MKJ Group
Friendly
5:00pm - SundaySun 10th JulyJul 2016
The Laithwaite Community Stadium | Att: 1280

Woking
Woking
1 - 1

Watford
Watford

Hornets at the Laithwaite on Sunday for first friendly

Brian Caffarey
11:07am, Fri 8th Jul 2016
Woking v Watford
Pre-season friendly
5pm on Sunday 10 July 2016

Premier League Watford, under new head coach, Walter Mazzarri, are bringing their first team squad to The Laithwaite Community Stadium on Sunday for the Cards’ first friendly fixture of the new season. The Legends' Bar will be open from 3.30pm and the Cardinals' Bar will be showing the Euro 2016 Final after the game, so why not come down and make it a real outing?

WOKING

With only eight players on contract so far, Garry Hill will clearly be using the friendly games to have a good look at a number of possible signings, including several players who have been training with the Club already.

The players already signed up are: Ismail Yakubu, Keiran Murtagh, Jake Caprice, Joey Jones, Fabio Saraiva, Charlie Penny, Brian Saah and Michael Poke. Cards fans will be particularly interested to see how Fabio Saraiva and Charlie Penny fit in – both of whom figured prominently for Merstham last season, including in the Surrey Senior Cup tie which the Cards lost.

WATFORD

The Hornets’ new Head Coach, Walter Mazzarri, was appointed in late May and officially took up post on 1 July. He was previously in charge at Inter Milan. He also reached the Coppa Italia final with Sampdoria and Napoli and guided the latter to a second place finish in Serie A.

Watford finished the 2015/16 Premier League season in 13th place, and reached the semi-finals of The FA Cup.

The Hornets have made three major signings so far this summer: Nigerian forward Isaac Success from Granada; 19 year-old forward Jerome Sinclair from Liverpool; and Belgian U21 defender Christian Kabasele from Genk. Watford fans will have been very pleased to learn that talismanic striker Troy Deeney has signed a new five-year contract.

ADMISSION PRICES

Adults £10
Concessions £5

The Legends' Bar will be open before the game from 3.30pm, with the main bar open at half-time and after the match, where the final of the European Championships will be shown starting at 8pm.

COMING UP

The Cards’ other pre-season games are:

Saturday 16th July 2016 - Gosport Borough v Woking (3pm)
Tuesday 19th July 2016 - Woking v Leyton Orient (7.45pm)
Saturday 23rd July 2016 - Woking v Swindon Town (3pm)
Tuesday 26th July 2016 - Woking v Luton Town (7.45pm)
Friday 29th July 2016 - Woking v AFC Wimbledon (7.45pm)

The Cards start their Vanarama National League season on Saturday 6 August with a home game against Lincoln City.


Come on, you Cards!

Woking hold their own against Premier League team

John Pearce
11:47pm, Sun 10th Jul 2016
Woking 1 Watford 1
Pre-season Friendly
10th July 2016

Occupying a ‘window’ in time on a day otherwise replete with major distractions for ardent sports fans, Woking’s challenging first Pre-season Friendly against Premier League Watford attracted a decent-sized crowd to the Laithwaite Community Stadium on a pleasant, sunny and slightly breezy Sunday evening.

With only 8 players signed up for the coming season prior to the match, it was very much a case of ‘Spot the Trialist’ in the Woking team. There were, however, a couple of familiar names amongst the 12 of them on the teamsheet.

Watford fielded a very strong first team squad for what was also their first PSF. With household names like Gomes, Capoue, Ighalo, Vydra and others in the starting line-up, there were only a couple of youngsters with limited first team experience and no trialists. Even Troy Deeney put in a non-playing appearance, before a dramatic exit from the car park after the game in his new £180k Lamborghini.

Woking’s starting line-up included seven of the 8 contracted players, with Charles Penny being absent on the day. Ben Gordon (league experience) started at left back, with Wilson Carvalho (ex-Corby) and Max Kretzschmar (ex-Wycombe) in midfield, and peripatetic ‘old boy’ Delano Sam Yorke – last seen on loan at Boreham Wood from Forest Green Rovers – operating as the lone striker.

The game started fairly evenly with Woking’s first attack coming after 5 minutes with Joey Jones’s ball to the right-hand corner of the Watford box being cleared. On 11 minutes, Watford won a series of corners on the left; the first of these was headed wide, the second was saved by Poke in front of goal and the third pushed round the post by him. Poke saved again 3 minutes later after a run and shot from Berghuis.

On 15 minutes, Saraiva took his first real opportunity to show his skills with a free kick from the left, but a Woking player was adjudged to be offside.

A couple more Watford corners ensued before their goal, in the 21st minute, with Berghuis' shot from about 6 yards out being deflected in.

