Match Preview | Cards aim for back-to-back wins to kick-start pre-season

Woking vs Swindon Town
Pre-Season Friendly
Tuesday 12th July 2022

Woking will look to make it two wins out of two for their 2022 pre-season campaign on Tuesday evening when they host League Two side Swindon Town at the Laithwaite Community Stadium.

Darren Sarll’s new-look Cards got off to a strong start last Tuesday, when they defeated an Arsenal Under-23s team 3-2 in an entertaining game, with goals coming from a first-half trialist, plus new signings Reece Grego-Cox and Padraig Amond.

Sarll used 22 different players, with new line-ups for each half, including all 16 signed players, five trialists and academy winger Trevor Caborn. The trialists included a centre-back, a left-back, a centre midfielder, and two strikers, possibly giving some indication of where the Woking boss feels he still needs to strengthen before the season starts. It will be interesting to see if those same players feature next time out, or if any new faces emerge.

Swindon finished sixth in League Two last season, narrowly missing out on an instant return to the third tier after relegation the previous season, losing out on promotion via the play-offs to eventual winners Port Vale, who won a mammoth penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 draw on aggregate. They also reached the third round of the FA Cup, where they were beaten by Premier League champions Manchester City.

Last month, manager Ben Garner left the club to join League One side Charlton Athletic after just shy of 12 months in charge, and has been replaced by Scott Lindsey, who was Garner’s assistant manager. His previous coaching experience includes a caretaker spell at Lincoln City, being assistant manager at Forest Green Rovers, and two years in charge at Isthmian League side Chatham Town. Former Welling, Ebbsfleet and Braintree boss Jamie Day has been appointed as his number two.

So far Lindsey has kept hold of last season’s top scorer, Harry McKirdy, who scored 23 goals in all competitions last season. He has also added seven new players, including Manchester United academy graduate Reece Devine and former Leicester City youngsters Tyrese Shade and Jacob Wakeling. Notable departures include goalkeeper Joe Wollacott, a one-time Woking loanee, and full-back Mandela Egbo, who have both joined Garner at Charlton.

Their pre-season thus far has yielded a 3-2 win at Melksham Town and a 2-0 loss at neighbours Swindon Supermarine on Saturday.

Ticket prices are set at £12 for adults (including all Concessions and Next-Gen supporters) and £6 for under 16s. Please remember that this game has a 7pm kick-off.