LCS Events
FCP
3:00pm - SaturdaySat 10th AugustAug 2013
The Laithwaite Community Stadium | Att: 1845

Woking
Woking
0 - 0

Lincoln City
Lincoln City

Cards ready for the off

Brian Caffarey
6:44am, Thu 8th Aug 2013
Woking v Lincoln City
3pm on Saturday 10 August 2013

We’re off at last! The Cards have been handed a very interesting home game for their first match of the season, so come on down to Kingfield and cheer on Garry Hill’s side! Lincoln City have had a couple of disappointing years in the Conference but are fancied by many to do considerably better this time round, so this should be a testing first day for the Cards, who will be keen to make home advantage pay and to get off to a flying start.

WOKING

Woking fans approached last season with a modicum of anxiety since, in spite of our huge confidence in Garry Hill and Steve Thompson, we all knew that it was a big jump from the Conference South to the Conference Premier. There were one or two ‘lessons’ (as Garry likes to call them) on the way but it proved to be a very successful return to the top tier as the Cards finished in 12th place, playing some wonderfully attractive football on the way. This season Garry and Steve seem quietly optimistic about our chances of doing at least as well as last season and possibly even better. It must be a big help to have been able to retain most of last season’s squad, with the defence (especially) and the midfield likely to have a very familiar look about them. Inevitably, we have lost the outstanding talent of Billy Knott from midfield but the additions of the hugely-experienced Gavin Williams and Josh Payne will surely mean that we start this season with a stronger engine room than we had when we set off to Wrexham last August.

What none of us really knows at present is how potent we will be up front. As the pre-season friendlies have shown, we shouldn’t under-estimate the threat coming from a midfield containing the likes of Kevin Betsy, Lee Sawyer and Gavin Williams. But we relied heavily towards the end of last season on goals from on-loan Jayden Stockley and Garry has made no secret of the fact that he’d like, if possible, to have a big target man up front to call on. We’ll have to wait to see if Garry signs someone before the weekend, although he has made it clear that he has no qualms about starting the season with his present squad.

The return from injury of Gez Sole is a huge bonus but, although he has looked fit and sharp in pre-season friendlies, it would be expecting too much to think that he can immediately reproduce the tremendous form he showed towards the end of the 2011-12 season. And then there’s the mercurial talent of Gavin McCallum. It looked as though he might not be with us again this season but he showed in the pre-season friendlies just what a threat he can be when he is really focused.

LINCOLN CITY

The Imps have flirted dangerously with relegation in their two seasons in the Conference but there is optimism among their fans that they have now turned the corner and can start to mount a real challenge to return to the League.

Gary Simpson has made sweeping changes to his squad and has benefited from being able to bring in players from relegated Stockport County and financially-troubled Macclesfield, a club Gary managed only a few seasons ago. New arrivals include full-back Sean Newton from Stockport; Danny Rowe, a striker released by Fleetwood Town but who played for Stockport and Barrow last season; midfielder Jon Nolan, another Stockport capture who came through Everton’s youth system; Bohan Dixon, a midfielder who was with Accrington Stanley last season after varied experience at non-League and amateur levels; striker Ben Tomlinson, who scored 14 goals for Alfreton last season and who was with Gary Simpson at Macclesfield; Waide Fairhurst, a very useful goalscorer from Macclesfield; striker Nick Wright, who was with Mansfield last season but who had more success in earlier spells with Kidderminster and Tamworth; Adi Yussuf, another striker, joining from Burton Albion and who came through Leicester City’s youth system; and central defender Luke Foster, returning to the Club after spells at Oxford United, Mansfield, Stevenage, Rotherham and Preston North End.

But the Imps won’t have striker Vadaine Oliver, sold to Crewe Alexandra for an undisclosed fee.

ADMISSION PRICES

The game will be segregated.

Adults £15
Over 65s and students (with valid student card) £10
U16s £3

Don’t forget that season tickets, representing great value, are still available: Adults £245, Concessions £145, U16 £45, Disabled £112.

BOOST THE BUDGET

The Cards Trust will be hoping to encourage more supporters to join its very successful Boost the Budget scheme. Even if you can’t make a regular donation, please put some money in the collection bucket. You know that Garry will spend it wisely.

MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

Don’t miss out on the Club’s excellent matchday programme! Find out the latest news from the fans’ forum and read Glen Harrington’s thoughts on the new season as he surveys what all the Conference Premier clubs have been up to this summer. If you can’t get to the game, you can order a copy from the Club Shop on shop@wokingfc.co.uk

LAST SEASON

Last December the Cards recovered superbly from their astonishing 7-0 weekend mauling at Hyde United to register a 2-0 win at Sincil Bank the following Tuesday, with a 5th minute penalty coming from Kevin Betsy and another goal midway through the second half from Bradley Bubb. The return game in March produced a 1-1 draw. The Cards again went quickly in front, with a header from Brett Johnson after only a minute, but Vadaine Oliver equalised for Lincoln in the 25th minute, out-jumping the Woking defence.

NEXT UP

The Cards travel to Braintree on Tuesday evening (13 August) and then to resurgent Chester the following Saturday (17 August). Their next home game is on Saturday 24 August when they take on old rivals Welling United.

Come on, you Cards!

Cards Held in Season Opener

Glen Harrington
12:00am, Sat 10th Aug 2013
Woking 0 Lincoln City 0
The Skrill Premier
10th August 2013

The Cards kicked off their Skrill Premier campaign with an intriguing goalless draw against Lincoln City.

Visitors Lincoln, who have been tipped by many to push for a play-off spot this season, showed themselves to be a well-organised and well-drilled opposition and provided a stern test for Garry Hill’s side.

In a keenly-fought encounter, where goal-scoring chances were at a premium, both sides demonstrated their fine defensive capabilities as the two matching 4-5-1 formations somewhat cancelled each other out.

Man-of-the-match Josh Payne came closest to finding the net for the home side, as his half-volley from the edge of the area was turned around the post by Imps keeper Paul Farman.

Payne was one of two new Woking signings handed league debuts, with former Hereford and Yeovil winger Gavin Williams also starting in a five-man Cards midfield.

The rest of the home team had a very familiar look about it. Adam Newton, Jack Parkinson, Brett Johnson and John Nutter made up the back four in front of goalkeeper Aaron Howe; captain Mark Ricketts played in his traditional holding role alongside Payne, with Williams (left) and Kevin Betsy (right) playing either side of Lee Sawyer and lone striker Gavin McCallum.

Gary Simpson’s new-look Lincoln side included six summer signings – defenders Nat Brown and Sean Newton, from Macclesfield and Stockport respectively, midfielders Jon Nolan, again from Stockport, and Preston North End’s Luke Foster, winger Ben Tomlinson, last with Altrincham, and striker Nick Wright, who last year earned promotion with Mansfield Town.

It was the visitors who started the game the stronger: comfortable in possession, while their closing and harrying of Woking players prompted a couple of sloppy hurried passes from the home side.

Despite being on top, Lincoln did little to trouble the Woking back-line, their most potent attacking moment coming when Wright skipped past Johnson down the right-hand side, only to see his attempted cut-back across goal deflected behind for a corner.

It wasn’t until just before the half-hour mark that the near two thousand strong Kingfield crowd was treated to an attempted shot at goal, Josh Payne striking his free-kick over the bar.

With Lincoln tiring somewhat as the half wore on, the Cards players were steadily allowed more time and space on the ball, and enjoyed one of their brightest spells of the game in the final ten minutes of the first period.

Almost predictably, Betsy was at the heart of the majority of Woking’s good play, as an excellent piece of skill allowed him to escape his man and get a shot in on goal. Soon after, it was Betsy’s cross that looked to have the Lincoln defence scrambling but, with Ricketts and McCallum waiting in the middle, Newton recovered to clear.

Sawyer also had his hopeful shot comfortably saved by Farman, while Parkinson and McCallum both saw their efforts fly wide of goal.

Half-time: Woking 0 Lincoln City 0

Lincoln belatedly had their first real sight of the Woking goal five minutes into the second half. A dinked cross from the left-hand side by Mamadou Fofana looked to have found Wright free in the heart of the Cards penalty area, but the striker could only glance his header wide.

The hosts quickly struck back with chances of their own. First, Sawyer collected the ball neatly on the edge of the area after an exquisite ball from Payne, only to shoot straight at the keeper, before Payne himself came close with a neatly struck effort that required Farman to get down well to his left-hand side and turn the ball round the post.

