Laithwaite Independent Financial Advisers

3:00pm - SaturdaySat 5th MarchMar 2016
The Laithwaite Community Stadium | Att: 1305

Woking

0 - 1

Dover Athletic

Cards look to get back on track

Brian Caffarey
5:41pm, Thu 3rd Mar 2016

Woking v Dover Athletic
Vanarama National League
3pm on Saturday 5 March 2016

The Cards face old rivals Dover Athletic on Saturday, hoping to end a miserable run of league form, which has seen them fail to register a win in their last six fixtures, as well as suffering defeat in the FA Trophy last Saturday at Grimsby Town. The Whites will be feeling a bit â€˜downâ€™, too, following their Trophy exit at the hands of Nantwich Town and midweek defeat at home by Southport. However, they still have a good chance of making the play-offs, so expect another fiercely-contested encounter between the two sides. Come along early to the Laithwaite Community Stadium and see the â€˜supportingâ€™ fixture, Spurs v Arsenal, live on the big screen in the Cardinals Bar at 12.45pm.

WOKING

Garry Hill will be hoping that his side can rediscover their form in time for a tough run-in to the end of the season which sees the Cards play nearly all the top sides.

The Cards now sit in 11th place with 49 points from 35 games, eight points off the play-off places, having played more games than most of the teams above them. While a play-off place is still possible mathematically, it is highly improbable and the realistic aim must be to try to ensure a respectable top ten finish â€“ which will be a tough objective in itself.

Cards fans can expect Garryâ€™s latest loan signing, 18 year-old midfielder Matt Butcher from Bournemouth, to make his home debut.

DOVER ATHLETIC

The Whites are enjoying another successful season in spite of their disappointment in slipping up for the second season running at the Quarter-Final stage of the Trophy and being knocked out of the FA Cup at home by Stourbridge.

The Whites slipped to 9th place following their very disappointing 2-1 defeat midweek but are still only five points off Tranmere Rovers in 5th place with three games in hand.

Away from home, Dover have won six, drawn four and lost six, with 26 goals scored and conceded.

Manager Chris Kinnear strengthened his squad in January with the signings of strikers Tyrone Marsh from Torquay United and Harry Crawford, who had a previous loan spell at Crabble in 2010 and who has most recently played for Boreham Wood and St Albans City.

Ricky Miller is top scorer with 15 goals, while Stefan Payne and Nick Deverdics have 12 apiece.

Jamie Grimes and ex-Card Aswad Thomas are expected to be unavailable.

ADMISSION PRICES

Adults - Â£18
Over 65s, Students with NUS card, forces personnel and MOD civilian staff with recognised ID - Â£13
U16s - Â£5

Gates open at 12.30pm. There are currently no plans to segregate the game, so away fans will be welcome in the Cardinals Bar.

MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

Another packed, full colour, 64-page matchday programme includes an interview with new Board Director, Dave Curtis, an update from Club captain Mark Ricketts and news from the Development Centre/Academy. In addition, thereâ€™s a summary of recent league and Trophy results; and news from the Club Board and the Cards Trust, plus match previews, reports and the usual superb match action photos. Great value at only Â£3!

LAST TIME WE MET

Dover Athletic 2 Woking 0
Vanarama National League
25 September 2015

The two sides came into the match in front of the live BT cameras on the back of contrasting fortunes. The home side was on a run of three unbeaten games, including a 5-2 trouncing of promotion hopefuls and big spenders Eastleigh on their own ground. The victory had moved them up to tenth place in the table. Woking, however, were looking to avoid a third successive defeat which had seen them slip to sixth.

The Cards got off to the worst possible start, conceding a penalty in the 2nd minute when on-loan Craig Braham-Barrett tugged back Toby Ajala. Jake Cole saved the penalty kick but then the Cards immediately went behind anyway, Stefan Payne slotting home after a through ball had easily bisected the Woking defence.

Woking just about survived further Dover attacks before gradually coming more into the game but without looking as though they would threaten an equaliser. The Cards looked a little livelier after the break but were soon second best to the home side again, with Stefan Payne wrapping the game up with his second goal in the 75th minute.

Dover Athletic: Mitch Walker, Sam Magri, Sean Raggett, Liam Bellamy (Tom Murphy 54), Jamie Grimes, Richard Orlu, Aswad Thomas, Toby Ajala (Nabi Diallo 82), Nicky Deverdics, Ricky Miller (Duane Ofori-Acheampong 70), Stefan Payne

Unused subs: Andy Rafferty, Jaydon Gibbs  Goals: Stefan Payne (3 and 75)

Woking: Jake Cole, Craig Braham-Barrett, Terell Thomas (Joey Jones 58), Brian Saah, Jake Caprice, Bruno Andrade, Mark Ricketts (c) (Harry Cardwell 77), John Goddard (Giuseppe Sole 77), Keiran Murtagh, Jimmy Keohane, Dan Holman

Unused subs: Nick Hamann, Godfrey Poku

COMING UP

The Cards travel to Eastleigh on Tuesday evening (8 March) and then to Cheltenham Town the following Saturday (12 March). The Cardsâ€™ home game against Grimsby Town on Saturday 19 March has been postponed because of the Marinersâ€™ involvement in the FA Trophy semi-finals, so their next home game is against Kidderminster Harriers on Easter Saturday, 26 March. (The match against Grimsby has now been re-arranged for Tuesday 19 April.)

