Seymours
7:45pm - TuesdayTue 13th OctoberOct 2020
The Laithwaite Community Stadium

Woking
Woking
2 - 0

Dag & Red
Dagenham & Redbridge

Cards aim to bounce back after Chesterfield collapse

Glen Harrington
9:00pm, Mon 12th Oct 2020
Woking vs Dagenham & Redbridge
Vanarama National League
Tuesday 13th October 2020


Woking return to the Laithwaite Community Stadium on Tuesday night when Dagenham & Redbridge will be the visitors. The Cards will be looking to get back to winning ways after a 4-0 defeat away to Chesterfield, whilst the Daggers will be hoping that they can get another win on the board after getting off the mark last weekend.

Despite the scoreline, manager Alan Dowson will have taken plenty of positives from the performance against the Spireites, having seen his side dominate possession and create a host of chances before being picked off on the break in the closing stages. The Cards responded positively to Tom Denton’s early goal, with John Goddard and Kane Ferdinand in particular going close, whilst Josh Casey and Charlie Cooper continued to be a threat from set pieces.
Dowse will just be disappointed that his team couldn’t capitalise on their chances, as well as the manner in which they allowed the hosts to accumulate a particularly flattering margin of victory with three late goals. Even with the defeat, the Cards remain firmly in the top half of the infant league table, outside of the play-off places on goal difference alone.

Hopes are high for Dagenham this season after a disappointing campaign last time out. After starting the year with play-off ambitions the Daggers arguably never recovered from a surprise opening day defeat at home to the newly promoted Cards, and they ended the campaign just two points clear of Ebbsfleet United, who ultimately took the final relegation place. It also meant back-to-back bottom half finishes for Dagenham in their fourth season back in the fifth tier following relegation from the Football League in 2016. Their poor form last season was enough to see manager Peter Taylor shown the door in January with former Ebbsfleet boss Daryl McMahon his replacement. Results have improved slowly, although this season has also brought with it a difficult start, defeats at Halifax and at home to Barnet followed by a much-needed 1-0 win against Wealdstone on Saturday.

Woking – Team News

Dowse named an unchanged team against Chesterfield on Saturday, although he was able to welcome back defender Sam Cartwright and winger Matt Jarvis from injury, with both presumably in contention to start after making the bench at the weekend. The boss also has another option in his midfield after the loan signing of Charlton Athletic’s Ben Dempsey was confirmed on Monday. Ben enjoyed a successful one-month spell with the Cards last season, helping accrue eight points in five league outings, and offers a high quality alternative for Dowse should he wish to rotate in the centre of the park during this hectic fixture schedule. Elsewhere, the likes of Tyler Reid, Dave Tarpey and Connor Hall are also awaiting their first starts of the new campaign.

Dagenham & Redbridge – The Boss

The Cards will be familiar with Daryl McMahon, who has come up against the Cards both as a player and as a manager. After a brief spell as the club’s player / caretaker manager in November 2014, McMahon’s managerial career started in earnest at Ebbsfleet in April 2015. He took charge of over 150 games for the Kent-based club, winning more than half, and guiding the club to promotion to the National League via the play-offs in 2017. He also reached the National League play-offs the following year, knocking out Aldershot Town on route to a semi-final exit at the hands of Tranmere Rovers. He joined troubled Macclesfield Town in August of last year, resigning in January, and joined the Daggers soon after.

One to Watch

Star striker Paul McCallum might be yet to get off the mark this season but he’s a deadly proposition at National League level. The former West Ham United youngster made his name at Leyton Orient, where he was a regular scorer in League 2, before hitting 34 National League goals in two seasons at Eastleigh – including 26 in the 2018/19 campaign, second only to AFC Fylde’s Danny Rowe. Last year proved more of a challenge for McCallum, but he still ended the shortened season with 14 goals in all competitions, including 5 in 7 games whilst on loan at Barnet pre-lockdown. He joins Dagenham from Woking’s opening day opponents, Solihull Moors.

