Match Report | Cards victorious in torrential conditions at Park View Road

Welling United 0-1 Woking
Pre-Season Friendly
22nd July 2023

Darren Sarll took his squad of 18 to familiar foe Welling United in what was the Cards’ third pre season friendly. Trialists turned signings Manny Oyeleke and Tunji Akinola started as Woking players for the first time, whilst two trialists made the bench, looking to impress Sarll.

On a miserable day in South East London, Woking got the game underway, and looked to take the initiative early on. Some good Welling defending prevented Charlie Wakefield and Dan Moss from testing the trialist keeper, before Reece Grego-Cox headed the resulting corner just wide of the bottom corner.

After a very even and uneventful twenty-minute spell, Woking nearly took the lead when a free kick on the edge of the box from Manny Oyeleke was well saved by the trialist keeper. Minutes later, a shot from Charlie Wakefield zipped off the turf and was spilled by the keeper, but Ricky Korboa was denied a tap in by some excellent Welling defending. The Cards once again created danger from the resulting corner, but Akinola couldn’t quite finish from close range.

The best chance of the half came when a through ball found Grego-Cox bearing down on goal, but the striker just lost his footing as he looked to round the keeper. He managed to get a shot off, but the keeper once again managed to save well.

Grego-Cox almost scored an audacious lob from 30 yards out, but with the keeper backtracking, the ball flew narrowly wide. The half time whistle was blown straight after, with Woking completely dominant, but unable to force the opening goal past a determined Welling defence and keeper.

Half-time: Welling United 0-0 Woking

The hosts got the second half underway, with Woking just making the one change at half time, Sam Habergham replacing Josh Casey, but it was Welling who had the first chance of the half, as a trialist picked up the ball on the left hand side, driving into the box and forcing Jaaskelainen into a good save.

A deflected shot from Will Wood crept narrowly wide via a deflection as the Wings continued to make inroads into Woking’s penalty box. The Wings did have the ball in the net when Enoch Muwonge met a low cross into the bottom corner, but the linesman put his flag up for offside almost immediately.

This spell of Welling pressure seemed to spark Woking into life, as Wakefield and Padraig Amond combined, with the latter forcing a smart save from the keeper with his feet. However, just a minute later, the Cards finally took the lead, with a failed clearance falling to Amond, who crossed low into the path of Grego-Cox, and the Irishman tapped the ball into an unguarded net.

With Woking making six changes on the 60-minute mark, the game became scrappy for the next few minutes, however, Dennon Lewis almost made a big impact when his left footed strike rippled the side netting.

With ten minutes to go, a well worked short corner between Lewis and Wakefield reached Amond at the back post, but his header clipped the crossbar. There was still time for Rhys Browne to hit the post from a tight angle, as well as an Amond free kick hitting the side netting, before full time came and a good workout for the Cards had ended in victory.

There were encouraging signs as Woking dominated the game for large parts, and could have won by a more comfortable margin. Next up is Sutton United of League Two on Tuesday night at the Laithwaite.


Woking: Will Jaaskelainen (Trialist 59’), Dan Moss (Taylor 59’), Josh Casey (Habergham 45’), Scott Cuthbert (Wilkinson 59’), Ricky Korboa, Reece Grego-Cox (Browne 59’), Padraig Amond, Matt Robinson (Trialist 59’), Tunji Akinola, Manny Oyeleke, Charlie Wakefield.

Goals: Grego-Cox 56’


Welling United: Trialist (Pitterson 84’), Ayo Lugboso (Muwonge 45’), Trialist, Will Wood (Balarabe 80’) , Taofiq Olomowewe (Royal 80’), TJ Bramble, James Vaughan (Andrews 45’), Antony Papadopoulos, Trialist (Trialist 70’), Lewis White (Adom 70’), Jack Burcell