MKJ Group

Cards aiming for first win in eight

Glen Harrington
8:52am, Sat 24th Apr 2021
Maidenhead United vs Woking
Vanarama National League
Saturday 24th April 2021


Woking will aim to put an end to a run of three straight defeats and seven matches without a win in all competitions when they travel to Maidenhead United in the Vanarama National League.

The Cards miserable April continued on Tuesday when a 2-0 defeat to play-off chasing Torquay United was compounded by the enforced first-half withdrawals of Moussa Diarra and Tommy Block, who join a list of absentees now well into double figures. Woking remain 19th in the league table, a point adrift of Wealdstone who the Cards face on the final day of the season, and four points clear of the bottom three. Despite a challenging year so far, any threat of relegation was officially ended on Friday, when the FA Council ratified the decision to declare the Step 2 season – National League North and South – null and void. It means a youthful Cards side can play with freedom for the remainder of the season and hopefully pick up a couple of positive results along the way.

Maidenhead have enjoyed a good season and whilst a potential play-off chance has faded, they remain comfortably in mid-table, with 44 points from 31 games putting them in 13th place, eight points adrift of the top seven with two games in hand. They ended a five match winless run in spectacular style on Saturday when they beat Wealdstone 6-0 away from home, with five goals coming in the final 25 minutes, including a hat-trick from striker Danilo Orsi-Dadomo. Other recent results have seen them draw with Stockport County and Barnet, whilst also suffering defeats against Eastleigh and Weymouth. Their last home win was a 4-1 success against Torquay United last month.

Woking – Team News

Moussa Diarra is definitely out after returning to France to visit his family. Tommy Block has joined an injury list already containing Ben Dempsey, Jamar Loza, Josh Casey, Matt Jarvis, Nathan Collier, Malachi Napa, Max Kretzschmar, and John Goddard. Ben Gerring is also a doubt with a rib injury. However, the Cards are reportedly hoping for more positive news on strikers Sam Ashford and Zach Robinson. Woking’s ongoing injury crisis could mean more opportunities for the likes of Leo Hamblin and Jack Skinner who have impressed from the bench this month.

Maidenhead United – The Boss

The Magpies have been coached by Alan Devonshire since 2015. The former West Ham United midfielder, who spent almost 15 years at Upton Park as a player, is in his second spell with the club having also managed them between 1996 and 2003. From Maidenhead, he joined Dowse’s former club Hampton & Richmond Borough, before a four-year spell with Braintree. Remarkably, he has now managed in over 1,100 first-team matches, in a career spanning more than 25 years.

One to Watch

Danilo Orsi-Dadomo moved to 14 for the season with his treble on Tuesday, but the one to watch is definitely winger Sam Barratt, who has 11 league goals this season. The 25-year-old is currently in his second spell with the Magpies, having previously been a part of Devonshire’s National League South promotion side in 2017, during a four-year stint with the club. He joined Football League side Southend United in 2018, but only managed 10 appearances in all competitions during his two-year stay, and he returned to York Road last summer. A two-time England C international.

Last Time Out

Woking 0-0 Maidenhead United – National League (23rd January 2021)


In a game of very few chances for either side it ended up being a point apiece at the Laithwaite Community Stadium. The Cards did win both games last season, winning 2-0 at home just before the start of the pandemic, thanks to goals from Matt Jarvis and Moussa Diarra, and 3-2 at York Road in the reverse fixture where another Diarra goal, along with strikes from Jamar Loza and Jake Hyde, proved the difference. Danny Whitehall scored twice for the home side.

Next Up

Woking travel to FC Halifax Town on Tuesday. That’s followed by the first fixture in May the following Saturday which will be played at home to Weymouth.


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