Cards target holiday double

Farnborough v Woking
3pm on Sunday 1 January 2012

Can Garry Hill’s side do the ‘double’ over Spencer Day’s new-look Farnborough team on New Year’s Day? The Cards have been below par in recent games but have still been taking home the spoils and now lead Welling United by 12 points. Garry has moved to strengthen the squad with the exciting loan signing of Keiran Murtagh and there is talk of another ‘big name’ signing. Woking have saved some of their best performances this season for away trips, so Cards fans will travel in optimistic mood.

WOKING

Whether it’s mid-season malaise, weariness or the effect of injuries or other factors, Garry Hill’s side haven’t played with the same fluency in recent games as they showed, for example, in their superb display at Dover Athletic in mid-November. He was clearly disappointed with the performance on Boxing Day and has quickly moved to freshen the side by bringing in Keiran Murtagh on loan from Cambridge United, who made such a strong impression in his previous loan spell at Kingfield last season. There is talk of another imminent ‘big name’ signing, but Ben Smith, who scored the winning goal on Boxing Day, has returned to Crawley Town following the end of his loan period.

Mark Ricketts will still be missing and it seems unlikely that Garry will want to hasten Paris Cowan-Hall’s return from his hamstring injury, given that Paris has previously had a hamstring problem. However, with Wayne Gray this week having also committed himself to Woking till the end of the season, Garry has plenty of attacking options.

Aaron Howe will presumably return in goal if he has sufficiently recovered from the neck injury which caused his last-minute withdrawal on Boxing Day.

FARNBOROUGH

Spencer Day’s side acquitted themselves well at Kingfield, with some sharper finishing and a more sympathetic referee they might easily have shared the points or even taken all three. Daniel Bennett and Aldershot loanee Reece Connolly in particular both impressed in attack.

GETTING THERE

Farnborough FC
The Rushmoor Stadium
Cherrywood Road
Farnborough
Hampshire
GU14 8UD

Website: www.farnboroughfc.co.uk

Tel: 01252 541469

GETTING THERE

By coach

The Cards Trust coach leaves Kingfield at 1.00pm and costs £10 for members and £15 for non-members. Phone or email (shop@wokingfc.co.uk) the Club Shop today to book your place.

By road

The directions given on the Farnborough website are as follows. Head for the M3. Leave at Junction 4 and take the A331 signposted to Farnham. After a few hundred yards exit at the second slip road - signposted A325 Farnborough - turn right at the roundabout and cross over the dual carriageway and a small roundabout. Pass the Farnborough Gate shopping centre on your left and at the next roundabout turn left onto the A325. Go over a pelican crossing and at the next set of lights take the right filter into Prospect Avenue. At the end of this road turn right at the roundabout into Cherrywood Road. The ground is half a mile on the right.

By rail

The ground is about a 25 minute walk from Farnborough Main station. There appears to be only one train an hour running from Woking to Farnborough Main on New Year’s Day, so don’t miss it! Trains leave at 46 minutes past the hour and arrive 12 minutes later. Rather oddly, there are two trains an hour back: at 08 and 38 minutes past the hour.

Leave from the station approach and turn right onto Union Street i.e. with the railway line on your right. After half a mile turn right at the traffic lights onto Prospect Road, go under the railway bridge and follow this road over two mini roundabouts and a real one (where it becomes Cherrywood Road). The ground is half a mile beyond the third roundabout.

ADMISSION PRICES

Adults: £12
Concessions: £8
U16s: £3
U14s: £1 when accompanied by a paying adult
U6s: Free

Prices apply to both home and away fans in all sections of the ground.


LAST TIME OUT

Farnborough 1 Woking 1 (aet. Farnborough win 2-1 on aggregate)
BSBS Play-Off Semi-Final, 2nd leg
8 May 2011

The Cards went into this game with a one-goal deficit from the first leg and for much of the first half it looked as though Farnborough might add to that lead. Shortly before half-time, however, Michael Doughty’s ball over the top saw Elvis Hammond create confusion between Boro’ keeper Michael Jordan and a defender. Jordan only succeeded in heading the ball behind him and Elvis was left with a simple tap-in to level the overall score.

The Cards started the second period in confident mood but failed to create any decisive openings. The home side began to threaten again through Bradley Bubb and Michael Malcolm and it took a fine save from Andy Little and a last-ditch clearance by Mark Ricketts to take the tie into extra-time. Both sides looked weary in the final 30 minutes but Bubb did well to set up a chance for Dean McDonald, who smashed the ball home to avoid a looming penalty shoot-out.

David Holmes’s and John Moore’s match report ended: “Given the galvanising effect of Hill and Thompson and the way in which the players responded to them, Cards fans will be optimistic of an even more successful campaign next season.� The signs are looking good so far!


Come on, you Cards!

P.S. Don’t forget that the Cards are at home to Staines Town on Saturday 7 January. Kick-off is at 3pm.