Woking FC - The rise of the cardinals (hopefully!)

R

rooner2004

Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2010
Messages
26
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Firstly, this is my first story, so any feedback is more than welcome!

July 2009

After a dismal 2008-09 season that saw relegation from the blue-square premier Woking FC chairman Shahid Azeem anounced to the media he was to take the club in a new direction, with an energetic young manager taking charge in succession of Graham Barker. This man was Ross Taylor, a man with the dream of taking the football club into English football's elite.
 
August 1st 2009
The first three weeks of Taylor's reign have been interesting to say the least! His ambition was shown almost immediately with an audacious loan bid for Liverpool youngster Daniel Pacheco, although the offer was accepted the player eventually decided to go to scunthorpe, citing a higher level of football as his reason. Taylor however did not stop there, the loan acquisitions of Portsmouth midfielder Matty Ritchie, Fulham striker Danny Hoesen and Manchester United midfielder Oliver Norwood were announced within a matter of days of his appointment. Also arriving at the Kingfield Stadium on a free transfer was 19-year old goalkeeper Erwin Sak, brought in to compete with Ross Worner for the number 1 jersey.


As far as results go it was a mixed bag, starting badly but finishing the month strongly as the season approaches. Defeats to Carlisle, Cheltenham, Tamworth and Aston Villa's second string had supporters fearing the worst but then victories over Farsley, Glenn Hoddle Academy and rather impressively Blackpool of the championship thanks to Matty Ritchie's 40th minute strike.
 
September 1st 2009

A great start to the campaign for Taylor's men with a convincing 3-1 win away to Welling, it was however tainted by a knee injury to Dutch loanee Danny Hoesen, ruling him out for a month. convincing wins over fellow promotion chasers Chelmsford and Worcester had fans dreaming of a Blue Square Premier return already! Until their trip to Weston-Super-Mare that was, where the cardinals gave away a 1-0 lead late on to draw 1-1. Welling got back to winning ways with a 1-0 win over Bishops Stortford, after which tempers flared in the dressing room with Taylor expressing his dissatisfaction with the performance of the boys to the anger of some of the senior members of the playing staff. Lewes away was next, and a close game ended with each side taking a point. Woking's 7th game in just 23 days came at home to Eastleigh in a top of the table clash with Woking coming out on top in a thrilling game, Giuseppe Sole's 27th minute strike enough to give them all three points and finish the month on top of the pile.
Right full-back Mark Ricketts was particularly impressive in a defensive line that conceded only two goals in seven, the versatile 24-year old has been on the receiving end of praise from fans and his manager, who has himself been awarded the manager of the month award.

Also...
Elsewhere in the footballing world Jack Rodwell earned his first England cap, alongside Phillip Neville who made a unlikely return from the international wilderness, while Birmingham City forked out a club record £13.25 million on Senegalese international Demba Ba.
 
Ahhhhh first AFC Wimbledon stories, now Woking stories?! What's next a Sutton story?!?!

Good read so far though mate keep it up & get the cards back to the BSP where they belong!
 
1st October 2009

September began away to mid-tabe Hampton and Richmond, where exquisite midfield displays from 19-year olds Matty Ritchie and Harry Arter inspired a 3-1 victory, made all the more impressive with Oliver Norwood and the fit again Danny Hoesen away with their respective national sides. Next up was Basingstoke Town where Woking raced into a two goal lead thanks to a brace from former Tottenham trainee Jamie Slabber on his first start for the club, only for the game to finish 2-2 thanks to a host of defensive errors, with Basingstoke missing a second half penalty luckily for left full-back Nicky Nicolau who was also yellow-carded for the offence. Maidenhead were visitors to the kingfield stadium the following saturday with forward Hoesen starting for only the second time for the club but they were on the back foot immediately with the visitors going ahead through bulgarian striker Ivaylo Dimitrov, strikes from Giuseppe Sole and midfielder Ritchie sealed a 2-1 win in front of 1400 fans. Newport County came next where Woking slipped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat in front of their own fans, throwing away their unbeaten start to the season.
The final game of the month came in the FA Cup 2nd qualifying round against 20-1 outsiders Didcot where 'keeper Ross Worner made his first appearance of the season after Erwin Sak's impressive start has seen him resigned to the bench. the Cardinals made hard work of it but eventually finished 3-0 victors, setting up a tie with Whyteleafe in the next round.

The fans player of the month award went to loanee Matty Richie who scored three goals and was handed two man of the match awards. Ritchie has been a major factor in his side sitting top of the division, however the midfielder is said to be dismayed at being farmed out by his parent-club Portsmouth as he feels he could force his way into the first team fold at Fratton Park.

Elsewhere...
Tottenham continue their good start to the season finishing september top of the tree, largely thanks to the form of striker Jermaine Defoe
 
