Back to league action on Tuesday evening
Brian Caffarey
8:48pm, Mon 9th Nov 2009
Woking v St Albans City
7.45pm on Tuesday 10 November 2009
Now that the excitement of the FA Cup is over for another year it’s time to get back to league action – well, until the FA Trophy campaign (at home to St Albans City!) starts in less than two weeks’ time! Before then, though, Graham Baker will be looking to claim three points at home to the Saints tomorrow night, at Weymouth in a week’s time and, most difficult of all on paper, at Thurrock, next Saturday, sandwiched between those two games.
WOKING
The Cards need to re-focus quickly on the league, leaving any regrets behind them at the County Ground. They also need to take the opportunity presented by the Saints’ visit to improve their unimpressive home record, which – in contrast to their outstanding away form – shows a mere two wins in seven league games, with only four goals scored. That the problems lie in putting the ball in the net was evident again on Saturday when the Cards largely matched their Division One hosts apart from the lack of penetration in attack. Perhaps Moses Ademola’s return to action might be the key to ending the comparative goal drought at Kingfield?
ST ALBANS
The Saints’ pre-season was disrupted by constant rumours over the club’s financial situation. The club was never amongst the fancied sides of the division, and their patchy form to date backs this up. They now lie in 16th place in the league, with 18 points from 15 games. Away from home they’ve won two (at Weymouth and Weston-super-Mare), drawn one and lost four. They will have been heartened, though, by Saturday’s 1-1 draw at fifth-placed Basingstoke Town, when they were reduced to ten men after keeper Paul Bastock was sent off after half an hour when Saints were 1-0 up.
St Albans have the highly-experienced Mark Peters at the back, whilst Godfrey Poku and Gary Cohen have been shining in midfield and striker Drew Roberts has notched six goals. Manager Steve Castle has just added three more players to his squad: 17 year-old left back Connor Baker, who made an impressive debut on Saturday; young midfielder Danny Johnson; and former Billericay Town striker Lamine Sagna. Ex-Woking Academy defender Justin Clayton has been recalled by Southend United, though.
St Albans’ recent results have been:
19 Sep BSS Weymouth 0-2 St Albans City
26 Sep FAC Heybridge Swifts 1-0 St Albans City
3 Oct BSS Weston-super-Mare 2-3 St Albans City
17 Oct BSS St Albans City 0 -1 Newport County
31 Oct BSS St Albans City 2 -1 Weymouth
7 Nov BSS Basingstoke Town 1 -1 St Albans City 1
ADMISSION PRICES
Adults: £12 anywhere in the ground
Concessions/Students: £8
U16s: £2
Don’t forget lovely Seafare fish and chips in the Leslie Gosden Stand!
MATCHDAY PROGRAMME
See the earlier news item for details of our packed matchday programme, including a revealing interview with Tom Hutchinson.
Come on, you Cards!