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| Woking 3 Kidderminster Harriers 0: 28th August 2006 Scorers They say a week is a long time in football. A week ago the Cards were playing 4-5-1 and leaving McAllister desperately chasing shadow, isolated, and on his own. Today he had a strike partner in Jon Nurse and two attacking wide men in Lambu and Sole, as Glenn wisely chose to go 4-4-2. It was all change in midfield too, as surprisingly Evans and Smith were the central midfield two, which I wasn't convinced with but they dominated the midfield battle, the former looking a different player to the one that normally lazes about on the left wing. Murray wasn't dropped, reverted to right back, a most puzzling decision given he is our best midfielder and I'm still not convinced he should be there, especially when Karim started on the bench with Hutchinson and MacDonald back in central defence. Other than that very minor criticism though this was a very impressive Cards performance, which was hard to pick holes in. Admittedly, it took 25 minutes to get the first goal as although the new formation saw the ball in the Kidderminster half and the Cards charging forward there didn't seem to be quite that finishing touch or that elusive bit of luck. The on loan Nurse, who looked bright and lively though, lacked a little sharpness had two shots, one saved by Bevan and the other just wide after neatly turning a defender. Sole also fired in a fierce right-footed effort, which was parried by Bevan. Then that elusive bit of luck arrived. The start of two points from four games has certainly not been a lucky one for the Cards but the first goal, the whole catalyst for such a good performance, an excellent result and dare I say it the start of a promising run was full of fortune and luck. It started deliberately enough, Smith placing a lovely ball down the line for Lambu to latch onto, turn his man, and dink the ball into the area but the ball was in the process of being diverted away from goal when it hit the unsuspecting Evans in the face and rebounded towards the goal, before hitting the even more unsuspecting McAllister in the face and hitting the back of the net. Lucky? You bet! It was the catalyst though. Just what the Cards needed, and deserved really. Five minutes later and another goal arrived and there was nothing lucky about this one. Lambu out pacing his winger and picking out Sole who had cut across from the left wing towards the edge of the area. Goma teed him up perfectly and Sole took his chance superbly with a fierce angled low drive that rocketed into the back of the net to make it 2-0. The Cards didn't let up, Evans continued to make good runs forward and he drilled a long shot well wide and then latched onto a good cross from Nurse but placed his header well over. The lively Nurse also forced Bevan into another good save before the break and Woking definitely deserved the two-goal half time lead though desperate defending from Bunce saved them twice as he cleared of the line, one via the bar. I was certain we couldn't keep the level of performance up in the second half but was proved wrong, though not quite as dominant as the first half the Cards continued to press and it really could have been more than three in the end. Little Lambu continued to cause havoc and drilled an effort just wide early on, though perhaps should have tried to put Sole in. After some neat build up play Murray walloped a 30-yard pile driver way over. Ferguson's introduction on 68 minutes for Nurse was a welcomed addition. He immediately made an impact, his cross so almost converted by McAllister before he got on the score sheet himself. A longer ball to McAllister was knocked down to Fergie and he just about got in front of him and fired away a shot which was deflected into the bottom corner to make it 3-0. Minutes after and he almost managed to divert in a corner at the near post but only succeeded in propelling the ball up in the air though he and Hutchinson both had half chances to get a shot away in the masse of bodies, which ensued. Smith and Evans deservedly got the last ten minutes off and the Cards played out the game. Obviously, one game is not enough, and the Cards have to continue this sort of performance into the month of September and I'd still much rather see Murray in central midfield rather than at right back but this was a much, much, much, much better performance and it we can replicate this throughout the season things will be looking much more promising indeed. Well done Glenn and the boys, more of the same please! Woking (4-4-2):
Jalal; Murray, Hutchinson, MacDonald, Bunce; Lambu, Evans, Smith (Berquez 80), Sole (El-Salahi 80); McAllister, Nurse (Ferguson 68).
Man of the Match: Goma Lambu Moment of the Match: Guiseppe Sole's thunderbolt to make it 2-0. A pearler. Attendance: 1544 |
