William Bewsey
9:41am, Thu 14th Dec 2023
Dorking Wanderers v Woking
Vanarama National League
Saturday 16th December 2023
15:00 Kick-Off
Woking make the short journey to Dorking on Saturday in need of a first three points since October.
After blowing a 2-0 lead in the FA Trophy at Weston-super-Mare on Tuesday night to go out of the competition, Ian Dyer may look to change up his squad, with the likes of Scott Cuthbert and Rohan Ince potential options to come back into the squad.
Despite the result, there were some positives, as Jim Kellermann, Manny Oyeleke and Dennon Lewis returned from injury, with the former two starting. This will be food for Dyer's thoughts on Saturday, as Wanderers' 3G pitch could provide a conundrum as to whether to risk players coming back from injury. Another positive was two goals for Rhys Browne, who now has three in two games after getting off the mark at Boreham Wood.
Opposition Watch
Since the last time the sides met, Dorking's form (and luck with injuries) has been mixed. Marc White has chopped and changed as we've seen during the Wanderers' time in the National League, with the likes of Ryan Seager, sold to Havant and Waterlooville, being replaced by players such as former Card Charlie Carter. Injuries to attacking players such as Matt Briggs and Jason Prior have seen White having to switch back to James McShane up front, although Prior is still Wanderers' top scorer with eight in 17 games.
Alfie Rutherford made a much anticipated return to action in early November against Dagenham, and got his first goal since returning from an ACL injury in a 2-1 win over Boreham Wood last month. Despite a mixed record, Dorking's home form is strong, and included three wins in their last four home games, including a 3-0 win over Maidenhead in the FA Trophy last weekend. They fared badly in the FA Cup, losing 2-0 at Horsham at the first hurdle, which resulted in a damning Marc White interview going viral on social media.
The Wanderers currently sit 17th, with seven wins, four draws and ten defeats from 21 games, having scored 26 and conceded 37. Their overall home record is four wins, two draws and five defeats from 11 games at Meadowbank, giving them 14 points from 11 games.
Last Time Out
Goals from Ricky Korboa and Dennon Lewis sealed a 2-0 win for the Cards in the reverse fixture on August Bank Holiday, in a game where Woking were completely dominant. Last season, two thrilling games saw the large crowds thoroughly entertained, as an October Tuesday night at the Laithwaite saw the sides draw 3-3, with Padraig Amond scoring twice along with Rhys Browne's first goal for the club.
The reverse fixture, also a Bank Holiday in April saw Jason Prior's penalty cancelled out by a superb long range strike from Rohan Ince, before a header from close range completed a memorable turnaround in front of 1300 Cards fans.
Around the Ground
Tickets will not be available on the gate, but are still available
here.
The Cards Trust is running a coach, information is available
here.
Dorking is served by two main stations, Dorking and Dorking Deepdene. Trains go from Guildford to Dorking Deepdene, and from London Waterloo to Dorking. Both are about a 15 minute walk to the ground.
There will be a bar area at the ground, but Dorking has several pubs and restaurants in the town centre next to the ground.
