Glen Harrington
8:15am, Sat 21st Nov 2020
Woking vs Barnet
Vanarama National League
Saturday 21st November
Woking will look to make it two National League wins on the bounce this afternoon when they host a struggling Barnet side at the Laithwaite Community Stadium.
The Cards returned to form in emphatic style on Tuesday evening when a brace from Kane Ferdinand, plus goals from Josh Davison, Max Kretzschmar and Slavi Spasov, saw them record a 5-1 away victory at Dover Athletic, the first time Woking have scored five goals away from home in a league match since December 2015, when they beat Gateshead by the same scoreline. The result ended a run of four league games without a win for Alan Dowson’s side and saw them rebound into the play-off places, currently sitting sixth with 14 points. The Cards will be confident of producing another positive result this afternoon. They remain unbeaten at home this season, having won two and drawn two so far, whilst opponents Barnet currently sit just a point above the relegation zone after back-to-back league defeats.
The Bees have taken seven points from seven games so far, with two wins, one draw, and four defeats. Last time out they suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat at home to King’s Lynn Town, with former Card Jamar Loza grabbing a brace, just as he did against Woking last month. Their only positive league results this season have come in narrow wins against Weymouth and Dagenham & Redbridge, plus a goalless draw against Wrexham. They have however made impressive progress in the FA Cup, knocking out League One side Burton Albion two weekends ago, winning 1-0 despite having a man sent-off at the end of the first-half. They’ll be hoping to see their cup form translate into success in the league soon, particularly after finishing in the play-off places last season, taking seventh spot on the points-per-game method before being knocked out at the semi-final stage by Notts County.
Woking – Team News
Dowse made just one change on Tuesday evening with Dave Tarpey coming in for Slavi Spasov. The boss will likely be tempted to stick with the same starting line-up that performed so well at Crabble, but he does have options in the squad should he want to freshen up the side, with the likes of Ben Gerring and Matt Jarvis fit again, whilst Tommy Block is also thought to be close to a return. Malachi Napa remains the only long-term absentee.
Barnet – The Boss
Peter Beadle took over as Barnet boss in the summer following the departure of former manager Darren Currie. A former Football League striker, who played for the likes of Gillingham, Bristol Rovers, Bristol City, and Barnet before ending his playing career in 2005, his first major managerial appointment was at Newport County where he coached between 2005 and 2008. From here he managed the newly formed Hereford FC, guiding the club to three successive promotions before being sacked with the club 12th in National League North. He took close to two years out of the game until joining Barnet in August.
One to Watch
Forward JJ Hooper is a real dangerman having scored four goals already this season, including a brace in a 4-2 defeat against Notts County. The former Newcastle United academy graduate has got an enviable record at National League level having also scored regularly for Bromley and Wrexham in recent seasons, whilst he has Football League experience from his time with Port Vale and Grimsby Town.
Last Time Out
Woking 1-3 Barnet – National League (10th March 2020)
This was the Cards’ final game before the first national lockdown brought a premature end to the 2019/20 season. David Tutonda and Josh Walker fired the visitors into a two-goal lead, Jack Cook pulled one back after heading in a Matt Jarvis cross, before Walker made the game safe with his second deep into stoppage time. The result was a crucial one for the Bees as it ultimately propelled them into the play-off places.
Next Up
The Cards have a week off next week due to Macclesfield Town’s demise before the start of the season. Our next game is at home to Sutton United next Tuesday evening. That’s followed by a tough trip to Notts County the following Saturday.
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