Grant plans to build on point

Aug 27 2008 By John Whitbread, Surrey Herald

BLUE SQUARE PREMIER Oxford United ................0 Woking.............................0

Woking got their first point on the board at Oxford on Monday - then boss Kim Grant declared 'our season starts now'.

The Blue Square Premier basement boys have had a nightmare start to the season, losing all four games before the trip to the Kassam Stadium.

But the Cards stopped the rot, and will feel unlucky not to have taken maximum points after a spirited second-half display.

And Grant has urged his troops to build on the result ahead of Saturday's trip to Kettering.

He said: "We've stopped the rot and now we have to build on it. The defeats have been confidence draining. We knew we had to get something from the game, and the lads responded brilliantly."

Grant rang the changes following Saturday's home defeat to Forest Green.

Goma Lambu and Matt Pattison were dropped to the bench, while Danny Bunce and Liam Marum were axed from the squad altogether.

In came Paul Lorraine, Bradley Quamina, Delano Sam-Yorke and Manny Williams.

Woking almost fell behind within five minutes, but on-loan goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley was saved by the bar from Chris Carruthers' thunderous free kick.

This sparked the visitors into life, and they had the better of the first-half exchanges.

Sam-Yorke blasted over, and the academy graduate went close again before the break, but Williams failed to force home the rebound after the youngster's effort was saved.

Woking started the second half as they finished the first, and Sam-Yorke wasted a golden chance to open his Cards account.

Paolo Vernazza picked out the 19-year-old with a fine defencesplitting pass, but Jake Cole was equal to his effort.

Sam-Yorke was in the thick of things gain moments later, robbing Chris Willmott of the ball, but again he was denied by Cole.

Oxford hit back, Lewis Haldane saw a shot cannon off the post with Pidgeley beaten all ends up.But that was the best the hosts could muster.

Vernazza shot straight at Cole from 20 yards, and Cole tipped a deflected Tom Hutchinson cross over the bar as the Cards searched for a late winner.

However, they couldn't find it, and had to settle for a share of the spoils.

WOKING: Pidgeley, Mondon-Konan, Hutchinson, Lorraine, Miles, Quamina, Vernazza, Sole (Pattison 64), El-Kholti, Sam-Yorke, Williams (Lambu 82).Subs Not Used: Worner, Salau, Moon.

BLUE SQUARE PREMIER Woking................................. 0 Forest Green Rovers.......... 1

NOT even their old talisman could save an abject Woking from a fourth successive defeat at Kingfield on Saturday.

Over the past couple of years Tom Hutchinson has popped up from the back to score several vital late goals.

It seemed he might have done it again a minute from time with a flashing near post header from a Giuseppe Sole cross. But a rare Kingfield roar was silenced as the ball hit the side netting.

The only other time Cards came near scoring was a 50th minute snap shot from Matt Pattison that keeper Ryan Robinson tipped over the bar. Kaid Mohammed grabbed a deserved winner for Forest Green with a 30-yard thunderbolt soon after the interval and only two instinctive saves by new keeper Lennie Pidgeley prevented Les Afful piling on the misery.

Troubled head coach Kim Grant locked his players in the dressing room for more than half an hour before emerging to declare: "They never once did what we asked them to do. It was terrible and apart from Lenny Pidgeley they all let us down."