Cards looking for improved performance to extend lead at the top

Wealdstone vs Woking
National League South
Monday 13th August

The Cards play their fourth league game in nine days on Monday as the frantic start to the new National League South campaign continues. Alan Dowson’s side will also be looking to defend the only one hundred percent record left in the division after picking up three wins out of three to start the season – the first time the club has achieved that feat since 1989.

Dowse and his squad travel to Wealdstone tomorrow evening for what looks, on paper at least, the sternest test thus far for his new-look side. The Stones have picked up four points from their first three games, beating Weston-super-Mare 4-1 at home on the opening day before drawing 1-1 at Hungerford Town and then going down 1-0 to Billericay Town.

However, after a second successive victory after coming from behind and a third consecutive late winner, the Cards will be in confident mood – albeit, of course, they’ll be hoping that the fantastic ‘never say die’ attitude they’ve been displaying won’t always need to be called upon.

We should have a great game in store against Bobby Wilkinson’s side so make the trip if you can and get behind the team!

Woking Team News

After confirming the fitness of Jack Cook and Duane Ofori-Acheampong on Friday evening, there were a few raised eyebrows when neither made the squad on Saturday, with Dowse instead opting to make just one change from the team which had performed so well against St Albans – bringing in academy graduate Reggie Young for his first start in place of Nicky Wheeler.

By his own admission, Dowse would have changed things around more given another opportunity, and it wasn’t until the introductions of man-of-the-match Paul Hodges and defender Kiran Khinda-John – the latter allowing Nathan Collier to move forward into midfield – that the Cards were really able to take a stranglehold of the game; Hodges and Young combining to create Woking’s second goal for Jake Hyde, after Max Kretzschmar had equalised from the penalty spot, before Hodges grabbed a deserved winner 10 minutes from time.

Dowse will now face the difficult decision of who to include and who to leave out for Monday’s fixture. Tiredness will likely play a factor after so many games to start the season and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the likes of Cook, Ofori-Acheampong and Hodges get their first starts of the season. Fabio Saraiva, who has featured for just 45 minutes so far, and Declan Appau could also freshen up the midfield.

Encouragingly, Charlie Wassmer was taking part in the pre-match warm-ups on Saturday, but there has certainly been no suggestion yet that he’s fit enough to start.

Wealdstone Team News

The Stones lined up in a 4-4-2 formation against Billericay. They started with Jonathan North in goal, a back four of Freddie Grant, Rhys Taylor, former Braintree and Stevenage man Jerome Okimo and Connor Stevens; a midfield of former Card Godfrey Poku, Wadah Ahmidi, former Arsenal and Brighton youth Jeffrey Monakana and Bradley Hudson-Odoi, who was part of Dowse’s Hampton and Richmond team last season; up front was Stevenage loanee Joe White alongside Dave Pratt, who has three goals already this year.

Former Woking players Glenn Wilson, who played three games on loan during our promotion winning season in 2012, and Bradley Bubb, who scored 18 goals in 36 games during the 2012/13 campaign, were on the bench.

On the Day

Grosvenor Vale can be found in Ruislip and the postcode is HA4 6JQ. It is around three quarters of an hour from the Laithwaite Community Stadium. The nearest station is Ruislip, which is accessible via the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines of the London Underground network; the journey time is roughly 40 minutes from London Waterloo. Ticket prices are £13 for adults, £9 for concessions (Over 65s and Students) and £3 for Under 18s. Under 14s are free when accompanied by an adult.

Next Up

The Cards travel to Hemel Hempstead Town next Saturday. There is then a seven day break up until our next home game, against Truro City, before a trip to Eastbourne Borough two days later.