November 1st 2009

October began away to Chelmsford where the home side dominated the game from start to finish, with Woking doing well to keep the score down to just 1-0, fans showed there displeasure after seeing their team lose for the second league game running. The FA cup came next, a chance to score a few goals and get some confidence back into the dressing room, however the Cardinals could only manage a 1-0 victory away to Whyteleafe, who gave a good account of themselves against a better side. That result setting up an away tie at Blue-Square south rivals Hampton and Richmond who had been defeated by Taylor's men on their previous visit, one major negative to come from this game was influential midfielder Matty Ritchie dislocated his shoulder, leaving him sidelined for at least eight weeks. Back in the league a visit to Bromley was next, the home side going ahead early on and looking comfortable throughout most of the game until Jamie Slabber's 85th minute equaliser looked to rescue a point, then a minute later substitute striker Matthew Wright a superb goal on the counter-attack to send the Woking followers into raptures thinking they had stolen the points, but amazingy the game was not over and in the 90th minute Bromley seized on some lax defending to rescue a point.
Before the FA Cup 4th qualifying round game versus Hampton and Richmond got underway the loan deal of striker Danny Hoesen from fulham was to expire and with Manchester United midfielder Oliver Norwood due to leave the club shortly after the match Taylor was forced to delve into the transfer market once more, failing in bids for John Akinde of Bristol City, arsenal striker Rhys Taylor, Aston Villa's Andreas Weimann and Chelsea's Sofiane Hanni before eventually landing Daniel Philliskirk of chelsea to fill the midfield berth left by Norwood and Jack Payne of Gillingham as extra midfield cover. The game itself was an even contest ending in a 1-1 draw and a replay, the winner of which would host league 1 Charlton on the first round proper. The replay was another tense affair, finishing 1-1 after the 90 and with no goals in extra time a penalty shootout was to decide who would progress and three Woking players failed to even hit the target in the shootout, gifting the tie to the opposition and throwing away the chance to test themselves against league opposition. The month ended with Braintree at home, with Taylor's side looking to end a poor month on a high note. The two debutants lined up alongside each other in central midfield, both players impressed on debut with Payne assisting Jamie Slabber to break down a sturdy Braintree back line for the games only goal leaving the cards in fourth spot, six points off the pace. Other players were perhaps guilty of missing scoring opportunities, underlining Taylor's continued persuit of a replacement striker since the Dutchman, Hoesen returned to Craven Cottage.

Right winger Moses Ademola was awarded the player of the month award, he has been a consistent performer all season and two excellent displays in the FA cup swung the award in his favour.
 
December 1st 2009

After a disappointing October manager Ross Taylor was looking for his side to hit the ground running in october, only for them to draw three of their first four league outings in the month against St. Alband, Dover and Thurrock, with a win versus lowly Weymouth sandwiched in between. Taylor brought in Stoke City's young striker Jonathan Obika on loan after failing to secure the free transfers of two former premiership stars in Markus Allback and Rudolph Douala. A trip to Canvey Island in the FA trophy was next with Taylor's men progressing with a 1-0 victory thanks to winger Sam Sloma. The final game of the month saw Dorchester come to Woking in their only home game of november, the cards dominated from the off and goals from Giuseppe Sole and Moses Ademola saw that the month ended with a 2-0 victory, and set them up nicely for a top of the table clash with Bath City in early december, with both sides on 37 points and with an identical goal difference of +14, Bath were top only by virtue of having scored more goals.
Gillingham loanee Jack Payne secured the player of the month award, showing his class especially against St. Albans.

Elswhere...
Blackburn Rovers now sat top of the Premier League after a blistering month and Stoke's Ryan Shawcross made his international bow in a friendly versus austria, a game where Phillip Neville captained his country!

APOLOGIES FOR NO SCREENSHOTS, I GOT A BIT LAZY!
 
December 2009 review

The month started at Bath City in a top of the table encounter in which Woking raced ahead with goals from Moses Ademola, and two from in-form striker Giuseppe Sole which saw the Cards win 3-1 to put ther clear at the top of the table. A trip to Bishops Stortford was next and Woking again went two goals up through central midfielder Harry Arter, who recently was given a one year extention to his current deal and that man Sole again, only to be pegged back to 2-2 in the second half. Salisbury in the FA trophy first round was next, where fit again Matt Ritchie was on the teamsheet for the first time in over two months, the game itself saw Salisbury take the lead in the first half, with woking scoring just after the break, then sub Matthew Wright looked to have won it in the 88th minute only for Salisbury to score three minutes into injury time, leaving manager Ross Taylor fuming with his players incapability to hang on to a lead. The replay came the following wednesday, on the day winger Moses Ademola and right full-back Mark Ricketts signed extensions to 2011, Woking won the game 4-0 thanks to a hat-trick from loanee Jonathan Obika and one from Matty Ritchie as he continues his comeback from injury. Basingstoke await in the next round. The Cards faced Bath for the second time in december, this time at home, the game finished 1-1 with both goals in the first half, Obika scoring his fourth goal in two games. The traditional boxing day game was at Havant and Waterlooville with the Woking players looking like they had one too many mince pies the day before, going down 2-1. After the match, manager Taylor denied in his post match press conference that he is set to take charge of Blue Square Premier side Wrexham, with them having sacked former Wales international striker Dean Saunders after a poor run of results, he said "Its nice to be linked with jobs higher up the football pyramid as it shows that i'm doing something right here at woking, but i intend to stay and repay the chairman for the faith he has shown in me". The woking board are reportedly delighted with Taylor. The month ended as it started, with a top of the table clash, this time with Weston-Super-Mare who were ahead on goal difference at the start of play. The game ended in a 1-1 draw where the Cardinals failed to keep a lead once more. After a difficult month Woking sit third in the table, just a point behind leaders Bath, the manager is said to be pleased his team came through a difficult month relatively unscathed and hopes to push on in the new year towards his goal of an immediate return to the Blue Square Premier

Elsewhere...
The "big four" all progressed to the Champions League knockout phase, with a mouth-watering tie between Arsenal and barcelona the pick of the round
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

FMBase

Beta

Resources

Top