrett – a solid defensive debut and could provide a threat going forward down the left flank in Chris Arthur’s absence.



Attendance: 2,035 (195 away)
WOKING LINEUP
1Jake Cole
2Jake Caprice ('81)
25Craig Braham-Barrett
22Terell Thomas
5Brian Saah
8Keiran Murtagh
23Jimmy Keohane
15Bruno Andrade
11John Goddard ('81)
20Dan Holman
24Harry Cardwell ('55)
BENCH
18Nick Hamann
7Joey Jones ('55)
12Godfrey Poku
16Kadell Daniel ('81)
10Giuseppe Sole ('81)
Cheltenham Town LINEUP
1Dillion Phillips
2Jack Barthram
3George McLennan
4Kyle Storer
5Aaron Downes
6Daniel Parslow
7Harry Pell
9Danny Wright
10Amari Morgan-Smith
11Jack Munns
24Rob Dickie
BENCH
8Bill Waters
12Calum Kitscha
14Asa Hall
18James Rowe
19Lee Vaughan

Woking 0 - 1 Cheltenham Town (Garry Hill Interview)

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