Another tough test tomorrow

Staines Town v Woking
3pm on Saturday 13 March 2010

The Cards travel to Wheatsheaf Park tomorrow for the second leg of their ‘double header’ against promotion rivals, Staines Town. The Swans offered little last Saturday but nevertheless came away with a point thanks to Woking’s enduring problems in finding the net. Although Graham Baker’s side have now slipped to 12th place, they are still only seven points off the play-off places, with a game or two in hand on most of the clubs above them. But wins, rather than draws, are needed in the next few games to revive promotion hopes.

WOKING

I spoke to Graham this morning for an update. Jamie Slabber is still recovering from his operation. Delano Sam-Yorke hurt his ankle in training yesterday and will need to be assessed today. No one is suspended, although Matthew Wright’s three-match suspension will kick in from Tuesday. Charlie Moone is still on loan at AFC Totton; Daniel Sintim has begun a second month at Croydon Athletic; and Joe McNerney is into the first week of his loan spell at Ashford Town (Middx).

Graham says that they will be looking for a win tomorrow at Staines but with an emphasis on making sure that they are not defeated. He says that things are not yet at the stage when they have to throw caution to the winds and go all out for wins. The aim is to build on the confidence gained from the draws at Dorchester and against Staines last Saturday – which stopped the run of defeats – and push on if at all possible. He emphasised, in view of some apparent misunderstanding of his recent comments, that the team is not going out on the pitch aiming for a draw.

STAINES TOWN

Staines have been on a good run in recent months, having been beaten only once since their defeat at Newport County before Christmas. Recent league results have been:

6 Feb Staines 3 Weymouth 1
13 Feb Bromley 0 Staines 2
20 Feb Staines 4 St Albans 3
27 Feb Staines 1 Eastleigh 2
2 Mar Weymouth 1 Staines 2
6 Mar Woking 0 Staines 0

On Wednesday night the Swans beat Enfield Town away 3-0 in the semi-final of the Middlesex County Cup, with goals from Mazin Ahmad, Howard Newton and Leroy Griffiths.

Staines have been hampered recently by the absence of injured strikers Ali Chaaban, Marc Charles-Smith and Elliot Onochie. As we saw last Saturday, their squad includes two ex-Cards in Simon Jackson and Michael Kamara. Woking’s Harry Arter and Tamer Tuna will be both be returning to a club at which they enjoyed loan spells. Howard Newton is often the player to make the Swans tick but, like the rest of his colleagues, had a quiet game at Kingfield last Saturday. It would be surprising if the Swans don’t prove a much tougher proposition on home territory.


GETTING THERE

Wheatsheaf Park
Wheatsheaf Lane
Staines
Middlesex
TW18 2PD
Website: www.stainesmassive.co.uk

By coach
Leaves 1.00pm; £10 members, £14 non-members; phone the Club Shop or email shop@wokingfc.co.uk.

By car
Leave the M25 at Junction 13 and turn east onto the London bound A30. At 'The Crooked Billet' roundabout, exit for Staines town centre. Go right through the town, passing the Elmsleigh Centre car parks; next bear left at the junction opposite the Thames Lodge hotel and into Laleham Road. Go under the iron railway bridge next to the river and follow the road for about 2/3 of a mile, turning right by the bollards and into Wheatsheaf Lane. The ground is on the left and signposted Staines Town FC / The Thames club.

By train
Staines station – accessible by changing at Weybridge or Clapham Junction – is a 3/4 mile walk from the ground. Exit onto Gresham Road and turn left at T junction into Laleham Road, Wheatsheaf Lane is about 1/2 mile on the right. www.thetrainline.com gives up-to-date train times and routes. A good choice might be the 13.03 from Woking, arriving at Weybridge at 13.13, followed by the 13.33 from Weybridge, reaching Staines at 14.02.

Come on, you Cards!