Lovetts

Cards take on another League side in final friendly

Brian Caffarey
7:03am, Thu 27th Jul 2017
Woking v Swindon Town
Pre-season friendly
3pm on Saturday 29 July 2017

The Cards’ final pre-season friendly brings Swindon Town to the Laithwaite Community Stadium, with Woking fans hoping to see former favourite, John Goddard, in action for the visitors. With both sides having only a week to go to their respective kick-offs, both sets of players will be keen to show that they are ready for the real thing.

WOKING

Anthony Limbrick was encouraged by the side’s display in their 0-0 draw on Tuesday night against League 2 side Cambridge United, especially the resilience shown when the visitors put the team under greater pressure early in the second half. The side rode out that pressure and, if anything, looked the more lively team in the closing stages. A bit more of a goal threat was perhaps the only thing missing, although the hardworking Inih Effiong might have hoped to have hit the target with at least one of the chances created.

Cards fans will be hoping to see the latest signing, Louis Ramsay, in action on Saturday. Louis is a 19-year-old right back who has joined the club on a season-long loan from Norwich City and is clearly the type of player Anthony favours: quick, energetic and hard-working. So, we can perhaps expect to see more of the forward runs and crosses Anthony is looking for from his full backs as well as from the wide men, Joe Ward and Bobson Bawling.

It would be nice, too, if Jason Banton – a summer signing who has yet to make his Woking debut – were sufficiently recovered from injury to get some game time on Saturday. Kane Ferdinand and Jordan Wynter have also missed recent games.

SWINDON TOWN

The Reds were relegated from League One at the end of last season and appointed Dave Flitcroft as their new manager in June. Flitcroft’s main credentials are that he guided Bury to the League 2 Championship in 2014-15 season with a record points total. The following season saw Bury finish in 16th place in League 1 but Flitcroft left the club in November 2016 after a poor start to last season.

Not surprisingly, he has brought in a number of new faces. They include 6’5� striker Harry Smith, a former Chelsea youngster signed on a season-long loan from Millwall, who captured him from Folkestone Invicta; Ben Purkiss, a right back and formerly captain of Port Vale; Chris Robertson, a 30-year-old centre back from Ross County with plenty of League experience; Donal McDermott, a midfielder from Rochdale; James Dunne, a midfielder with over 300 League appearances; Amine Linganzi, a Congolese international midfielder who was with Portsmouth last season; Paul Mullin, a striker from Morecambe; left-back Chris Hussey, once of the Woking Academy, and subsequently with AFC Wimbledon, Coventry and Sheffield United, who have allowed him to go to the County Ground on a season-long loan; and Olly Lancashire, a centre back from Rochdale.

The Reds’ pre-season games so far have ended:

Swindon Supermarine 1 Swindon Town 7
Melksham Town 0 Swindon Town 5
Swindon Town 1 Oldham Athletic 1
Salisbury City 1 Swindon Town 1

John Goddard featured in all the games, scoring against Swindon Supermarine. Most recently Swindon have been away at a training camp in Portugal, followed by a two-day session at St George’s, where a young side lost 4-0 to Derby U23s and a stronger side lost 2-1 to Benfica.

Swindon start their season on 5 August with an away trip to Carlisle United.

ADMISSION

Adults - £10
Concessions - £5
U12s - FREE

LAST TIME OUT

Woking 3 Swindon Town 1
Pre-season friendly
23 July 2016

As if to emphasise the point that pre-season friendlies aren’t always a good guide to what is to come, this game a year ago suggested that Garry Hill’s side might fare quite well when the real business started.

The Cards were fielding a mix of contracted players and trialists; of the latter, only Charles Banya wasn’t added to the squad in due course. On a hot afternoon Garry Hill’s side had significantly less possession than their neat-passing, but largely toothless, opponents – who had the recently-signed John Goddard in their ranks – but counter-attacked effectively, taking the lead through Zac Ansah just before half-time. Delano Sam-Yorke added two more in the second half, including one from the penalty spot, before Swindon scored a late consolation goal.  

Woking: Michael Poke, Jake Caprice (Dennon Lewis 67), Ben Gordon (Charles Banya 57), Joey Jones, Brian Saah, Max Kretzschmar, Dennon Lewis (Charlie Carter 57), Keiran Murtagh (Fabio Saraiva 57), Gozi Ugwu (Delano Sam-Yorke 57), Zac Ansah (Charlie Penny 57), Nathan Ralph (Chike Kandi 57)

Swindon Town (first half): Will Henry, Nathan Thompson, Jamie Sendles-White, Brad Barry, Brandon Ormonde Ottewill, Anton Rodgers, Conor Thomas, Yaser Kazim, John Goddard, Jamaine Hylton, James Brophy

Swindon Town (second half): Will Henry, Harley Wise, Charles Dunne, Jake Evans, Brandon Ormonde Ottewill, John Goddard, Jordan Stewart, Tommy Smith, Ellis Iandolo, Morgan Ferrier, Kenny McCoy

Attendance: 654

COMING UP

The Cards start their season on Saturday 5 August when Gateshead United are the visitors. Other games in a hectic month are:

Tuesday 8 August – Tranmere Rovers v Woking
Saturday 12 August – Barrow v Woking
Tuesday 15 August – Woking v Eastleigh
Saturday 19 August – Woking v Leyton Orient
Saturday 26 August – Wrexham v Woking
Monday 28 August (3pm) – Woking v Torquay United

Come on, you Cards!

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