Cards look to extend winning run

Woking v Staines Town
3pm on Saturday 19 February 2011

The Cards will be looking for their fourth consecutive league win tomorrow when they take on bogey team Staines Town in a local derby. Confidence should be high after Woking’s excellent 4-0 away win at Bishop’s Stortford last Saturday but a slip-up cannot be afforded if the Cards are to make a late run for a play-off place. Come down early to Kingfield, watch the big screen and take advantage of the special promotion in the Cardinals’ Bar!

WOKING

With Bromley’s form having slipped, the battle seems to be on for the fifth play-off place. Woking’s recent league results must give them hope but they’ve got a lot of ground to make up but other teams, notably Eastleigh, who are ten points ahead of the Cards and who've now taken over fifth place, look better placed to sneak home.

To give themselves a decent chance, the Cards must of course win tomorrow and then hope to gain maximum points from their following two away games, against Maidenhead on Tuesday and at Lewes the following Saturday. That would set things up very nicely for the Cards’ following two games, both at home against play-off contenders, Ebbsfleet United and Farnborough.

The game is expected to mark the home debut of Jay Davies, whose enterprising midfield partnership with Kieran Murtagh was a notable feature of the Cards’ fine win at Bishop’s Stortford.

STAINES TOWN

Staines sit in 10th position in the table, one place below the Cards, having played one more game. Away from home they’ve won 4, drawn 5 and lost 4, scoring 15 goals and conceding 18. Their recent results, starting with last Saturday’s game, have been:

Bromley 0 Staines Town 1
Staines Town 1 Thurrock 1
Basingstoke Town 4 Staines Town 1
Staines Town 2 Chelmsford City 1

Staines have a useful-looking squad, with some familiar names, including strikers Richard Butler (formerly with AFC Wimbledon), Scott Taylor (huge League experience) and Marc Charles-Smith, plus ex-Shot Dominic Sterling in defence. Ex-Card Simon Jackson has been with the club for several seasons. Staines have recently lost the services of Leroy Griffiths.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS

This season
Staines Town 1 Woking 0
16 October 2011

The Cards’ indifferent form continued with this third successive league defeat, which saw them slip to 15th place in the table. The Cards started with Craig Faulconbridge and Ola Sogbanmu up front, with the young striker being replaced midway through the second half by Elvis Hammond, making his debut. Moses Ademola sparkled on the right flank but it was the familiar tale of failing to find the target. A quality strike from Andre Scarlett won the game, late on, for the home side.

Last season
Woking 0 Staines Town 0
6 March 2010

The Cards went into this game without a win in their last five matches, including a 5-0 defeat at home to Welling United. Matt Pegler made his first league start but had little to do as the Cards dominated, especially in the second half, when Jamie Hand’s low drive hit the inside of the post but came out.

Staines Town 3 Woking 0
13 March 2010

It got worse in the return fixture a week later. Having been granted a ‘let off’ in the first half when the home keeper’s huge free-kick bounced over Ross Worner and into the net, only for the ‘goal’ to be disallowed, the Cards fell behind straight after the break when Worner’s attempted clearance ricocheted off an attacker and into the goal. Scarlett quickly doubled Staines’s lead and then piled on the agony by adding a third just before the end. Craig Faulconbridge made his debut as a substitute. The result left Woking in 13th place with only 10 league games remaining. Not much chance of a play-off place, then!

ADMISSION

Adults - £12
Juniors (u16s) - £2
Concessions / Students - £8

The bar will be open from 12 noon with a special promotion both before and after the match. From 12noon until 1.30pm ALL DRAUGHT beers will be £2 a pint, which gives you a bargain on Fosters, London Pride bitter and Guinness. There will be football on the big screen and fish and chips available from Seafare inside the ground which you can bring back into the bar.

Then, on a trial basis, the £2 a pint draught special promotion will return after full-time while the second live game is shown on the big screen!

MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

See the earlier news item for details of our great matchday programme, including a profile of Steve Thompson.


Come on, you Cards!

N.B. Don’t forget that the Kingfield Road Bridge is closed to vehicles. Pedestrian access will remain via a footbridge, but those travelling by car to the ground may have to take a diversion. For more details about the diversion, including a map, please see the Woking Borough Council website: www.woking.gov.uk/en...nmap