On the hour mark McCallum, who had endured his fair share of taunts and jibes from the Lincoln fans (having played for the Imps before joining the Cards), made way for Joe McNerney, which also signalled a change in tactics from the Woking management team.

Acting as a target man, McNerney was given the task of disturbing the aerial dominance the City defence had enjoyed against McCallum. It was a ploy that was almost immediately rewarded as the big man fought his way into the Imps penalty area and forced Farman into a save from a tight angle.

Woking continued to improve as the match wore on while Lincoln, who were perhaps fortunate not to be down to ten men after Tomlinson’s rash challenge on Betsy, began to drop steadily deeper as they looked to play in a more counter-attacking style.

Williams rippled the top of the Lincoln netting with another decent effort, before a neat interchange between Betsy and Sawyer came close to producing a further opportunity.

That was to prove Sawyer’s last contribution of the day as he was replaced by another of Woking’s summer signings – Anthony McNamee – while the Imps brought on Bohan Dixon, recently arrived from Accrington Stanley, in place of Wright.

Dixon’s impact was easily the more noticeable as he handed the visitors a new lease of life in the closing stages – volleying over himself from the edge of the area, before setting up Jon Nolan, who was only denied by a perfectly timed, last ditch saving block from Parkinson.

George Frith replaced Williams as the game almost inevitably wound down towards a draw, but there was still time for both teams to squander one final chance apiece: Farman shooting over for Lincoln, before Betsy surged into the Imps half and pulled the ball back for Nutter, only for the full-back to cross straight into the grateful arms of Farman.

Garry Hill and Steve Thompson will no doubt be pleased with their side’s efforts. Defensively, they looked very solid and the new-look midfield functioned well. The forward line will remain the biggest concern. McCallum worked hard during his time on the pitch, chasing every loose ball, while McNerney battled as strongly as ever despite playing outside of his favoured position. But even with Giuseppe Sole, today an unused substitute, still to come back, you can’t help but feel that the squad is still one striker short, a situation hinted at by the manager at the recent Fans' Forum.

In what was a tight and cagey affair from start to finish, a draw was probably the fairest result. Both sides had their chances to snatch it late on, but a point apiece represents a satisfactory start to the 2013/14 season for both teams.

Woking: Aaron Howe, Adam Newton, John Nutter, Jack Parkinson, Brett Johnson, Mark Ricketts, Josh Payne, Lee Sawyer (Anthony McNamee 72), Gavin Williams (George Frith 86), Kevin Betsy, Gavin McCallum (Joe McNerney 58).

Unused Subs: Sam Beasant, Giuseppe Sole.

Goal(s): None.

Booked: Payne 88.

Lincoln City: Paul Farman, Dan Gray, Nat Brown, Andrew Boyce, Sean Newton, Luke Foster, Jon Nolan, Mamadou Fofana, Alan Power, Nick Wright (Bohan Dixon 72), Ben Tomlinson.

Unused Subs: David Preece, Waide Fairhurst, Danny Rowe, Jake Sheridan.

Goal(s): None.

Booked: Foster 29, Tomlinson 64.

MOTM: Josh Payne – An outstanding league debut as he controlled things in midfield, combining well with Ricketts when needed defensively, while showing off his excellent array of passing going forward.

Attendance: 1,845


WOKING LINEUP
1Aaron Howe
2Adam Newton
3John Nutter
8Jack Parkinson
6Brett Johnson
4Mark Ricketts
20Josh Payne
7Lee Sawyer ('73)
11Kevin Betsy
9Gavin Williams ('87)
29Gavin McCallum ('58)
BENCH
18Sam Beasant
5Joe McNerney ('58)
16George Frith ('87)
14Anthony McNamee ('73)
10Giuseppe Sole
Lincoln City LINEUP
1Paul Farman
3Sean Newton
5Andrew Boyce
6Rio Fofana
8Alan Power
10Nick Wright ('73)
11Ben Tomlinson
15Dan Gray
19Jon Nolan
23Nat Brown
27Luke Foster
BENCH
7Waide Fairhurst
9Danny Rowe
12Jake Sheridan
17Bohan Dixon ('73)
31David Preece

Woking 0-0 Lincoln City Garry Hill Interview)

Josh Payne Interview

David Holmes
7:00pm, Sat 10th Aug 2013
Josh Payne Interview

Josh Payne:







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