Last Time Out

Dagenham 0-2 Woking – National League (13th August 2019)


The Cards got off to the dream start following promotion from National League South in their first game back in the fifth tier. Kane Ferdinand scored inside seven minutes before Moussa Diarra scored just eight minutes into the second-half. Dowse’s ploy of going with a back five, including Diarra alongside Ben Gerring and Manny Parry, worked to perfection as the Daggers failed to make a dent in the Woking defence. The reverse fixture was due to take place shortly before lockdown but was instead called off as the season came to a premature close.

Next Up

The Cards entertain FC Halifax Town on Saturday afternoon. There is no mid-week fixture scheduled for next week. Instead, the Cards are in FA Cup qualifying action the following weekend.


in association with LV BET

Cards move up to 6th after a comfortable 2-0 win over Dagenham & Redbridge

Justin Burns
12:00am, Tue 13th Oct 2020
Woking 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 0
National League
Tuesday, 13th October 2020

The Cards brushed off the 4-0 defeat to Chesterfield at the weekend as they returned to winning ways by putting in a superb performance at The Laithwaite Community Stadium, comfortably beating Dagenham & Redbridge 2-0 and moving up to sixth place in the National League.

Dowse made two changes to the starting side, with Dave Tarpey coming in for John Goddard and Ben Dempsey, who signed again earlier in the week on-loan from Charlton Athletic, coming into the team in place of Tommy Block, who was on the substitutes bench.

Woking were out of the traps fast, pressurising Dagenham & Redbridge in all areas of the pitch and looked sharp from the off, intent on putting the weekend defeat behind them.

The visitors, who had picked up three points from their opening three league games, were dealt a blow in the 4th minute, when their striker Paul McCallum picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Adrian Clifton.

The pressure nearly told and the Cards nearly took the lead in the 7th minute, when Josh Casey floated in a delightful cross from the right, finding Kane Ferdinand 10 yards out, but he headed straight into the arms of Elliott Justham.

More efforts on goal soon followed and Casey had a shot charged down and the keeper did well to clear, before the impressive Charlie Cooper had a low shot from the edge of the box deflected wide of the left-hand post for a corner.

The breakthrough was coming, as it was one-way traffic, and the lively Malachi Napa, then cut inside his marker and found Tarpey in space just inside the penalty box, but he sliced a rising shot wide of the right post.

Dagenham & Redbridge thought they had weathered the storm, but Woking continued to probe, and deservedly took the lead in the 20th minute through Jack Cook, who rose the highest and expertly glanced a header in from close range after Cooper had whipped in a tantalising free kick, from near to the left corner flag.


Jack Cook rises like a salmon to head home; pic: David Holmes


The goal kickstarted Dagenham & Redbridge into life as they had been anonymous in the first 20 minutes, and the Essex side, then had two opportunities to equalise in quick succession.

First, Sam Deering created some space, but his shot was well saved by Craig Ross and then a minute later, Clifton headed narrowly wide after a great ball into the area.

The away side’s woes continued though in the 29th minute, as Clifton went down clutching his right leg and the substitute, who had only been on the pitch for 25 minutes, had to be replaced up front by Darren McQueen.

Dagenham & Redbridge’s miserable half hour was compounded, as the energetic Cards made it 2-0 in 32nd minute, when Napa cut in from the left and let fly with a powerful right-foot shot from the edge of the box, which Justham let slip through his fingers and into the back of the net.

The Cards themselves were then forced into making a substitution in the 39th minute, as the dangerous Napa had to go off due to an injury and was replaced by Max Kretzschmar.

The two-goal lead at half time was the least that Woking deserved for their first half performance, as they had dictated their opponents and were on the front foot throughout the half.

Half-time: Woking 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 0

The visitors came out with more intent at the start of the second half, and had some pressure in the early exchanges, but it came to nothing as the Cards’ defence stood firm.

In the 53th minute, the game heated up after Dempsey’s late challenge on McQueen riled Dagenham and players from both sides came together, pushing and shoving each other. Dempsey was booked for the tackle before the melee was split up.

Cooper seemed determined to get on the scoresheet and continued to drive forward from the centre of midfield and nearly made it 3-0 in the 61st minute, when his fierce right foot shot was well saved lowdown, after the ball had fallen to him from a Tarpey right-wing cross.

