Glen Harrington
6:20pm, Fri 14th Apr 2023
Notts County vs Woking
Vanarama National League
Saturday 15th April 2023
Woking face one of their toughest assignments of the season as they travel to National League title chasers Notts County on Saturday evening – a game which will be shown live on BT Sport.
The Cards play-off spot was guaranteed following Monday’s draw with Southend. In the final four matches the team will now be focused on securing the highest possible league position and generating momentum ahead of the post-season showdown. Darren Sarll’s side are still in third place at present with 76 points, one more than fourth-place Chesterfield, and it appears to be a straight shootout between the two sides for the first-round bye and a guaranteed home semi-final – on paper, at least, a much kinder route to a potential final at Wembley. Finishing third or fourth would mean Woking can’t meet the league’s second-place side, currently Notts County, until the final. The Cards are currently seven points clear of fifth place Barnet.
Sarll admitted that his Woking team put in a tired performance against Southend, with the match coming after a hard-fought win at Dorking the previous Friday, but praised the determination shown to claim a point. He made three changes between those two games with Scott Cuthbert, Charlie O’Connell and Marcus Dackers replacing Kacper Łopata, Kyran Lofthouse and James Daly. Sarll implied in his interview this week that both Daly and Charlie Wakefield should be available for Saturday but revealed that another bought of illness could further disrupt a squad already stretched by injuries.
Remember, Saturday’s match is a 5:30pm kick-off.
Opposition Watch
Notts County have enjoyed a magnificent season and in any other year would have won the league comfortably. They have gone head-to-head with fellow title chasers Wrexham throughout the campaign, trading the lead on multiple occasions, but appeared to suffer the decisive blow on Monday as they were beaten 3-2 at the Racecourse Ground to leave the Red Dragons in firm control of a fascinating title race. County are currently three points behind the leaders having played a game more and will now need Wrexham to take six points or less from their final four games.
Finishing second, if indeed that is to be their fate, should not take away from one of the best seasons in the history of the National League. Luke Williams’ side have accrued 100 points from their 43 games, winning 30 of them and losing just three, including the game at Wrexham. They have scored an astonishing 108 goals, one less than Wrexham, and conceded just 39, second-only to Boreham Wood in terms of best defensive records.
Needless to say that, the Wrexham result aside, their recent form is excellent – their only other league defeats came at home to Dagenham in late February and away to Dorking in September. They went into the Wrexham game off the back of three straight wins without conceding and had dropped only four points – in draws at Barnet and Bromley – since their loss to the Daggers.
Leading their promotion charge has been striker Macauley Langstaff, who has already broken the long-standing National League scoring record previously held by Ricky Miller (then of Dover Athletic), by scoring 41 goals in just 42 appearances. Ruben Rodrigues (17), Cedwyn Scott (14), and Adam Chicksen (10) have also reached double figures for a team that offers a goal threat from all over the pitch.
Recent Meetings
• Woking
2-3 Notts County – 8th October 2022, National League (Daly, Grego-Cox)
• Woking
0-2 Notts County – 26th February 2022, National League
• Notts County
1-4 Woking – 2nd October 2021, National League (Effiong, Diarra, Campbell 2)
• Woking
2-4 Notts County – 5th April 2021, National League (Kretzschmar, Ashford)
• Notts County
1-0 Woking – 5th December 2020, National League
Tickets
Ticket prices are £20 for adults, £14 for 65+ and 18-21, £7 for under-18, £5 for under-16, £1 for under-12 and free for under-7. Prices for supporters aged 12 and over rise by £2 on matchday.
Click here for more information and to book your tickets.
