Woking score three to win in emphatic style!

Woking 3 Dartford 0
The Skrill Premier
12th November 2013


Woking finally managed to break the shackles of a gruesome run of five games without a victory to clinch their second home win of the season. In a fifteen minute, second half “purple patch� the game burst into life as the Cards finally ended their goal drought to rattle in three unanswered goals and see off old rivals Dartford in emphatic style.

Keep it quiet but it really does look as if Garry has managed to find yet another excellent loan signing. Jack Marriott, on loan from Ipswich and making his debut under the watchful eye of his own manager Mick McCarthy, lit up Kingfield with his pace, power and eye for goal. It was the young forward who finally broke the deadlock before setting up his strike partner Scott Rendell for the second.

Garry Hill left his side unchanged apart from the introduction of Marriott, with Gez Sole dropping to the bench. And the Cards duly started this vital fixture very much on the front foot with Rendell almost glancing home his near post header following Charles Banya’s first minute corner.

Betsy managed to get to the bye line almost immediately after but his cross was blocked for a second corner before then dwelling too long on the ball following some neat interplay with Newton and Marriott down the right hand flank and failing to get a shot away.

The game had still not yet settled as Dartford wasted a dangerous free kick just outside the Woking box with a training ground move that failed in embarrassing fashion – the ball trickling away for a goal kick as forwards stood and watched.

Woking’s next real chance provided a glimpse of what Jack Marriott has to offer as, from well outside the box, he flashed a fierce shot past Julian’s right hand post.

The Cards were creating most of the opportunities as they pressed down their right hand flank – a Betsy chip saw Rendell loop his header off target and then a second chance for the striker as Marriott and Banya set him up but this time he fired well wide.

Dartford’s first real chance came after twenty-two minutes. The Cards failed to clear a corner and some desperate defending saw three shots from the Darts blocked in quick succession. It wasn’t pretty but in the end it was effective.

Just after the half hour mark Jack Marriott again created a chance from nothing as he chased down Rendell’s flicked header from a long Beasant clearance and volleyed a left foot shot wide. While at the other end the dangerous Birchall was given far too much space as he turned to shoot just wide, the ball fizzing past the angle of post and bar.

As the half came to a close Betsy and Rendell both had efforts charged down following a Woking corner with Dartford defending in numbers but the half finished with the Cards still unable to find the net. The game had all the hallmarks of yet another frustrating evening as the hosts, looking comfortable at the back seemed to lack the guile needed to open up a Darts defence well marshalled by Kenny Clark and his hardworking team mates.


Half-time: Woking 0 Dartford 0

An early scare for the Cards as the second period began. Lee Noble’s dangerous free kick from the left saw Mitchel-King rise unchallenged to head over and then Woodyard, suddenly with space in front of goal as the Woking defence for once opened up, could only fire harmlessly wide.

But Woking were beginning to dominate and looking far more dangerous. Marriott chased down a long through ball and was only denied as he closed in on goal by a wonderful sliding tackle from Clark. Josh Payne (pictured) then set up Parkinson from the resulting corner but the defender’s long-range effort was just wide.

Just on the hour mark Woking had the ball in the net. Scott Rendell tapped the ball into an empty net from close range after Josh Payne’s stunning long-range effort had come back off a post but the linesman’s flag was up immediately for offside. Then, as the game began to spark into life, Rendell flashed a cross in low from the right for Marriott to slide in but he just failed to connect.

Surely a goal was coming, as the Cards pressed forward and then to the relief of the vast majority of the Kingfield crowd the deadlock was finally broken. The increasingly influential Payne played a diagonal ball into the box and a stretching Jack Marriott was able to deflect the ball past the outstretched hand of Julian and into the far corner. Kingfield celebrated!!

But the Darts were not going to lie down. They now took their turn to look for an immediate equaliser. Sam Beasant dealt with a Ryan Hayes cross and then Godden was left unmarked at the far post. He chested down a cross but the ball was smuggled out for a corner. From the resulting set piece Clark rose unopposed to head over. It was an excellent chance.

At the other end Woking were now making much more use of Banya playing down the right with Betsy switching to the left. And it was the young Fulham loanee who, along with Newton created the next chance for Marriott but the diving Julian magnificently turned his shot away.

On seventy-five minutes the Cards scored a second. This time it was Marriott the provider as he raced away down the left hand side to square the ball expertly for his striking partner Scott Rendell to steer the ball home. And then almost immediately it was three!!

Two minutes later Josh Payne’s excellent free kick from wide on the left was whipped into the box for Joe McNerney to flick home into the far corner. The three points were safe and Woking had little difficulty in seeing out the remaining minutes – even conjuring up a couple more chances as both Banya and Rendell fired wide.

There were smiles all round at the final whistle after this confidence boosting performance and that scintillating fifteen minute goal spree in the second half. Marriott and Rendell worked well together and could form a dangerous and effective strike partnership. Josh Payne looked increasingly dominant in the second half and Banya’s pace, once he gets to see some of the ball, will trouble most defences in this league. At the back the Cards looked solid enough with Beasant given little to do.

The Cards now have to build on this welcome victory next Saturday at home to Hyde. A further three points could well see them out of the bottom four and hopefully the start of the all important climb away from trouble.




Woking: Sam Beasant, Adam Newton, John Nutter, Mark Ricketts, Joe McNerney, Jack Parkinson (Mike Cestor 82), Kevin Betsy, Josh Payne, Scott Rendell, Jack Marriott (Gez Sole 88), Charles Banya (John Goddard 89)

Unused subs: Aaron Howe, Gavin Williams

Goals: Jack Marriott 63, Scott Rendell 75, Joe McNerney 77


Dartford: Alan Julian, Lee Burns, Kenny Clark, Ryan Hayes (Tyrone Sterling 81), Lee Noble, Alex Woodyard (Danny Harris 73), Matt Fry, Max Cornhill, Mat Mitchel-King, Adam Birchall, Matty Godden (Jason Prior 81)

Unused subs: Nathan Collier, Tommy Forecast


Cautions: Lee Noble 76


Attendance: 1157


MOTM: Jack Marriott – a very promising debut and that all important first goal.