Seymours

Match Report | Cards held by stubborn Fleet

William Bewsey
4:58pm, Sat 18th Jan 2025
Woking 1-1 Ebbsfleet United
Vanarama National League
18th January 2025

Neal Ardley gave a debut to Jacob Mazionis and a first league start under his tenure for Lewis Walker as Woking welcomed Ebbsfleet United to the Laithwaite.

New signing Tariq Hinds also made the bench after a busy week where two signings joined and Cian Harries departed to join title chasers Forest Green Rovers. Matt Ward returned to the line up after an injury kept him out of the last two games, along with Ben Wynter, with Jermaine Anderson and Frank Vincent making way.

Meanwhile, former Woking loanee Toby Edser started for the Fleet, who had two matchday signings on their bench as well. Just five of the Fleet’s starting eleven were involved in the reserve fixture back in August.

Ebbsfleet got the game underway, shooting towards the KRE, but the first meaningful attack was a Woking one. Good work from Ward down the wing found Jamie Andrews, but he scuffed his shot wide.

A golden chance for the Cards came after 17 minutes when a route one goal kick was flicked on by Walker, but Inih Effiong got the ball stuck under his feet when he was trying to round Mark Cousins in goal.

Then came an even bigger chance for the visitors, when an intricate move ended in Edser scuffing his shot wide of the bottom corner with half the goal gaping.

Walker was winning the majority of his flick ons with ease, on this occasion the ball landed perfectly for Harry Beautyman, but his header was straight at Cousins.

After Ward won a free kick, which saw a third Ebbsfleet player booked inside half an hour, Dale Gorman’s delivery found Beautyman, but Cousins produced a top draw save to parry the ball over the crossbar.

An effort from George Moncur bounced awkwardly in front of Jaaskelainen before he had to block a follow up effort behind, ending a lacklustre first half in which the visitors managed to spoil the game on a number of occasions. Woking never really got going, and work would need to be done were they to take all three points.


Half-time: Woking 0-0 Ebbsfleet United

Nothing happened in the first fifteen minutes of the second half until an inspired run from Wynter down the right-hand side saw him meg a defender and be impeded, falling to the floor and getting a penalty from referee Ross Martin.

Harry Beautyman smashed it into the corner, to the right of Cousins just like he did with Craig Ross against Maidenhead to give Woking a much-needed breakthrough.

Just a couple of minutes later, Woking were caught napping from a Luke O’Neill throw in and Kwame Thomas’s shot across goal had to be heroically cleared by Wynter at the back post. Unfortunately for Wynter, his collision with the woodwork led to him being subbed off, with a debut for Tariq Hinds.

Ebbsfleet did have their equaliser after 74 minutes when Moncur’s deflected effort from range looped into the top corner, giving Jaaskelainen no chance.

A swift Woking break saw Gorman play Ward down the right, whose cross was just deflected onto the shoulder of Effiong. The ball flew agonisingly over the crossbar as Woking looked for a second.

They were unable to do so, however, making it back-to-back 1-1 draws for Woking, whilst this was the Fleet’s third straight draw.

Woking ultimately came up short against a side who clearly had a game plan, and it worked well, but Ardley is still unbeaten as boss.








Woking: Jaaskelainen, Chicksen, Mazionis, Wynter (Hinds 69’), Gorman, Akinola, Ward, Effiong, Beautyman, Andrews (O’Brien 77’), Walker (Vincent 77’)

Subs: Webber, O’Brien, Anderson, Lewis, Jones

Goals: Beautyman 64’

Bookings: Mazionis 35’, Walker 41’, Ward 43’

Ebbsfleet United: Cousins, O’Neill, Moncur, Domi, Edser, Chapman, Dallison, Cosgrave, Stewart, Aroaha (Manktelow 93’), Thomas (Samuel 68’)

Subs: Goddard, Bingham, Carr, Lankshear, Odokonyero

Goals: Moncur 74’

Bookings: Edser 12’, Dallison 25’, Stewart 30’, Domi 98’

Attendance: 2048

Sponsors’ Man of the Match: Jacob Mazionis

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