Woking F.C.

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Woking
Woking FC logo.svg
Full nameWoking Football Club
Nickname(s)The Cardinals
Short nameWFC
Founded1887; 134 years ago (1887)[1]
GroundKingfield Stadium
Capacity6,036 (2,500 seated)
Coordinates51°18′22.80″N 0°33′31.72″W / 51.3063333°N 0.5588111°W / 51.3063333; -0.5588111
ChairmanRosemary Johnson
ManagerAlan Dowson
LeagueNational League
2020–21National League, 20th of 22
WebsiteClub website
Away colours
Third colours

Woking Football Club is a professional association football club, based in Woking, Surrey, England. Founded in 1887,[1] the club plays its home matches at Kingfield Stadium and is nicknamed the Cardinals, often shortened to the Cards. Currently, they compete in the National League, the fifth tier of English football, having been promoted from the National League South in the 2018–19 season.

History[]

Early years[]

Woking Football Club was founded in 1887. The club joined the West Surrey League in 1895–96, winning the title by one point. However, within 21 years of being formed, the club was in danger of folding for financial reasons. The turning point came when, in January 1908, Woking played Bolton Wanderers in the First Round of the FA Cup, having made it through five qualifying rounds. Despite losing the away game 5–0, the club made it into the national news. Bolton Wanderers, impressed by the minnows they had defeated, travelled to Woking for a friendly match the following season, which kept the club solvent.

Isthmian League years[]

In 1911 the club joined the Isthmian League, maintaining their place in the top division for 72 years and finishing as runners-up to Wycombe Wanderers in 1956–57. That achievement was eclipsed the following season when, in front of a 71,000 crowd[citation needed], Woking beat Ilford 3–0 to win the last F.A. Amateur Cup final to be televised live.

The club then went into decline, culminating in a first-ever relegation in 1982–83. By the end of the 1984–85 season the club had plunged to Division Two South of the Isthmian League. It was during that season that former player, Geoff Chapple, was appointed as manager[citation needed]. However, Chapple was not able to save the club from relegation. The following season, the club just missed out on promotion at the first attempt. However, the club clinched the Division Two South title in 1986–87 and, after two third-place finishes in Division One, they were promoted back to the Premier Division at the end of the 1989–90 season.

FA Cup glory[]

During the 1990–91 season, the club reached the fourth round of the FA Cup.[2] Woking beat three Conference sides to set up a third round away tie at Second Division side West Bromwich Albion.[3] After trailing 1–0 at half time, Woking went on to win 4–2, with Tim Buzaglo scoring a hat-trick.[3] In the Fourth Round, the club was drawn against First Division Everton. The tie was originally going to be played at Woking, however the venue was switched to Everton's home ground, Goodison Park. Woking narrowly lost the match 1–0 to a Kevin Sheedy goal.[4]

Promotion to the Conference and FA Trophy success[]

Woking supporters watching their team win at Wembley in the 1997 FA Trophy Final.

Promotion to the Conference was achieved in 1991–92. The Isthmian League title was clinched in early April, with seven games still to be played, 18 points clear of nearest rivals, Enfield. The next season saw Woking finish the season in eighth position. The following summer saw Chapple sign former Chelsea, Sunderland, Fulham and QPR winger, Clive Walker, from Brighton & Hove Albion and he was to prove the catalyst in the most successful period in the club's history. Woking won the FA Trophy for the first time in 1994, defeating Runcorn in the final at Wembley; the following season they became only the second club to win back-to-back FA Trophies (after Scarborough in 1976–77), defeating Kidderminster Harriers in the final. A third FA Trophy triumph followed in 1997, with Dagenham & Redbridge the opponents in the final. The Cards also achieved five successive top-five finishes in the Conference, including being runners-up in 1994–95 and 1995–96 when they finished below Stevenage. The club also continued to enjoy national prominence in the FA Cup. Barnet were defeated in successive seasons following draws at their homeground. In 1996–97 a run in the FA Cup saw the club beat Millwall, then top of Division Two, and Cambridge United, who were challenging for promotion from Division Three. The Third Round saw Woking draw 1–1 away to Premier League side Coventry City, thanks to a last minute equaliser from the Cards' Steve Thompson, but Coventry won the replay at Kingfield 2–1.

