Woking 2 Scunthorpe United 0
Vanarama National League
16th August 2022
A week is a long time in football; ten days is even longer. Two Saturdays ago, 246 Woking fans were making a dejected return from a 2-0 washout at York City, having fallen well short of the standard set by their newly promoted opposition. Two games later, and over 2,000 were at the Laithwaite Community Stadium to applaud a near-total domination of a freshly relegated Scunthorpe, in a comprehensive victory that sends the Cards up to third in an incredibly tight National League table.
Darren Sarll made just one change from the side that cruised to a similarly simple 2-0 win against Dagenham & Redbridge on the Saturday, with Ricky Korboa making his National League debut in the stead of the injured James Daly. With Jack Roles and Sid Nelson also missing out through injury, the home side were only able to name four substitutes.
Scunthorpe, for their part, made two changes from the side that found itself 3-0 to Maidenhead on Sautrday afternoon. Left back Colin Daniel and central midfielder Alfie Beestin made way for Cameron Wilson and Joe Nuttall, with the visitors lining up with something between a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-3 formation.
Sliding doors moments tend to come as a surprise, and Scunthorpe’s came in the first 90 seconds. A long ball from the back was won by Marcus Carver, heading on to Joe Nuttall to the left of the Woking goal. With Josh Casey well-placed to intercept, only to slip on the slick turf, Nuttall curled a finish across Craig Ross – only for centre-half Luke Wilkinson to block the ball on the line.
Just three minutes later, the visitors were made to pay. In a frenetic first few minutes where both sides wrestled for control of the ball and to keep their shape, and good work from Dan Moss on the Woking right dropped to Padraig Amond.
His delicious cross was met in the centre of the goal by Kyran Lofthouse, who fizzed a finish under Marcus Dewhurst to open the scoring in front of the LGS. 1-0.
Two minutes later, the lead should’ve been doubled, with Korboa and Casey dovetailing beautifully down the Scunthorpe left. The latter was able to slide a pass into the advancing Amond, who was denied brilliantly by Dewhurst to keep the deficit to one.
From then, the pattern was largely set. While Woking attacked dangerously and often – Wilkinson firing a free kick wide, Amond forcing another good save from a header, and Korboa ending a jinking run with a shot over from range.
Scunthorpe, by contrast, flailed. The Irons failed to cope adequately with the Woking press on their back line, harried into giving up throw-ins more than once, and usually resorting to launching the ball at Carver or Nuttall, who were marshalled excellently by Wilkinson and centre-half partner Scott Cuthbert. The early exit of Elliott Whitehouse due to injury just before half time did not help their cause.
In much the same way as the Dagenham game, the hosts controlled the half to a close. While Woking continued to create, with Reece Grego-Cox and then Rohan Ince denied with consecutive blocks, and Amond spinning to volley over just before half time, there was an element of agency to the speed and direction of play that felt very familiar. Darren Sarll later said that the second half was about “making sure that we stayed in control”; the closing stages of the first period felt managed with that in mind.
Half-time: Woking 1 – Scunthorpe United 0
If Scunthorpe did have a period in the game, it was at the start of the second half – the only time in which the visitors had a period where they kept the ball on the ground for an extended amount of time. Despite a booking for Boyce, the Irons looked to play the ball through the channels with some neat, short pattern-play.
But as with the first period, an early Woking goal seemed to reduce Scunthorpe, and set the tone for much of the second period. The first meaningful Woking attack down the right-hand side, courtesy of hard work from Grego-Cox, played Lofthouse into a shooting position – only for O'Malley to block his first effort as he entered the penalty area.
The deflection was kind to Lofthouse, however, and he took his time with a second shooting chance that afforded him more space, lasering a low strike through Dewhurst to double his tally – and Woking’s – for the night. 2-0.
Kyran Lofthouse celebrates his and Woking's second
David Holmes
Three minutes later, as in the first half, a goal from the right should’ve been shortly followed by a goal from the left. Casey and Korboa were again the stimulus, combining brilliantly to cut inside from the left wing. The captain’s cutback to Amond again saw a first effort deflected, with the ex-Exeter forward then angling an outside-foot curler that clipped the bar.
While showboating is perhaps strong, the confidence of the home side was even clearer after the second goal. Amond tried a second 25-yard chip in two games; Grego-Cox sliced wide from long-range; Kellerman’s curled effort from the edge of the area kept Dewhurst alert. Flicks and tricks were increasingly on the menu on both wings, with Korboa earning comprehensive applause in leaving the pitch for Tyreke Johnson.
It's no surprise, with that in mind, frustration began to show for the visitors as the game went on. Two substitutes – Jai Rowe and Colin Daniel – would pick up bookings after coming on, for a cynical challenge in midfield and a reducing scythe on Josh Casey respectively. In terms of attacking intent, there was little to show bar the hard work of Marcus Carver, and one fizzing effort from the Scunthorpe left that Craig Ross did well to tip wide.
With such a positive performance, and with so little offered by the opposition, 2-0 was ultimately less than Woking deserved. Cards fans will hope that the last two performances are the foundation for more points in the coming weeks, as the team seeks to climb a table in a league where only two teams remain unbeaten after three games.
Woking: 13. Craig Ross; 12. Dan Moss, 6. Luke Wilkinson, 4. Scott Cuthbert, 3. Josh Casey; 2. Kyran Lofthouse, 24. Rohan Ince, 17. Jim Kellermann (Joe McNerney 89’), 7. Ricky Korboa (Tyreke Johnson 71’); 9. Reece Grego-Cox, 10. Padraig Amond (Jermaine Anderson 78’)
Unused subs: 1. Ethan Wady
Goals: Lofthouse 4’, 56’
Bookings: Kellermann 23’
Scunthorpe United 1. Marcus Dewhurst; 2. Reagan Ogle, 15. George Taft, 6. Andrew Boyce, 3. Mason O’Malley (Kgosi Ntlhe 60’); 4. Elliott Whitehouse (Jai Rowe 39’), 19. Jacob Butterfield, 7. Liam Feeney; 9. Joe Nuttall, 11. Marcus Carver, 20. Cameron Wilson (Colin Daniel 59’)
Unused subs: 28. Dan Gallimore, 8. Alfie Beestin
Goals: N/A
Bookings: Boyce 51’, Rowe 74’, Daniel 84’
Referee: Adrian Quelch
Attendance: 2,170 (196 away)
AC Logic's Man of the Match: Kyran Lofthouse. The young winger was a constant thorn down the Scunthorpe left, timing his run perfectly for the first goal and taking advantage of his good fortune for the second to full effect. His deployment further forward than in the previous campaign has led to two superb performances since his return from injury.
Thank you to our match ball sponsor, AC Logic.
You can check out AC Logic here.
Get your tickets and hospitality booked for our next home fixture against Wrexham!
The Vanarama National League match will be played on Saturday 27th August, 17:20 kick-off, at the Laithwaite Community Stadium.
