Boxing Day test for Cards

Aldershot Town v Woking
Vanarama National League
3pm on Monday 26 December 2017

Woking travel the short distance to Aldershot Town on Boxing Day, with fans hoping there isn't a repeat of last season's result. Turn off the TV and head down to the EBB Stadium to cheer on the Cards!

WOKING

Anthony Limbrick’s side produced a disappointing display in their 2-1 defeat at home to Barrow on Saturday. Paul Cox may no longer be the Bluebirds’ manager but it was entirely predictable that they would pump high balls into the box at every opportunity. The Cards’ defence was fortunate to concede only two goals as they struggled to cope, especially early on. Inih Effiong looked pretty isolated up front and the ball took too long to reach Joe Ward out on the flanks. Jason Banton, in his hour on the pitch, showed some nice touches as he gained more match fitness but didn’t really make any impact in areas which might have hurt Barrow.

Anthony confirmed in his post-match interview that Regan Charles-Cook has an ankle injury that is expected to rule him out for six to eight weeks and will therefore presumably mean that we won’t see him again before his loan spell ends.

ALDERSHOT TOWN

The Shots can point to more continuity in their squad than most National League sides. Amongst those remaining from last season are ex-Cards keeper Joe Cole and striker Scott Rendell, along with two other players who briefly figured for the club: defender Nick Arnold and midfielder Manny Oyileke. They were joined in the summer by another ‘old boy’, Chris Arthur, who had been released by Crawley Town, but he has recently left to join Leatherhead.

Other familiar names from last season are keeper Mark Smith, now on loan at Eastbourne Borough; defenders Will Evans, Cheye Alexander and Callum Reynolds; influential midfielders Jake Gallagher and Jim Kellerman; and strikers Shamir Fenelon, Bernard Mensah and Matt McLure.

New arrivals in the summer included defenders Kodi Lyons-Foster, previously with Spurs and Aston Villa academies and Bristol City, and George Fowler, on loan from Ipswich Town; midfielders James Rowe, previously with Cheltenham Town but with spells at Forest Green Rovers and Tranmere, and Fabien Robert, on loan from Forest Green Rovers but with experience at Doncaster Rovers and Swindon Town; and strikers Shaun Okojie, who notched 40 goals for Corinthian Casuals last season and who is now on loan at Eastbourne Borough, and Bobby-Joe Taylor, signed from Maidstone United, where he gained England C honours.

Keeper Lewis Ward joined the club on loan from Reading following Joe Cole’s injury, which led to a two-month absence.

The Shots sit in 5th place in the league, with 41 points from 25 games. They had an excellent run of four successive wins in early/mid-November before losing at home to FC Halifax Town and then suffering a surprise 4-0 defeat at East Thurrock United in the FA Trophy. Yesterday the Shots drew 1-1 at Guiseley thanks to a goal in added time by Shamir Fenelon.

GETTING THERE

Aldershot Town Football Club
EBB Stadium
High Street
Aldershot
Hants
GU11 1TW

Official website: http://www.theshots.co.uk

By coach

The Cards Trust coach leaves the Laithwaite Community Stadium at 1.30pm. Contact Alan Barnes (a.barn1572@btinternet.com) if you haven’t already booked your place.

By car

Head for Aldershot town centre. The ground is just by the railway bridge. Parking is available in the town centre ‘pay and display’ car parks, about a five-minute walk from the ground.

By train

There are no trains running on Boxing Day between Woking and Aldershot.

ADMISSION PRICES

Adult – Seating - £19; Standing - £17
Concession (Over 65, Military personnel ID required, Student 16-21 ID required) – Seating - £15; Standing - £13
Junior (11-U16) – Seating - £7; Standing - £5
Under 11’s – FREE (with paying adult – max 2 per adult)
Disabled same as above, with carer free in both sections.
Students can obtain a concession rate on production of an NUS card.

Woking fans will have to enter the ground via the Redan Hill turnstiles.

LAST SEASON

Aldershot Town 4 Woking 0
Vanarama National League
26 December 2016

This was probably the nadir of Garry Hill’s time in charge of Woking, but perhaps, in retrospect, the shock to the system may have been just enough to keep the Cards up by the time the season ended.

Both teams entered the holiday period in poor form but the Shots can rarely have enjoyed themselves as much as on this calamitous afternoon for Cards fans. Garry made four changes from the side which drew 0-0 with Guiseley, bringing in new signing Kane Ferdinand, Keiran Murtagh and Charlie Carter into midfield, while Frazer Shaw also returned, with Nathan Ralph pushed forward on the left of midfield.

The Shots tore into a meek Woking side from the kick-off. When the breakthrough came in the 8th minute it was gifted on a plate. Brandon Hall dropped a fairly simple cross over his head, the ball being promptly hooked in by Scott Rendell, whose celebrations were certainly not muted.

Three minutes later the Shots doubled their lead. The ball was threaded through the centre of the Woking defence, with Ismail Yakubu unable to stop Shamir Fenelon poking home. The Shots’ third goal duly arrived in the 25th minute. A corner was swung in. Rendell, effectively unchallenged, stooped and guided the ball into the corner. In the 42nd minute Fenelon spurned another chance for the fourth goal as he failed to take advantage of a free header. But it didn’t matter because, as the half moved into added time, a fine move, begun with a clever flick inside, saw Kanu drill a cross to the far post, where Rendell was waiting to stab home and complete his hat-trick.

The Shots, sated, spared the Cards the ignominy of adding to their goal tally in the second half, but another ‘old boy’ denied Woking a consolation goal, Joe Cole saving Anthony Edgar’s penalty kick.

The defeat left the Cards one place above the relegation zone on goal difference.

Aldershot Town: Jake Cole, Anthony Straker, Shamir Fenelon (Matt McLure 61), Scott Rendell (Jim Kellermann 77), Bernard Mensah, Cheye Alexander, Jake Gallagher, Dion Conroy, Idris Kanu, Kundai Benyu (Will Evans 83), Callum Reynolds

Unused sub: Mark Smith

Goals: Scott Rendell 8, 25 and 45; Shamir Fenelon 10

Woking: Brandon Hall, Jake Caprice, Ismail Yakubu (Terell Thomas 66), Brian Saah, Frazer Shaw, Joey Jones, Nathan Ralph (Anthony Edgar 60), Charlie Carter, Keiran Murtagh (Fabio Saraiva 60), Kane Ferdinand, Gozi Ugwu

Unused subs: Michael Poke, Delano Sam-Yorke

Attendance: 3456 (527 Woking fans)

COMING UP

The Cards are away at Eastleigh on Saturday 30 December. Don’t forget that the ‘return’ fixture against the Shots at the Laithwaite Community Stadium on New Year’s Day kicks off at 1pm.

Come on, you Cards!