Specsavers
3:00pm - SaturdaySat 6th MarchMar 2021
The Laithwaite Community Stadium

Woking
Woking
3 - 0

King's Lynn Town
King's Lynn Town

New signings aiming to solve Woking woes in front of goal

Glen Harrington
7:57am, Sat 6th Mar 2021
Woking vs King’s Lynn Town
Vanarama National League
Saturday 6th March 2021


For the second game in succession, Woking will face a newly promoted National League North side, as they welcome last year’s sixth-tier winner King’s Lynn Town to the Laithwaite Community Stadium.

Woking will be aiming to set the record straight against the Linnets, having suffered a disappointing collapse against the Linnets earlier in the season, a 3-2 defeat after looking comfortable in a 2-1 half-time lead – now Woking winger Jamar Loza scoring the two second-half goals for Lynn. It’s a crucial game all around for the Cards, who have won just one of their last nine league games, and despite the still uncertain relegation picture will have at least one eye over their shoulder towards the bottom three. Whilst a play-off place is likely beyond them, Dowse and his players will no doubt be desperate to finish the season strongly and carry that momentum into next season.

King’s Lynn have endured a challenging first season in the National League. They are currently in 20th place, two places and three points behind the Cards, and three clear of the relegation zone. They have won six and drawn five of their 22 games, also conceding 44 goals, a record only Wealdstone and Barnet can worsen. Their recent form is mixed. On Tuesday they claimed a credible 2-2 draw away to Notts County, where they scored in the first minute of the match and the third minute of second-half stoppage time, whilst their previous game saw them beat struggling Barnet 5-1. However, that ended a run of four straight defeats, stretching back to a win over Eastleigh in mid-January.

Woking – Team News

The Cards could hand a debut to two new strikers – Sam Ashford and Niko Muir – who were announced as having signed on loan on Friday from Crawley Town and Hampton & Richmond Borough, respectively. This will certainly mean plenty of competition for places up front, with the likes of Malachi Napa, Jamar Loza, and Max Kretzschmar all contenders to start in an attacking quartet. Dowse is also optimistic that club captain Josh Casey could also make his first appearance since mid-January, having been an unused substitute for the last couple of games.

King’s Lynn Town – The Boss

The Linnets are coached by Ian Culverhouse who is in his second spell with the club. Culverhouse is perhaps best known for his career as a player with Norwich City, whom he joined from Tottenham Hotspur in 1985, and the defender went onto spend close to a decade at Carrow Road. He finished his playing career with spells at Swindon Town and Brighton & Hove Albion before moving into coaching. He enjoyed assistant manager roles at Colchester United, Norwich, and Aston Villa, before stepping into management with King’s Lynn for the first time in 2017. After a brief spell with Grantham Town, he returned to the Linnets in 2018 and guided them to promotion to the National League.

One to Watch

King’s Lynn aren’t short of goals. They’ve scored 30, five more than the Cards in the league this season, and six of those have come from star striker Adam Marriott. The experienced former Cambridge United, Cambridge City, Stevenage, and Lincoln City player has scored over 50 league goals for the Linnets in the last two-and-a-half seasons – a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that last season was cut short. Whilst his goals haven’t been quite as frequent at this level, he remains a significant threat going forwards.

Last Time Out

King’s Lynn Town 3-2 Woking – National League (31st October 2020)


The Cards looked to be heading for three points here, after goals from Kane Ferdinand and Josh Davison cancelled out Adam Marriotts’s opener, but former-Card (and now Card once again) Jamar Loza had different ideas as the second-half substitute was twice allowed too much space down the Woking right to cut inside, slot the ball past Craig Ross, and claim the win inside the final 10 minutes.

Next Up

The fixtures are coming thick and fast for the Cards who are at home to Boreham Wood on Tuesday evening, that’s followed by a trip to in-form Yeovil Town next Saturday, and then a return to the Laithwaite Community Stadium against Altrincham three days later.


in association with LV BET

Jamar puts on a show

Brian Caffarey
6:43pm, Sat 6th Mar 2021
Woking 3 Kings Lynn Town 0
Vanarama National League
6 March 2021

The Cards went into this game hoping to put an end to a poor run of league results, which had seen them win only one of their last nine National League games, including a run of four games at home in which they had scored only one goal. In an attempt to inject some more firepower, Dowse had brought two strikers in on loan during the week – Sam Ashford from Crawley Town and Niko Muir from Hampton and Richmond Borough – and both were given their debuts. The change paid off handsomely, with Ashford giving the Cards a first-half lead, which provided the platform for Jamar Loza (pictured) to then put on a show, as his quick feet and ability to slalom past defenders, provided a crucial cutting edge. Loza added the second late on after good work from substitute Jayden Wareham, and there was still time for Ben Gerring to poach a third goal from close range.

Dowse made two more changes from Tuesday’s starting line-up in the disappointing defeat at Altrincham, with Charlie Cooper and Max Kretzschmar returning in midfield in place of Ben Dempsey and Tommy Block. Kings Lynn had furloughed several players, including their top two strikers, but were still able to field a side which included the experienced Michael Gash and Alex Kiwomya in attack and made Woking work hard for their victory.