At the end of the 1996–97 campaign, having just clinched the FA Trophy for the third time, Geoff Chapple and his coach, Colin Lippiatt, left the club and joined Kingstonian. This was the beginning of a less successful period for the club. John McGovern and then Brian McDermott were given the position of manager, but neither achieved anything greater than a mid-table finish. After McDermott, Colin Lippiatt returned but fared little better. He was replaced by his former boss as Geoff Chapple too came back to Woking. Lippiatt departed in January 2002 and Glenn Cockerill joined as Chapple's assistant. This season ended with the club just one place above the relegation places. In the meantime very significant events had taken place off the field. The downturn in the club's fortunes had led to a financial crisis. With the club facing administration or worse, local businessman and long-time fan Chris Ingram bought the club, becoming chairman in February 2002 with an aim of trying to increase the club's income and to secure its long-term financial stability.[citation needed]

Cockerill took over as manager later that year, and oversaw a relative period of stability for the club, before he was sacked shortly before the end of the 2006–07 season. An unimpressive campaign under the management of Frank Gray followed in 2007–08, before a disastrous 2008–09 season which saw three men (Kim Grant, Phil Gilchrist and Graham Baker) take charge of the club, eventually resulted in the club's relegation to the Conference South. That summer, a supporters' trust took over the running of the club. Woking finished 5th in their first Conference South season, but lost to Bath City in the play-off final. The following season saw Woking struggling to challenge for promotion, and Graham Baker was sacked halfway through the campaign for suggesting that the fans were expecting too much of the team.

Garry Hill era (2011–2017)[]

Garry Hill took over as manager and improved the team's form, eventually resulting in another fifth-place finish, only for the club to get knocked out in the play-off semi-finals this time against Farnborough. In April 2012, having beaten Maidenhead United 0–1 with Giuseppe Sole scoring for a record breaking ninth game in a row, Woking were promoted to the Conference Premier, winning the Conference South with two games to spare. They eventually reached 97 points, beating second placed Dartford by nine points.

After five seasons in the National League (formerly Conference Premier), Woking acrimoniously parted company with Garry Hill after six-and-a-half years at the helm.

Relegation and return to the National League (2017–)[]

The club appointed former Southampton and West Ham United under-23s coach Anthony Limbrick in May 2017, which saw the club take another step to becoming full-time again, with players training three times a week.[5] Despite a good run in the 2017–18 FA Cup, Woking's league form suffered, which culminated in just three league wins between October 2017 and April 2018. Limbrick was subsequently relieved of his duties just 11 months into a three-year contract, leaving assistant manager Jason Goodliffe to take over the managerial reins (aided by former Aldershot Town coach Matt Gray) to preserve The Cards' National League status with just five games remaining.[6] However, Woking's fate was eventually sealed on the final day of the season after a 2–1 home defeat against Dover Athletic.[7]

On 16 May 2018, and after much speculation, the club finally confirmed the appointment of former Kingstonian and Hampton & Richmond Borough manager Alan Dowson.[8] Woking returned to the National League in 2019 at the first time of asking following a 1-0 win over Welling United in National League South Play-Off Final. During this promotion season, Woking reached the third round of the FA Cup. Woking had beaten League Two side Swindon Town before losing out to Premier League side Watford FC 2–0.[9][10]

The following season, Woking finished in 10th place back in the National League following the decision to stop the season in March 2020 due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] In the 2020–21 National League season, Woking finished 20th.

Ground[]

Woking play their home games at Kingfield Stadium (currently The Laithwaite Community Stadium for sponsorship reasons), Kingfield Road, Woking, GU22 9AA.

