WOKING 0 EASTBOURNE BOROUGH 4
27 January 2009
Phil Gilchrist went into this game seeking a back-to-back win after Saturday?s 1-0 defeat of Ebbsfleet United. I don?t suppose that even in his worst nightmare he imagined that his team would be crushed 4-0 at home by a side with whom we had secured a fairly comfortable 0-0 draw away not long ago. But it was a very different Eastbourne side which turned up at Kingfield ? quick, sharp and skilful ? whilst the Cards showed all their usual frailties up front, compounded, worryingly, by a repeat of the defensive weaknesses we saw at Cambridge ten days ago, when four goals were also shipped. To compound home fans? misery ? and as if to rub salt into the wounds ? news came through that, almost inevitably, the on-loan Giuseppe Sole had scored a ?cracker? for Ebbsfleet.
As expected, Matt Pattison replaced the injured Paolo Vernazza in midfield. The Cards got off to the worst possible start ? also reminiscent of Cambridge ? conceding a goal in the 2nd minute. Andy Atkin met a corner with a near post header: the first of three headed goals he was to accumulate before half-time.
The Woking defence continued to look shaky, with an uncharacteristically weak defensive clearance from Lorraine, and Eastwood failed to connect with an attempted punch. Gradually, though, some good attacking momentum was achieved but ? again as at Cambridge ? the Cards failed to take their chances before finding themselves 2-0 down.
Nearly all the threat came from Wilfried Domoraud, ploughing a largely lonely furrow up front, working prodigiously. Oliver Bozanic found the going much harder than on Saturday, failing to make any headway down the left, as he was quickly closed down, but nevertheless putting in some useful corners, free-kicks and the occasional cross.
In the 13th minute Domoraud laid the ball off to Pattison, who, however, couldn?t take it with him as he attempted to burst through. Six minutes later the Boro keeper was forced to punch a corner clear. The ball was returned from out wide by Pattison but Lorraine headed wide.
Boro responded with a couple of threatening attacks, with Wormull hitting a fine, swerving shot from distance. But the Cards had another half-chance as the ball went loose in the box from a Bozanic free-kick but wasn?t forced home. Wilfried then hit a fantastic left-foot shot from out wide as he swivelled but it cleared the bar. A much easier chance fell to Pattison in the 26th minute as Wilfried slipped the ball into his path. As Pattison advanced into the box and the keeper came out, he flicked the ball with the outside of his foot but failed to hit the target.
In the 31st minute Atkin made it 2-0, scoring virtually a carbon copy of his first goal, once again meeting a corner at the near post and thumping a header into the net.
The Cards had a chance to pull a goal back in the 37th minute when Lorraine stooped to meet a fine Bozanic free-kick but barely connected. Once again, the loose ball was cleared before any Woking player could pounce on it.
Boro, continuing their object lesson in sharp finishing, then scored a superb third goal in the 41st minute. Working the ball swiftly and neatly out wide, a terrific cross arrowed in over Lorraine and there was Atkin again to crash a header into the far corner to make it 3-0 to the visitors.
Half-time: Woking 0 Eastbourne Borough 3
Woking were out early for the second half, with Lambu replacing Marum, but it was Boro who were quickest off the mark, forcing Eastwood into a smothering save in the first minute.
If the Cards were sent out with orders to make a fight of it, it wasn?t very evident. They struggled to make any impact on the Eastbourne defence in spite of Domoraud?s endeavours. Bozanic, now moved inside, almost profited at the near post from a Domoraud cross but it wasn?t until after Tom Denton came on that any chances of note arose. Before then, though, Eastwood was booked as he fouled a Boro forward as he came out of his area and a snap shot was blocked. And the Cards also found themselves four goals adrift.
Boro had had the luxury of being able to rest Atkin at half-time after his hat-trick but Dan Smith scored an excellent goal in the 66th minute. Another crisp move saw the ball played inside to Smith. He made space for himself on the edge of the area and then struck a superb curling left-foot shot into the far corner, well out of Eastwood?s reach.
Woking?s poor passing continued to let them down as they tried to gain a consolation goal. Denton was unlucky to see his downward header, from a Bozanic cross, bounce back up onto the bar and away in the 77th minute. He was then blocked as he tried to get on the end of another testing cross from Domoraud and then put a Lambu cross into the arms of the keeper. In the time remaining the Cards won the odd corner and free-kick but never looked like making the scoreline look a little less bleak.
Woking: Simon Eastwood, Michael Kamara, Paul Lorraine, Patrice Konan (Tom Denton, 56), Colin Miles, Bradley Quamina, Joel Ledgister (Joe Magunda, 73), Liam Marum (Goma Lambu, 46), Matt Pattison, Oliver Bozanic, Wilfried Domoraud
Subs not used: Nick Gindre, Charlie Moone
Booked: Simon Eastwood
Attendance: 1101
Sponsor?s MOTM: Wilfried Domoraud
