SALISBURY CITY v WOKING
7.45pm on Tuesday 2 December 2008
Setanta Shield Round 4
The Cards? financial worries pale in comparison with the Whites?. 30% pay cuts have been followed by a mass exodus of players as they decide to move elsewhere or the Club seeks to offload their highest-paid players. Both sides will have ample incentive, therefore, to win this game just to get their hands on the prize money (?4,500) and to make further progress in this competition.
WOKING
Woking will be missing Tom Hutchinson and Goma Lambu through injuries and Liam Marum through suspension for this trip. It seems likely that all three of the Cards? new loan signings - Simon Eastwood (goalkeeper), Joe Magunda (central defender) and Tom Denton (forward) ? will make their debut. Phil Gilchrist will want to put out a strong side for this fixture, though, and, with a week?s rest since their Surrey Senior Cup game against Croydon, everyone should be raring to go.
SALISBURY CITY
It must be distressing for Salisbury fans and their Manager, Nick Holmes, who has done a fantastic job at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium, to see his fine side disintegrating. So far Rob Matthews has gone to Havant, Andy Sandell to Aldershot, Matt Tubbs to Bournemouth and Ryan Clarke to Northwich. Wayne Turk and captain Aaron Cook have both joined Newport County on loan. Liam Feeney has also departed, for Southend, but striker Charles Ademeno has moved in the other direction. Another arrival is Daniel Webb, a much-travelled striker who played a few games for the Cards several years ago. Ian Herring, Scott Bartlett and Matt Robinson are on the transfer list.
In spite of all the upheaval the Whites are still a force to be reckoned with, as they demonstrated on Saturday in gaining a 1-1 draw at home to York City, with ex-Card Charlie Griffin on target once more. The Whites? side also includes another former Card, James Bittner, now clearly the number one custodian following Ryan Clarke?s departure.
Salisbury City beat Bath City 1-0 away in the previous round.
The other fixtures in the Southern Section of the competition are:
Crawley Town v Chelmsford City
Ebbsfleet United v Stevenage Borough
Forest Green Rovers v Torquay United
GETTING THERE
Raymond McEnhill Stadium
Partridge Way
Old Sarum
Salisbury
SP4 6PU
Website: http://www.salisburycity-fc.co.uk/
The Supporters? Club is not running a coach to this game.
By road
Follow A322 and M3, leaving at junction 8 to join the A303. Leave A303 at the Countess Roundabout / Amesbury Junction and carry on through the town onto the A345. Continue towards Salisbury, past the turn-off to Boscombe Down on the left, up the hill and through the traffic lights at High Post (a hotel and nightclub are on your right) and carry on down to the Beehive junction roundabout. There is a large white sign, clearly marked 'football ground' in brown writing at the bottom. Turn left, through the first small roundabout and then left into Partridge Way.
By train
There?s a direct train from Woking to Salisbury at 17.46, arriving at 18.48. A later train at 18.13 involves a change at Basingstoke and doesn?t get in till 19.20. I think you?d have to get a taxi from the station to the ground. There?s a train back (the last of the night) at 22.25, with a change at Basingstoke, arriving at Woking at 23.30.
Come on, you Cards!
N.B. The Cards? next home game is at 7.45pm on Tuesday 9 December when Rushden and Diamonds are the visitors. The Cards are away at Histon this Saturday, 6 December.
