Woking 1 Yeovil Town 0
Vanarama National League
1st November 2022

On a stormy evening weather-wise, if not on the pitch, Woking recovered from being thwarted by visiting keeper Grant’s heroics to eventually claim all three points. A late Padraig Amond strike saw the Cards notch back-to-back single goal home victories to hold on to fifth place and secure their first win over the Glovers in six attempts.

A crowd just short of two thousand assembled at the Laithwaite Community Stadium for the second time in four days to see if Woking could once again overcome stubborn opponents that had proved difficult to beat in recent meetings. The Cards made two changes from Saturday with on-loan goal scorer Jahmari Clarke starting in place of Jake Vokins and Jermaine Anderson replacing the suspended James Daly.

The hailstorm and heavy rain that descended on the ground with the players completing their pre-match warm-ups made for difficult conditions by the time Mr Wood signalled to start proceedings. In truth there was very little of note in the first half as both sides struggled to find their feet.

Woking had the first half-chance after 14 minutes as Ricky Korboa tried his luck from distance, but his shot was comfortably saved by Smith. There followed a succession of free kicks interspersed by corners, but all goal attempts were negotiated without too much trouble by the Glovers’ defence.

The visitors relieved the pressure themselves with a couple of free kicks and a cross which was headed into the safe clutches of Craig Ross. Korboa was continuing to look lively, gaining possession before being brought down by Andrews who became the first to have his name taken. The resulting free kick was deflected for another corner which was cleared as Yeovil kept the home side at bay.

The final five minutes of the half saw both Richards-Everton and Clarke join Andrews in Mr Wood’s notebook; the Cards forced another corner in the last of three added minutes which eventually found Korboa, but the defence again held firm as both sets of players headed for the dressing rooms.

Half-time: Woking 0 Yeovil Town 0

The second half started with no change in personnel but Woking were clearly looking to exploit any weak links in their opponent’s armour to break the deadlock. Nine minutes had elapsed before Amond had the chance to give his team the lead, but Smith stuck out his right boot to foil the Irishman’s attempt when he was put through on goal one on one by a delicious flick from Jim Kellermann.

Three minutes later he would get another chance after Anderson was felled in the area by Bevan and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. Amond struck the penalty well, but Smith guessed correctly to dive to his left and claim the ball to keep his side level.

Korboa was continuing to cause problems with his direct approach; firstly, having a run blocked and then shooting over the bar from the edge of the area as the game moved into the final half hour. Beckford became the fourth booking for the visitors before they made a double change; Toure and Dawes replacing Thompson and Linton.

Sarll made his first change with Jack Roles coming on for Jahmari Clarke to add fresh impetus to his side. Three minutes later Korboa had another shot from distance, but this too sailed over the bar and into the crowd. Bevan then handled the ball and received a yellow card in return before Perry became the final change for the Glovers with Ewan Clarke leaving the field.

With five minutes left of the ninety Woking finally made the breakthrough. Casey’s cross was headed clear by the defence once more but only as far as Roles who made his way into the area before chipping the ball past three defenders finding Amond coming in at the far post to poke the ball into the net, finally beating Smith to put the Cards in front. Clearly relieved at atoning for his earlier misses, Amond was surrounded by his teammates as they celebrated in front of the Woking faithful at the Kingfield Road End.

Korboa and Ince were both booked for late fouls before the former was replaced by Vokins as the board indicated five added minutes, the third of which saw a great chance for Kellerman to double the lead, only to be foiled once again by Grant Smith. A final change saw Bilongo making his debut for Amond before the final whistle blew to bring an end to a narrow, albeit deserved, home victory.

Next up for the Cards is the home Emirates FA Cup First Round clash with league one Oxford United this coming Sunday with a 2pm kick off. This is followed by a trip around the M25 to face Bromley on Wednesday 9th (7.45pm) and then another away league match at Boreham Wood on Saturday 12th (3pm)

Woking: 13 Craig Ross, 3 Josh Casey ©, 4 Scott Cuthbert, 5 Joe McNerney, 7 Ricky Korboa (29 Jake Vokins 90’), 10 Padraig Amond (15 Bryant Bilongo 90+3’), 12 Dan Moss, 17 Jim Kellerman, 19 Jahmari Clarke (18 Jack Roles 69’), 23 Jermaine Anderson, 24 Rohan Ince

Unused subs: 1 Ethan Wady, 30 Denny Roberts

Goals: Amond 85’

Bookings: Korboa 86‘, Ince 90’

Yeovil Town 1 Grant Smith, 17 Charl Thompson (10 Gime Toure 63’), 26 Owen Bevan, 5 Max Hunt, 6 Ben Richards-Everton, 3 Jamie Reckford, 32 Josh Staunton ©, 18 Jamie Andrews, 14 Malachi Linton (25 Will Dawes 64’), 9 Alex Fisher, 23 Ewan Clarke (16 Sam Perry 83’)

Unused subs: 20 Will Buse, 22 Ollie Hulbert

Goals: None

Bookings: Andrews 30’, Richards-Everton 40’, Clarke 45’, Reckford 61’, Bevan 82’

Referee: Lloyd Wood

Attendance: 1981 (220 away)

Man of the Match: Ricky Korboa was a constant threat and the defensive unit held firm throughout, but the Sponsor’s choice was Jermaine Anderson