Cards in desperate need of all three points

Woking vs Hungerford Town
Vanarama National League South
Tuesday 30th October

The Cards’ joy at a place in the first round proper of the FA Cup was soured somewhat on Saturday after Bath City secured a disappointingly comfortable 3-1 win at the Laithwaite Community Stadium. Luckily, Alan Dowson’s side don’t have to wait long for a chance to put things right with Hungerford Town the visitors this coming Tuesday evening.

It was two polar opposite performances from the Cards just seven days apart as the fight and desire shown in a scrappy but deserved 1-0 win over in form Welling United, melted away as the Romans battered a beleaguered and, still, injury-ridden Woking side on Saturday afternoon, extending our winless run of league games to five and dropping us down to fourth in the table. Dowson and co will no doubt point out however that the team is still in a strong position after an excellent start to the season and remain just three points adrift of new league leaders Welling.

Conversely, it’s been a very tough start to the season for Hungerford, who are currently in 19th place with just 11 points – two clear of the final relegation place – whilst they are also in the unenviable position of having conceded a league-high 30 goals from their 14 games so far. That being said, spirits would have been boosted by Saturday’s 2-0 win over play-off chasing Hampton and Richmond Borough, which ended the Crusaders’ run of six straight league defeats and saw dangerman Danilo Orsi-Dadomo grab his fifth and sixth goals of the season – Ian Herring’s side are certainly not to be underestimated.

Whilst Saturday’s performance was not a good one it’s worth remembering that the Cards have lost just twice in 10 games at Kingfield so far this season. The team, who are desperate to put things right on Tuesday, would really appreciate your support so please come on down if you can and cheer them on to a win!

Woking Team News

The Cards’ bad luck with injuries continued at the weekend as Jamar Loza was forced to sit out with a shoulder injury. Paul Hodges was his replacement as he started in a front three alongside Jake Hyde and Nicky Wheeler, whilst Donovan Makoma returned in midfield in place of Charlie Hester-Cook, in the only other change from the previous game.

It will be interesting to see whether Dowse keeps faith with his side after such a disappointing performance, particularly after he introduced substitutes Duane Ofori-Acheampong, Greg Luer and Hester-Cook before the hour mark against Bath, and all three will likely be hoping for a chance to prove what they can do from the start.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely at this stage that any of Loza, Armani Little or Harvey Bradbury (a former Hungerford player) will make it back in time for this game, whilst Charlie Wassmer, Kane Ferdinand and Christian Jolley remain long-term absentees. Dowse will be hoping that some of his squad players can make an impact on Tuesday and hopefully help guide the team to three points.

Hungerford Town Team News

There aren’t many familiar names in the Hungerford team for Woking fans to look out for, although Saturday’s win over Dowse’s former club proves that they are more than capable of holding their own at this level, and their manager will no doubt be looking for more of the same from his side.

Against Hampton they lined up with Jacob Weaver, who is on loan from Birmingham City, in goal; a back four of Marcus Johnson-Schuster, formerly of Basingstoke Town, Matt Jones, Birmingham Under-23 captain Josh Martin and Marvel Ekpiteta; in midfield was the versatile James Rusby, former Whitehawk wide-man Ramone Rose, experienced player-manager Herring who has been with the club since 2012 and has been manager since 2017, and former Bournemouth academy graduate Richard Whittingham; up front was the match-winner Orsi-Dadomo, who made his name in the lower leagues in the United States, and Darren Foxley.

Admission Prices

• Adults £15
• Over 65s £10
• Disabled (Including carer) £10
• Students (U19) £5
• U16s £5

Our matchday programme will be on sale for £3. Don’t forget to grab your copy on the way in! You’ll also be able to visit the club shop for more great offers.

Next Up

The Cards have a long run of away games coming up starting with Chippenham Town on Saturday, followed by a trip to Torquay United in the first round of the FA Cup – if you’ve not already done so make sure to book your spot on the coach for the latter game to hopefully cheer the team on into the second round!