After a fairly harum-scarum opening in which Ashford nevertheless impressed immediately with his ability to win balls in the air and bring in his new team mates, the away side began to look threatening, with some fluid attacking moves. Kiwomya’s pace, in particular, caused problems out on the right flank, while Carr and Mitchell moved the ball sweetly through midfield. The Linnets went close in the 11th minute after Kiwomya had taken the ball down adroitly and put in a searching cross which just eluded Mitchell. The pressure ramped up as Ross palmed one effort away and Gash then headed against the bar, with Diarra putting in a great block to foil the follow-up.

Woking responded, initially, with a decent effort from Muir, which the Linnets keeper had to be alert to smother and then grab at the second attempt. But the Linnets attacked again, with two more shots blocked and a 30-yard Denton effort whistling past Ross’s post.

The turning point came in the 28th minute after some fine attacking play from Loza and Kretzshmar down the left had temporarily broken down, only for Loza to fire in a lovely cross from the opposite flank. Ashford, slightly hanging back from the defenders, headed down clinically back across the keeper to put the Cards 1-0 up.

The goal visibly lifted the Cards, with Loza now seemingly everywhere, winning tackles, slipping past defenders and getting in some fine crosses, from one of which Muir flicked wide. The highlight, though, came shortly before half-time as, in a brilliant move, he jinked into the area, turning past defenders and firing just past the far post.

Half-time: Woking 1 Kings Lynn Town 0

The visitors started the second half strongly, with Ross immediately having to foil a Fleming effort and Gash having a shot blocked. But Woking’s harrying seemed to regain them the initiative. A second interception as the Linnets tried to play out of defence almost produced a repeat of Loza’s marvellous strike against Torquay but the post prevented his left-footed effort from adding to the Cards’ lead.

It really ought to have been 2-0 in the 65th minute. Gerring’s header hit the bar and Wareham, on as a substitute, nodded the ball back goalwards. It seemed pretty clear from the streaming pictures that the ball had crossed the line before being hacked clear but the linesman didn’t agree and the referee was not in a position, presumably, to make the call himself.

The Cards continued to press: at one point, taking four corners in succession as Ashford showed his prowess in swinging in balls from the left.

But the Linnets were far from out of the game at this stage and might well have equalised in the 68th minute. Woking looked as though they had been caught out by a short corner. The resulting shot was mis-hit but when the ball came back in the Linnets ought to have capitalised instead of heading over the bar.

It was noticeable that the Cards didn’t try to sit on a one-goal lead but continued to attack whenever the opportunity arose. Diarra – as influential as ever in defence, but also in attacking set plays – won a couple of headers in Kings Lynn’s area and then he and Ferdinand both had shots blocked.

Woking finally gained some breathing space in the 80th minute. The ever-willing Wareham chased down a ball on the right flank, forcing the defender to slip. He then cut the ball back coolly – and, more importantly, accurately – to Loza, who had the relatively simple task of side-footing the ball home before two defenders could intervene. It was a goal which Loza’s performance thoroughly deserved and one which he clearly enjoyed.

However, his decisive contribution to the match wasn’t over yet. Just before the end of full-time his quick feet drew a foul to the left of the area. Cooper’s free-kick arrowed in on goal; the keeper saved; and Wareham shot, with the ball then being turned in by Gerring to make the scoreline a perhaps slightly flattering 3-0.

The visitors pressed for a consolation goal but substitute Gyasi’s efforts were blocked and another free-kick cannoned into the Woking wall.

This was a very welcome and well-deserved win, coming after a poor midweek performance which had somewhat taken the gloss off the Cards’ defeat of Torquay in the FA Trophy and the away win at Barnet. Dowse will have been delighted with the contribution of Ashford in particular and the further vindication of his decision to bring Loza back to the Club. But it was also a good all-round team performance, with the defence again looking pretty solid. Boreham Wood are likely to provide an even stiffer test on Tuesday.

Woking: Craig Ross, Jack Cook, Ben Gerring, Moussa Diarra, Kyron Lofthouse, Jamar Loza, Charlie Cooper, Kane Ferdinand, Max Kretzschmar, Sam Ashford (Malachi Napa 79), Niko Muir (Jayden Wareham 63)

Unused subs: Mark Smith, Josh Casey, Matt Jarvis

Goals: Sam Ashford 28, Jamar Loza 81, Ben Gerring 90

Booked: Kane Ferdinand, Max Kretzschmar

Kings Lynn Town: Mair, Callan-McFadden, Smith, Richards (Gyasi 82), Gash, Fleming, King (Clunan 46), Mitchell, Kiwomya (Jarvis 71), Carey, Denton

Unused sub: Bastock

My MOTM – has to be Jamar Loza!

Referee: Tom Reeves
WOKING LINEUP
13Craig Ross
2Jack Cook
16Kyran Lofthouse
5Ben Gerring
6Moussa Diarra
10Max Kretzschmar
4Charlie Cooper
8Kane Ferdinand
25Sam Ashford ('79)
26Jamar Loza
19Niko Muir ('63)
BENCH
3Josh Casey
11Matt Jarvis
20Malachi Napa ('79)
9Jonté Smith
23Jayden Wareham ('63)
King's Lynn Town LINEUP
21Archie Mair
15Tai Flemming
25Tyler Denton
4Kyle Callan-McFadden
5Chris Smith
17Cameron King ('46)
8Jordan Richards ('82)
23Alex Kiwomya ('71)
24Sonny Carey
9Michael Gash
19Kairo Mitchell
BENCH
30Paul Bastock
7Michael Clunan ('46)
14Ryan Jarvis ('71)
12Michael Gyasi ('82)

Woking 3-0 King's Lynn Town | Ian Dyer Interview

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