In the 22nd minute, Ismail Yakubu came off – slightly worrying, given last season, but understood just to be for fitness reasons – and was replaced by Charlie Carter (ex youth team), with Joey Jones moving back into defence. Within two minutes, Carter got the last touch on the ball for Woking’s goal, after a melee in the Watford goalmouth following another Saraiva free kick.

Ighalo and Capoue showed their undoubted skills with a clever interchange in the Woking box, but Ighalo finally shot over the bar.

Just before half time, a Woking player was fouled midway into the Watford half. Saraiva’s free kick just cleared a rising Gomes and the goal.

Half-time: Woking 1 Watford 1

Garry made a couple of changes at the beginning of the second half, bringing on Brandon Hall (ex-Ebbsfleet) for Michael Poke in goal, and Ryan Sellers (ex-Wycombe) for Ben Gordon at left back. Watford swapped 6 players at this point.

The second half was largely uneventful, with most players on the pitch feeling their way. In the 54th minute, Sellers put in a difficult cross but there was no one there to challenge the keeper. For Watford, Anya centred from the left only for Sinclair to head it over.

A string of Woking substitutions continued throughout the second half, with Charles Banya replacing Carvalho, Chike Kandi (ex Brighton U21) for Sam Yorke, Geoffrey Ghesquière (Belgian) for Saraiva, Aaron Joseph-Smith for Kretzschmar and Jaydon Thorburn for Saah.

On 67 minutes, Watford’s Guedioura’s shot was deflected over the bar; the resulting corner was cleared. Kretzschmar received a pass from Murtagh in the box, but his shot was saved by Arlauskis. Towards the end, right winger Aaron Smith-Joseph show deftness and a nice turn of pace in the Watford box.

This was a very encouraging team performance from Woking who were a match for their opponents on the day, with most of the ‘new faces’ acquitting themselves well. Kretzschmar displayed tenacity and skill in midfield, while Carter showed some deft touches and did well to get to the ball for the goal. Candi looked like he could be a handful up front. Ryan Sellers probably had a slight edge over Ben Gordon at left back. DSY did a solid but unspectacular job, while Banya was his usual enigmatic self. Brandon Hall had a quiet 45 minutes in goal, so the jury is out.

The established players performed as we have come to expect of them on their better days. Of the newcomers, Saraiva showed class in dead ball situations.

For their part, Watford’s expensively assembled (£50m, and that’s just the starting line-up) and decidedly cosmopolitan squad looked a tad ‘ring rusty’ on their first run-out for a while, with a few shots and crosses going comically wide. However, there should be enough quality here for them to stay clear of the Premier League danger zone again in the coming season. Of their lesser known players, Amrabat on the right wing impressed me.

Woking: Michael Poke (Brandon Hall 45), Jake Caprice, Ben Gordon (Ryan Sellers 45), Joey Jones, Brian Saah (Jaydon Thorburn 76), Ismail Yakubu (Charlie Carter 23),Wilson Carvalho (Charles Banya 50), Keiran Murtagh, Delano Sam Yorke (Chike Kandi 63), Max Kretzschmar (Aaron Smith-Joseph 74), Fabio Saraiva (Geoffrey Ghesquiere 69)

Subs not used: Harly Wise

Goals: Carter (23)

Watford: Heurelho Gomes (Giedrius Arlauskis 45), Allan Nyom, Ikechi Anya, Nordin Amrabat (José Holebas 60), Miguel Britos (Charlie Rowan 84), Tommie Hoban (Isaac Success 68), Étienne Capoue (Abdoulaye Doucouré 45), Mario Suarez (Ben Watson 45), Odion Ighalo (Jerome Sinclair 45), Steven Berghuis (Obbi Oularé 45), Matyj Vydra (Adlène Guedioura 45)

Subs not used: Rene Gilmartin, Connor Stevens

Goals: Steven Berghuis (21)

Attendance: 1,280

My MOTM: Difficult to call this one. There were no outstanding individual Woking performances, but most of those on the pitch put in a shift and looked determined to impress the management. I am going for Michael Poke who made some excellent saves in the first half.

Shop Online

adidas 1/4 Zip Training Top

adidas 1/4 Zip Training Top

BUY NOW »
adidas 2023/24 Away Shirt

adidas 2023/24 Away Shirt

BUY NOW »
adidas 2023/24 Home Shirt

adidas 2023/24 Home Shirt

BUY NOW »
adidas Laithwaite Financial Services Boz's Fruit and Veg Jewson MKJ Peacock Construction Seymours The National League Vanarama

Woking Football Club Limited
A company incorporated in England and Wales (company number: ‍03329172)
Registered office The Laithwaite Community Stadium, Kingfield, Woking, Surrey, GU22 9AA

Click here to read our Data Protection Privacy Policy
Click here to read our Accessibility Statement