Come on, you Cards!

P.S. Make sure youâ€™ve got the evening of Thursday 10 March in your diary, when a Celeb X1 take on a Woking Legends XI in the Knights Cup. Among those parading their skills will be Matt Le Tissier, Paul Merson and Tim Buzaglo.

Whites worsen Woking's woes

Ben Mitchell
9:07am, Sun 6th Mar 2016

Woking 0 Dover Athletic 1
March 3rd 2016
Vanarama National League

It was ironic for home supporters that the only goal of the game should come from ex-Cards midfielder Jack Parkinson, whose glancing header ten minutes before half time was enough to settle this encounter on a cold, early Spring day at the Laithwaite Community Stadium.

There were some bright spells throughout the game for the Cards with John Goddard providing a constant threat, but had it not been for Jake Cole making some miraculous saves, Dover might have been home and dry before the break. An improved second half showing from the home side, however, was unable to salvage a point from the encounter.

The first half was initially a cagey affair with neither side really pushing on to take control of the match.

Goddard sparked the game into life on the fifteen minute mark, breaking free of his marker, evading two tackles and bursting into the box, before seeing his low effort turned behind for a corner.

But Dover soon began to work the ball quickly through the centre of the park with Parkinson and Stefan Payne combining well to create a succession of chances.

The game became very open with several forceful challenges leading to penalty appeals from both sides, none of which were upheld by referee John Brooks.
The referee did however award a free kick to Dover shortly after the half-hour mark just outside the Woking box when Joe Robinson was adjudged to have fouled Ricky Modeste, who had been creating havoc down the wing. Modeste brushed himself off before lofting the free kick into the box, the ball pinging around the area before Woking old boy Parkinson leapt highest to head the ball low into the corner of the net for what turned out to be the only goal of the game.

The visitors might have extended their lead before the break had it not been for the lightning reactions of Cole. One save was particularly noteworthy as the Woking 'keeper made a miraculous save to keep out Dover captain Nick Deverdics' blockbuster from thirty-five yards.

Half time: Woking 0 Dover Athletic 1

The second half started much like the first, with very few opportunities created for either side, and once again it was Goddard who looked the most dangerous for the home team.

Despite the Cards now starting to keep possession of the ball much better, Dover still looked dangerous on the break.

Twice in as many minutes Cole once again came to the rescue, first blocking a point blank header from Modeste, before racing off his line to punch clear a cross under pressure from Liam Bellamy.

Keiran Murtagh then shot narrowly wide of a post before the final ten minutes of the game saw the home side come close to netting an equaliser on a couple of occasions. Firstly, Goddard broke free in the box yet again, before seeing his shot blocked on the line. Unfortunately, there was little Joey Jones could do as the resulting deflection hit him in the face and sailed over the bar from a few yards out.

Then, in the dying moments of the game Chris Arthur won a corner and Cole raced up to add his presence in the box. The ball skimmed the head of the Woking stopper before substitute Giuseppe Sole nodded goalwards, only for Deverdics to make a desperate goal-line clearance.

Manager Garry Hill was fairly upbeat after the match, having no complaints about the effort and commitment of his players. He acknowledged that form and results had been poor recently and that the team was low in confidence, although he had been encouraged the longer the second half of the game had gone on.

The result sees the Cards slip down the table to eleventh place, but with still ten games to go and sitting nine points off of the playoff spots, there is still time to fight for at least a place in the top half of the table.

Next up is a tough away game on Tuesday night against promotion hopefuls Eastleigh, who themselves are on a run of four defeats in the league.

But, if the team are to put a stop to their unfortunate run of results they will be looking to the shot-stopping ability of Cole and new England C international Goddard maintaining his good form, coupled with some assistance from elsewhere in the team.

Woking: Jake Cole, Chris Arthur, Mark Ricketts (c), Joey Jones, Keiran Murtagh, John Goddard, Joe Quigley (Giuseppe Sole 62), Daniel Carr (Jake Caprice 62), Cameron Norman (Alex Smith 82), Joe Robinson, Matt Butcher

Unused subs: Godfrey Poku, Nick Hamann

Booked: Chris Arthur 42, Mark Ricketts 74

Dover: Mitchell Walker, Sam Magri, Sean Raggett, Richard Orlu, Ricky Modeste, Liam Bellamy, Ricky Miller (Harry Crawford 87), Tyrone Sterling, Nick Deverdics (c), Jack Parkinson, Stefan Payne

Unused subs: Chris Kinnear jnr, Nany Diallo, Mitchell Pinnock, Tyrone Marsh

Goal: Jack Parkinson 34

Booked: Sam Magri 76

Attendance: 1,305

Man of the Match as selected by match sponsors Menzies: Jake Cole

WOKING LINEUP
1	Jake Cole
26	Cameron Norman ('83)
3	Chris Arthur
7	Joey Jones
27	Joe Robinson
4	Mark Ricketts
8	Keiran Murtagh
28	Matt Butcher
11	John Goddard
19	Joe Quigley ('62)
23	Daniel Carr ('63)
BENCH
18	Nick Hamann
2	Jake Caprice ('63)
12	Godfrey Poku
20	Alex Smith ('83)
10	Giuseppe Sole ('62)