Mascot[]

Woking F.C. has a team mascot called K.C Kat.[citation needed]

Rivalries[]

For many years Woking's main rivals have been Stevenage and Aldershot Town, where games attract larger than average crowds. Stevenage are Woking's historic rivals due to animosity in the 1990s, while the rivalry with Aldershot is a more recent rivalry due to locality. Torquay United have also become minor rivals due to intense games and competition in the past couple of years despite their distance from one another.

Aldershot Town[]

Aldershot Town and Woking have met competitively on 30 occasions. Aldershot Town have won 17 times, Woking 7 times and there has been 6 drawn matches.

Date Result Competition Attendance Notes
Saturday 31 October 1998 Aldershot Town 0-0 Woking FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round 6,870 First Ever FA Cup Meeting
Tuesday 3 November 1998 Woking 2-1 Aldershot Town (AET) FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round Replay 3,896
Saturday 5 February 2000 Woking 0-0 Aldershot Town FA Trophy 4th Round - First Ever FA Trophy Meeting
Tuesday 15 February 2000 Aldershot Town 0-1 Woking FA Trophy 4th Round Replay 5,524 Woking's First Away Win
Saturday 23 August 2003 Aldershot Town 2-1 Woking Conference 4,637 First Ever League Meeting
Saturday 10 April 2004 Woking 2-2 Aldershot Town Conference 4,158 -
Monday 30 August 2004 Woking 1-2 Aldershot Town Conference 3,718 Aldershot's First Away Win
Sunday 27 March 2005 Aldershot Town 4-0 Woking Conference 4,458 Aldershot's First League Double
Tuesday 21 March 2006 Woking 1-2 Aldershot Town Conference 3,244 -
Saturday 22 April 2006 Aldershot Town 1-1 Woking Conference 2,704 -
Monday 9 October 2006 Woking 2-0 Aldershot Town Conference 3,725 Live On Sky Sports
Tuesday 13 March 2007 Aldershot Town 2-2 Woking Conference 2,739 -
Wednesday 26 December 2007 Woking 0-1 Aldershot Town Conference 4,356 First Boxing Day Clash
Tuesday 1 January 2008 Aldershot Town 2-1 Woking Conference 4,728 First New Years Day Clash
Saturday 12 January 2008 Woking 2-4 Aldershot Town FA Trophy 2nd Round 2,368 -
Tuesday 18 March 2008 Aldershot Town 2-2 Woking Conference Shield Southern Semi-Final 1,629 Aldershot Win 4-3 On Penalties
Monday 26 August 2013 Aldershot Town 2-1 Woking Conference 3,138 -
Monday 21 April 2014 Woking 1-2 Aldershot Town Conference 4,728 -
Tuesday 9 September 2014 Aldershot Town 0-1 Woking Conference 3,567
Sunday 28 December 2014 Woking 1-2 Aldershot Town Conference 3,559 -
Saturday 26 December 2015 Aldershot Town 0-1 Woking National League 3,150
Saturday 2 January 2016 Woking 2-1 Aldershot Town National League 3,708 Woking's First League Double
Monday 26 December 2016 Aldershot Town 4-0 Woking National League 3,456 Live On BT Sport
Sunday 1 January 2017 Woking 1-2 Aldershot Town National League 3,224 -
Tuesday 26 December 2017 Aldershot Town 3-1 Woking National League 4,181 -
Monday 1 January 2018 Woking 1-2 Aldershot Town National League 3,790 -
Tuesday 6 August 2019 Woking 0-1 Aldershot Town National League 3,992 -
Saturday 24 October 2020 Aldershot Town 1-2 Woking FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round 0 Played Behind Closed Doors Due To COVID-19
Saturday 26 December 2020 Aldershot Town 3-0 Woking National League 0 Played Behind Closed Doors Due To COVID-19
Saturday 2 January 2021 Woking 0-1 Aldershot Town National League 0 Played Behind Closed Doors Due To COVID-19

Players[]

Current squad[]

