William Bewsey
12:26pm, Mon 24th Jul 2023
Woking v Sutton United
Pre Season Friendly
24th July 2023
19:45 Kick-Off
Woking play their penultimate pre-season friendly on Tuesday night, when League Two side Sutton United visit the Laithwaite.
After a solid 1-0 win against Welling, courtesy of Reece Grego Cox's second goal of pre season, Woking go into this game having won one and drawn two of their fixtures so far, scoring twice and conceding just once. However, there were some notable absences from the squad on Saturday, with Rohan Ince, Jim Kellermann and Robbie Willmott not in the 18-man squad.
Two former Sutton players, Rhys Browne, who featured during the 2020/21 National League winning season and Ricky Korboa, who featured in the 2021/22 season, are set to make appearances against their former club, whilst the Sutton squad still contains a number of players from that title winning season, including Ben Goodliffe, son of former Woking assistant manager and current Sutton assistant Jason.
Opposition Watch
Sutton United are relatively well-established in League Two now, after winning the National League in 2020/21, the U's will enter their third season in the EFL after achieving very solid 8th and 14th placed finishes in the last two years. Matt Gray's side also made it to Wembley in 2021/22, but were heartbreakingly denied the Football League Trophy after a 4-2 defeat to Rotherham United in extra-time.
As for this pre season, Sutton have seen mixed fortunes in their four friendlies so far, with victories over Havant & Waterlooville and Reading being cancelled out by a 3-0 home defeat against Millwall and their most recent result, a 1-1 draw at Farnborough on Saturday.
There has been large scale squad changes at Gander Green Lane this pre season, with the departures of Omar Bugiel and Will Randall to AFC Wimbledon and Notts County then being met with Alistair Smith joining League One side Lincoln City, as twelve players left the club. New additions include impressive centre half Omar Sowumni from Bromley, towering striker Harry Smith from Leyton Orient, midfielders Craig Clay and Christian N'Guessan from Orient and Ebbsfleet respectively, as the U's look to rebuild.
Last Time Out
The sides were separated by just the singular goal last year in pre-season, as a Padraig Amond half-volley on 67 minutes gave Woking a narrow 1-0 win at Gander Green Lane.
Ticket prices are as follows:
• Adults: £12
• Kids: £6
Full ticket details, including how season ticket holders can claim a free ticket, can be found in the article
here.
Around the Ground and Other Information
Gates open at 18:00. The Cardinals Bar, Fan Zone and Moaners Corner Cafe will be open.
Season ticket holders can only claim their seat or area reservations in advance, and cannot claim on the day at the gate.
Supporters are reminded that zones are allocated per area of the ground. Information can be found
here.
