LCS Events

Cards searching for elusive win

Brian Caffarey
8:32am, Thu 31st Mar 2016
Southport v Woking
3pm on Saturday 2 April 2016

The Cards make the long trip to Southport on Saturday still searching for their first league win since early January after a fruitless outing on Easter Monday at Welling. The Sandgrounders have had their problems this season and are still not free of relegation worries, so will no doubt be very focused on gaining three points at the Cards’ expense.

WOKING

The point gained against Kidderminster Harriers on Easter Saturday was followed by a very disappointing 2-1 defeat at Welling United forty-eight hours later, with defensive sloppiness and inadequate finishing proving the Cards’ undoing against another struggling team. About the only real bright spots from the two games were the showing of on-loan striker Daniel Carr, who looked lively, and the continuing excellence of Jake Cole in goal. A worry for Woking fans was the sight of top scorer, John Goddard, leaving the pitch at Welling with what looked like a hamstring strain.

SOUTHPORT

Southport now sit in 16th place with 46 points from 40 games, eight points above Torquay United in 21st place, who have two games in hand, while other clubs immediately below them also have a game or two (or three in FC Halifax’s case) spare. So, the Sandgrounders will no doubt see the Cards’ visit as a great opportunity to haul themselves closer to the magic 50-point target which the Cards finally reached with their point against Kidderminster. Southport had a good Easter, beating fellow strugglers Guiseley 2-0 and then drawing 1-1 away at Altrincham, another club trying to fight off relegation.

Southport had a very poor start to the season, leading to the dismissal of manager Paul Carden in November. The appointment of former Stevenage player and coach, Dino Maamria, led to an immediate improvement, with seven wins in a row, but the Port’s form slipped again in the New Year. Maamria left the club in mid-March, citing ‘family and travel reasons’. Andy Bishop is acting as interim manager.

Some recent additions to the Sandgrounders’ squad include striker Jonny Margetts, signed on loan from Tranmere Rovers; Alex White, a defender who was previously with Liverpool, Dunfermline Athletic and AFC Fylde; Mark O’Brien, a central defender on loan from Luton Town; and Craig Westcarr, a very experienced, and well-travelled, striker who started his career with Nottingham Forest and is on loan from Mansfield Town.

GETTING THERE

Merseyrail Community Stadium
Haig Avenue
Southport
PR8 6JZ

Official website: www.southportfc.net

The Cards Trust is not running a coach to this game.

By car

Leave the M6 at Junction 26 and take the M58 towards Southport. Leave the M58 at Junction 3 and take the A570 towards Ormskirk. Follow the A570 around Ormskirk Town Centre towards Southport. On entering Southport you will come to a large roundabout with Tesco's & McDonalds outlets. Take the 3rd exit onto Scarisbrick New Road (A570). You should now be able to catch sight of the ground over on your right. Pass the Richmond pub on your left and then turn right into Haig Avenue. The ground is down on the right. There is no car park at the ground. However, there are usually many spaces under a couple of minutes’ walk away, but watch out for parking restrictions around the streets.

By train

You can either get a train from Euston to Wigan and change there or travel to Liverpool Lime Street and then catch the Merseyrail to Southport. Look up www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.thetrainline.com for details of train times and prices.

ADMISSION PRICES

Adults: £13.50
Concessions: £10
Under 18s: £5
Under 11s: Free (if accompanied by a paying adult)

The match will be segregated and the ‘away end’ is an uncovered terrace.

LAST TIME OUT

Woking 1 Southport 2
Vanarama National League
3 October 2015

Woking slumped to their fourth defeat on the spin with this tepid and unconvincing performance.

The Sandgrounders arrived at the Laithwaite with only eight points from their first thirteen games and sitting in 22nd position. They had recorded only a single win against Altrincham, along with five draws, and were winless away from home.

With Terell Thomas unavailable, Garry Hill started with three at the back – Jones, Ricketts and Saah – with Caprice and Braham-Barrett as wing-backs. Murtagh and Keohane looked after midfield with Goddard playing just behind the front two of Holman and Cardwell.

The visitors were quickly in the lead and had doubled their account by half-time, with both goals coming from Cole Stockton. Only a change in formation and Garry Hill’s introduction of Gez Sole and Bruno Andrade after fifty minutes seemed to add some urgency to the Cards’ play. A Murtagh goal late on offered some hope but the Port coped comfortably enough and were able to see the game out for their second win of the season.

Woking: Jake Cole; Jake Caprice; Mark Ricketts; Brian Saah; Joey Jones; Keiran Murtagh; John Goddard; Daniel Holman (Bruno Andrade 52); Jimmy Keohane (Giuseppe Sole 52); Harry Cardwell (Ben Pattie 52); Craig Braham-Barrett

Unused subs: Kadell Daniel; Nick Hamman

Goal: Keiran Murtagh 78

Southport: Andy Coughlin; Will Beesley; Liam Nolan; Luke Foster; Andy Wright; Cole Stockton (Jamie Allen 90); Charlie Joyce; Paul Rutherford; Louis Almond (Matty Challoner 90); Andrai Jones; Ben Davies

Unused subs: Jon Viscosi; Adam Blakeman; Courtney Cameron

Goals: Cole Stockton 8, 17

Attendance: 1510

NEXT UP

The Cards are at home to Gateshead next Saturday (9 April).

Come on, you Cards!

P.S. Don’t forget that the Cards’ U18 side are playing Brighton and Hove Albion’s U18 side on Tuesday 5 April, with a 7pm kick-off. Entry is only £3 for adults and £1 for U16s.



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Registered office The Laithwaite Community Stadium, Kingfield, Woking, Surrey, GU22 9AA

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