As of 22 August 2021[12][13]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Mark Smith
2 DF England ENG Kyran Lofthouse
3 DF England ENG Josh Casey (captain)
4 DF England ENG Tom Champion
5 DF England ENG Joe McNerney
6 DF France FRA Moussa Diarra
7 FW Jamaica JAM Jamar Loza
8 MF England ENG Solomon Nwabuokei
9 FW England ENG Inih Effiong
10 MF England ENG Max Kretzschmar
No. Pos. Nation Player
11 FW England ENG Tyreke Johnson
13 GK England ENG Craig Ross
14 FW England ENG George Oakley
15 MF Australia AUS Jack Skinner
17 MF England ENG Tarryn Allarakhia
18 FW England ENG Jordan Maguire-Drew
19 FW England ENG Tahvon Campbell
21 DF England ENG Tommy Block
22 MF England ENG Kane Thompson-Sommers (on loan from Birmingham City)
24 MF Montserrat MSR Rohan Ince

Out on loan[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
25 DF England ENG Leo Hamblin (on loan to Farnborough)
— GK England ENG Callum Backhurst (on loan to Sheerwater)
— DF England ENG Jake Rumble (on loan to Knaphill)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF England ENG Louis Evans (on loan to Lancing)
— FW England ENG Sam Evans (on loan to Westfield)
— FW England ENG Selim Saied (on loan to Sheerwater)

Seasons[]

Main article: List of Woking F.C. seasons
Year League Level Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Position Leading league scorer Goals FA Cup FA Trophy Average attendance
2010–11 Conference South 6 42 22 10 10 63 42 +21 76 5 of 22
Lost in PO semifinal 		Elvis Hammond 12 R1 R3 1167
2011–12 Conference South 6 42 30 7 5 92 41 +51 97 1 of 22
Promoted 		Giuseppe Sole 19 QR3 QR3 1834
2012–13 Conference Premier 5 46 18 8 20 73 81 −8 62 12 of 24 Bradley Bubb 18 QR4 R2 1600
2013–14 Conference Premier 5 46 20 8 18 66 69 −3 68 9 of 24 Scott Rendell 17 QR4 R2 1601
2014–15 Conference Premier 5 46 21 13 12 77 52 +25 76 7 of 24 Scott Rendell 24 R1 R3 1911
2015–16 National League 5 46 17 10 19 71 68 +3 61 12 of 24 John Goddard 17 QR4 QF 1634
2016–17 National League 5 46 14 11 21 66 80 −14 53 18 of 24 Gozie Ugwu 17 R2 R1 1429
2017–18 National League 5 46 13 9 24 56 76 −20 48 21 of 24
Relegated 		Charlie Carter 12 R2 R1 1911
2018–19 National League South 6 42 23 9 10 76 49 +27 78 2 of 22
Won in PO final 		Max Kretzschmar 14 R3 R1 1882
2019–20 National League 5 38 15 10 13 50 55 -5 55 10 of 24
Season finished early due to Covid-19 Pandemic 		Jake Hyde 16 QR4 R1 2134
2020–21 National League 5 42 8 9 25 42 69 -27 33 20 of 23 Max Kretzschmar 7 R1 SF 763[a]
  1. ^ Fans were only permitted during two fixtures this season due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Managerial history[]

A list of Woking FC managers from 1984 onwards.

Dates Names Notes
1984–1997 England Geoff Chapple
1997–1998 Scotland John McGovern
1998–2000 England Brian McDermott
2000–2001 England Colin Lippiatt
2001–2002 England Geoff Chapple
2002–2007 England Glenn Cockerill
2007 England Graham Baker &
England Neil Smith 		Caretaker Managers
2007–2008 Scotland Frank Gray
2008 Ghana Kim Grant
2008–2009 England Phil Gilchrist
2009–2011 England Graham Baker
2011–2017 England Garry Hill
2017–2018 Australia Anthony Limbrick
2018 England Geoff Chapple Caretaker Manager
2018– England Alan Dowson

Club officials[]

Position Club Official
Chairman Rosemary Johnson MBE
Directors Graeme Beveridge
John Katz
Drew Volpe
Financial Controller Director Sean Carey
Football Liaison Director Kelvin Reay
Cards Trust Fans' Representative George Burnett
Company Secretary Andy Turner

Source: Woking F.C.

