MKJ Group

Cards look to erase unhappy memories

Brian Caffarey
7:28am, Thu 14th Jan 2016
Woking v Maidenhead United
FA Trophy 2nd Round
3pm on Saturday 16 January 2016

The Cards will be doubly keen to win this one! Not only is Garry Hill eager to make progress in this competition, especially given our poor record in recent seasons in cup ties, but he will also want his side to put on a much better showing than they did in the embarrassing FA Cup defeat in October at York Road. Come on down to The Laithwaite Community Stadium to cheer on the Cards to a place in the Third Round!

WOKING

Let’s hope that the Cards can continue their recent fantastic form – seven wins, one draw and one defeat in their last nine league and Trophy games – and put on a convincing display against the Magpies. Garry Hill’s side shook off the loss of top scorer, Dan Holman (now with Cheltenham Town), last weekend, putting on a tremendous performance in awful conditions to beat Wrexham 3-1 away: a victory which moved them up to 6th place in the table and only one point off the play-off places. Gez Sole came in up front to partner Joe Quigley, while Keiran Murtagh, now fully recovered from his recent operation, showed all his class in returning in midfield in place of Matt Robinson, who has returned to Luton Town at the end of his loan spell.

The Cards beat Boreham Wood away 2-1 in the last round, thanks to a deflected free-kick by Gez Sole in added time.

MAIDENHEAD UNITED

Alan Devonshire returned to Maidenhead in the summer after a successful spell in charge of Braintree Town.

The Magpies’ 3-0 FA Cup win over the Cards came during a spell in which they won seven league and cup games on the trot. Maidenhead went on to earn a hugely creditable draw at Port Vale in the following round before losing 3-1 in the replay. But the Cup heroics seem to have affected the Magpies’ league form. They have failed to win any of their last five league games, losing at St Albans City, drawing at Sutton United and Oxford City and, most disappointingly, losing 3-2 at home to Hemel Hempstead Town on 28 December. Their return encounter with Oxford City on New Year’s Day had to be postponed and, last Saturday, they lost 3-2 away to Margate –rather unluckily, by all accounts. As a result the Magpies have now slipped to 10th in the table, five points short of the play-off places.

There are many familiar names in the Magpies’ squad, among them several players who played for Devonshire at Braintree or Hampton and Richmond Borough, including defenders Ryan Peters and Alan Massey and midfielder James Mulley, who all followed Devonshire from Braintree in the summer, and defender Dean Inman and striker Dave Tarpey, who were both at Hampton. Other familiar names include keeper Carl Pentney and defender Rene Steer, both of whom briefly appeared for Woking, and strikers Ben Wright (who played for Devonshire at Hampton and Braintree) and Jake Reid. Wright is the top scorer but substitute Sam Barratt scored both goals for the Magpies last weekend. Massey was sent off in that game shortly after the interval and will therefore miss Saturday’s tie. But Devonshire is hoping that Dean Inman, Kieron Forbes and Rene Steer, who all missed the Margate game, will be back in contention for Saturday. A new arrival this week is 21 year-old defender Joe Gorman, signed from League of Ireland side Drogheda United but with experience also at Crewe Alexandra and Caledonian Thistle.

In the previous rounds of the FA Trophy the Magpies beat Bideford AFC 4-0 at home before defeating East Thurrock United 4-1 away in the last round.

ADMISSION PRICES

Adults - £18
Over 65s, Students with NUS card, forces personnel and MOD civilian staff with recognised ID - £13
U16s - £5

Woking fans would be mad not to take advantage of the special offer to join Dereck Brown in the Geoff Chapple Lounge, while enjoying Tremblay’s fish and chips: see the home page of www.wokingfc.co.uk for details.

If a replay is required, it will take place on Tuesday evening at York Road, with a 7.45pm kick-off. The Cards Trust will run a coach to Maidenhead in the event of a replay.

MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

The Club are producing a 32-page programme for this game at a reduced price of £2.50. It includes a profile of ‘guest of the day’, Woking legend and former Maidenhead Assistant Manager, Dereck Brown, with an appreciation by Geoff Chapple, and a look at Woking’s FA Trophy record. In addition, there’s a summary of what’s been going on at other National League clubs; and news from the Club Board and the Cards Trust, plus match previews, reports and the usual superb match action photos.

LAST TIME WE MET

Maidenhead United 3 Woking 0
FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round
24 October 2015

Cards fans had an uneasy feeling about this tie. The team’s form had been poor, with only one win in the previous seven games; Woking’s recent FA Cup record was disappointing, including a 4-1 thrashing at the Magpies’ hands only a few seasons ago; and Alan Devonshire’s side looked experienced and more than capable of upsetting the odds.

All those fears turned out to be fully justified, though even the most pessimistic Woking fan couldn’t have expected the side to be defeated quite so comprehensively. The home side got off to a flier when Kieron Forbes scored with a tremendous strike in the 4th minute. They then allowed Woking to come at them but the Cards lacked invention and rarely looked like equalising leading up to half-time.

Woking then threw the game away with some calamitous defending. Jake Cole was left exposed as Harry Pritchard broke clear and lifted the ball over him. And then Dave Tarpey pounced on a rebound to fire home.

Afterwards a despondent Garry Hill termed the display ‘unacceptable’, reflecting on the fact that his side had lost its way after a bright start to the season.

Maidenhead United: Pentney, Upward (Nisbet 77), Steer, Huggins, Massey, Inman, Tarpey, Forbes, Reid (Peters 65), Wright (Mulley 79), Pritchard

Unused subs: James, Barratt, Jenkinson, Wiltshire

Goals: Forbes 4, Pritchard 55, Tarpey 60

Woking: Jake Cole, Jake Caprice (Kadell Daniel 60), Chris Arthur, Mark Ricketts, Joey Jones, Keiran Murtagh (Bruno Andrade 60), Giuseppe Sole, John Goddard, Matt Robinson, Dan Holman, Terrell Thomas

Attendance: 867

COMING UP

The Cards are at home to much-improved FC Halifax Town the following Saturday (23 January).

Come on, you Cards!

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