Dagenham & Redbridge had failed to carve out any clear-cut chances in the game and the Cards’ well-marshalled defence had restricted them to speculative efforts on goal from distance.

Cooper’s one-man mission to make it 3-0 continued, and in the 67th minute, he smashed a powerful effort on goal that was blocked, and then in the 71st minute, he curled in a lovely free kick from the left side of the penalty box after Casey was brought down, that was well tipped over the bar for a corner.

Dowse then introduced Matt Jarvis in place of Tarpey in the 74th minute, as the Cards looked to see the game out and secure the three points.

His experience and ability were there to see, and he proved a calming influence, holding on to the ball a few times on the left flank, teasing his marker a few times, ticking the clock down.

Woking were very comfortable in the last 15 minutes, controlling the game, playing smartly and the visitors continued to create very little in attack and looked devoid of ideas.

Conor Hall then replaced Slavi Spasov, who had worked tirelessly up front, in the 83rd minute, as Woking made their final substitution of the game.

There was one final opportunity for Dagenham & Redbridge to pull a goal back and set up a close finish, but Brissett failed to pull the trigger in the box after drifting into the area, and the solid Nathan Collier, made a superb sliding challenge to snuff out the opportunity.

This proved to be last action of the game and it was a thoroughly deserved three points for the Cards, who were by far the better side, playing with energy, purpose and a collective spirit across the pitch.

The win moves Woking up to 6th place in the National League with nine points after four games and they will look to rise further up the table at the weekend, when they welcome 11th placed FC Halifax Town to Kingfield on Saturday.

It has been an impressive start to the season for the Cards who look sharp, well-drilled and committed, and a number of their new signings are having a big impact, which hopefully will continue through an intense period of games.

Woking: 13 Craig Ross, 12 Nathan Collier, 6 Saul Shotton, 2 Jack Cook, 3 Josh Casey ©, 4 Charlie Cooper, 18 Ben Dempsey, 8 Kane Ferdinand, 20 Malachi Napa (10 Max Kretzschmar 39’), 7 Dave Tarpey (11 Matt Jarvis 74’), 14 Slavi Spasov (9 Connor Hall 83’)

Unused subs: 21 Tommy Block, 30 Sam Cartwright

Goals: Cook 20’, Napa 32’

Booked: Spasov 45’, Dempsey 53’

Dagenham & Redbridge: 1 Elliott Justham, 3 Elliott Johnson, 5 Luke Croll, 6 Kenneth Clark ©, 7 Sam Deering, 8 Mitch Brundle, 9 Paul McCallum (21 Adrian Clifton 4’)(17 Darren McQueen 29’), 10 Angelo Balanta, 15 Andrew Eleftheriou, 18 Kai Brown (23 Jaden Brissett 68’), 24 Charlie Adams

Unused Subs: 13 Josh Strizovich, 20 William Wright

Booked: McQueen 53’, Brown 58’, Eleftheriou 66’, Balanta 73’,

Referee: Tom Reeves

Attendance: Behind Closed Doors

Man of the Match: Charlie Cooper – all-action central midfield performance, dangerous free kicks and he was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet.

WOKING LINEUP
13Craig Ross
12Nathan Collier
3Josh Casey
6Saul Shotton
2Jack Cook
18Ben Dempsey
4Charlie Cooper
8Kane Ferdinand
7Dave Tarpey ('74)
20Malachi Napa ('39)
14Slavi Spasov ('83)
BENCH
30Sam Cartwright
21Tommy Block
10Max Kretzschmar ('39)
11Matt Jarvis ('74)
9Connor Hall ('83)
Dagenham & Redbridge LINEUP
1Elliott Justham
15Andy Eleftheriou
3Elliott Johnson
5Luke Croll
6Kenny Clark
7Sam Deering
8Mitch Brundle
24Charlee Adams
18Kai Brown ('68)
10Angelo Balanta
9Paul McCallum ('4)
BENCH
13Josh Strizovic
20Will Wright
23Jaden Brissett ('68)
21Adrian Clifton ('4) ('30)
17Darren McQueen ('30)

Woking 2-0 Dagenham & Redbridge | Martin Tyler Interview

Woking 2-0 Dagenham & Redbridge | Josh Casey Interview

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