Management team[]

Position Staff
Manager Alan Dowson
Assistant Managers Ian Dyer
Martin Tyler
Goalkeeping Coach Matthew Winter
Strength & Conditioning Coach James Clark
Physiotherapists Christian Jolley
Phil Routledge
Assistant Physiotherapist Mia Dempsey-Smith
Head of Scouting Nathan Collier
Video Analysts Alistair Highmore
Sav Mingoia
Kit Manager Malcolm Jobling
Kit Assistant Phil Marlow

Source: Woking F.C.

Honours[]

League[]

Cups[]

  • FA Trophy
  • Conference League Cup
  • FA Amateur Cup
  • Isthmian League Cup
    • Winners 1991
  • Isthmian Charity Shield
    • Winners 1992, 1993
  • London Senior Cup[14]
    • Runners-up 1983
  • Surrey Senior Cup[15]
    • Winners (13): 1912–13, 1926–27, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1971–72, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1999–00, 2003–04, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2016–17
    • Runners up (16): 1897–98, 1907–08, 1909–10, 1910–11, 1927–28, 1934–35, 1945–46, 1958–59, 1970–71, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2008–09
  • Surrey Senior Charity Shield[16]
    • Runners-up 1932–33
  • Trevor Jones Memorial Trophy
    • Winners 2011
    • Runners-up 2009
  • Vauxhall Championship Shield
    • Winners 1995
    • Runners-up 1996

Club records[]

Highest league position:

  • 2nd in Conference National: 1994–95 & 1995–96

FA Cup best performance:

FA Trophy best performance:

  • Winners: 1993–94; 1994–95; 1996–97 (Joint record number of wins)

Largest transfer fee received

  • £150,000 for Kevin Betsy to Fulham in 1998

Largest transfer fee paid

Record win

  • 17–3 vs. Farnham in the Surrey Charity Shield in 1913

Heaviest defeat

  • 0–16 vs. New Crusaders in the FA Cup in 1905

Record attendance

  • 6,000 vs Swansea City, FA Cup, 19 December 1978; 6,000 vs Coventry City, FA Cup, 4 February 1997[17]

Former players[]

1. Players that have gone onto play in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps.
3. Players that hold a club record

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Woking Football Club - 1887". Woking F.C. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Chapple backs Cards cup success". BBC Sport. 3 November 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "West Brom 2 Woking 4". Surrey Live. 5 January 2001. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Club History". Woking FC. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  5. ^ Kaylee Seckington (11 May 2017). "Move towards full-time will help Woking progress, says new manager Anthony Limbrick". Surrey Live. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Anthony Limbrick: Woking part company with boss". BBC Sport. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Woking 1-2 Dover Athletic". BBC Sport. 28 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Alan Dowson: Woking appoint Hampton & Richmond boss as manager". BBC Sport. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Swindon Town 0-1 Woking: National League South side cause shock at County Ground". BBC Sport. 2 December 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  10. ^ Emma Sanders (6 January 2019). "Woking 0-2 Watford in FA Cup third round". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  11. ^ Oliver Osborn (17 June 2020). "National League Statement: Ordinary Resolution Supported by Clubs". Vanarama National League. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Woking". FootballSquads. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  13. ^ "First Team". Woking F.C. 19 June 2016.
  14. ^ "Memorandum Of Procedures For Dealing With Misconduct Occurring". Docstoc.com. 24 April 2010. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  15. ^ "Saturday Senior Cup Previous Winners". SurreyFA. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  16. ^ "Epsom & Ewell Football Club". Epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  17. ^ Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2020) Non-League Club Directory 2021, p512 ISBN 978-1869833848

External links[]

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