Chertsey Town 2 Woking 0
Specsavers Surrey Senior Cup Quarter Final
15th March 2022

A very mild middle of March evening greeted a good-sized crowd who had gathered to see if the Curfews could inflict a cupset on their county neighbours. Woking had clearly ignored the Soothsayer’s warning on the Ides of March, as their hosts deservedly knocked the Cards out of the Surrey Senior Cup at the Quarter-Final stage for the third time in four seasons.

The Cards played with a completely different pack (not one starter retained) from Saturday’s dramatic win against Maidenhead, but were dealt a painful lesson by a clearly confident Chertsey side who scored in both halves to snuff out any remaining chance of success in this disappointing 2021/22 campaign.

Woking kicked off but found it difficult to make any headway against their hosts who were very organised and certainly didn’t allow their opponents any space or time to dwell on the ball.
The midfield was starting to get very congested and the contest was littered with free kicks for both sides. Chertsey bore little resemblance to a side three leagues lower than the Cards, and any neutral present would have been forgiven for not seeing any disparity within the pyramid structure between the teams.

The Curfews had the first shot on target in the seventeenth minute which was saved by Mark Smith. Woking then forced the first corner of the contest which was headed over the bar. The hosts then broke free down the right-hand side (with a hint of offside) but the cross was cleared.
They were now seeing more possession, and this led to the opening goal on 32 minutes when Mr Owen awarded a penalty for a Woking handball on a goal-bound shot from the dangerous Ndombe.
Ashley Lodge placed the ball on the spot and confidently struck the penalty high into the middle of the goal with Mark Smith, diving to his right, powerless to stop it.

The Cards responded by driving forward in search of an equaliser with Nicke Kabamba playing in George Oakley, but his right-foot shot went wide of the post when he should have done better.
Woking then fashioned another chance to level the scores when a good cross from Jack Roles found Jack Skinner in space, but Nicky Jupp made a good save with his feet to deny him.

Chertsey then had two chances to double their lead before the break; from a corner there was a goalmouth scramble which was cleared and then Ndombe was left in acres of space on the left-hand side of the area but he fired his shot wide. The referee then signalled the end of the half with the Curfews in the ascendancy and Woking knowing that they had to improve significantly after the break.

Half-time: Chertsey Town 1 Woking 0

The second period started with no changes in personnel and followed a similar pattern to the first. Ten minutes had elapsed before Chertsey’s strong two-footed number seven drove down the right
and put in a great cross which was cleared. Gary Abisogun had an excellent game and proved too strong for any opponent on the night; on this performance he should really be playing further up the Pyramid. The Curfews then took a two-goal lead on 57 minutes when Didi Ndombe cut in from the left and shot powerfully past Smith to the delight of the home fans.

In attempting to bolster their attack Woking made their first change on 63 minutes with Johnson replacing Skinner; Chertsey then replaced Montague with Day up front. Ndombe then became the only player to find himself in Mr Owen’s notebook for kicking the ball away; a rare blot in an otherwise excellent performance. Johnson then put in a cross to Kabamba which led to a corner.
He then had a shot which was saved by Jupp before Oakley was withdrawn to make way for Effiong. Despite his rallying cries, he saw little of the ball in the twenty or so minutes on the field.

The Cards then won a free kick which was taken quickly from distance by Jack Roles almost catching out the home defence, but his speculative shot went wide as the contest entered the final 15 minutes. Abisogun then beat the offside trap with another of his strong runs into the area but Mark Smith stood firm to deny him a goal from a tight angle. Ndombe was then replaced by Taylor shortly afterwards. Chertsey then forced two corners, both of which were well cleared by Smith.

With time running out Woking gained a free kick in the ‘D’, but Roles was unable to keep the ball down and it sailed harmlessly over the bar. Abisogun then gained another free kick after being pulled back for the umpteenth time, which appeared to be the only way to stop him ! The hosts then made their final change with penalty-taker Lodge replaced by Hurrell. As the clock ran down Woking forced a corner and then earned another free kick, but their efforts came to naught.

Three added minutes produced no more action of note and the final whistle signalled an end to The Cards Senior Cup Campaign for this Season as the Curfews advanced with ease into the semi-final. Although fielding an entirely different side on the night there was little excuse for a tepid performance against a team that were always going to prove a tough challenge on their own patch. Dyer’s side looked devoid of ideas and lacked spark even with their second half changes. Visiting supporters would have left Alwyns Lane disappointed and can only hope that Woking pick themselves up for their trip to the Hive to face Barnet on Saturday, followed by a home game against Weymouth next Tuesday as the National League season enters the home straight.

Woking: 1 Mark Smith, 2 Joe McNerney © 14 George Oakley (9 Inih Effiong 69’), 15 Jack Skinner (11 Tyreke Johnson 63’), 16 Louie Annesley, 17 Tarryn Allarakhia, 18 Nicke Kabamba, 20 Jack Roles, 26 Jake Rumble, 27 Oliver Pendlebury, 11 Jayden Hutchins

Unused subs: 13 Craig Ross, 3 Josh Casey, 8 Solomon Nwabuokei

Goals: None

Bookings: None

Chertsey Town 1 Nicky Jupp, 2 Sam Murphy, 3 Mason Welch-Turner, 4 Ashley Lodge (15 Sam Hurrell 86’), 5 Darryl Harrison, 6 Quincy Rowe, 7 Gary Abisogun, 8 Andy Crossley, 9 Bill Montague (12 Scott Day 64’), 10 Jake Baxter, 11 Didi Ndombe (16 Bryan Taylor 78’)

Unused subs: 14 Lewis Jackson, 17 Jay Gasson

Goals: Lodge 32’(p), Ndombe 57’

Booking: Ndombe 67‘

Referee: Nigel Owen

Attendance: 606

Man of the Match: The only candidate for Woking was Mark Smith who kept the score line respectable with several good saves and blocks and wasn’t at fault for either goal.