The Leslie Gosden Stand. Somewhat out of place with the rest of the ground!

At Ciderspace we are sometimes accused of being rather too fond of Woking. Having dealt with Badger's suspect loyalties we can say that we'll be following events at Kingfield with even more interest than usual this season, just like last season in fact, and the season before that.....

Woking are the definitive "nearly men" of the Conference. Promoted nine years ago, they've proved to be one of the most successful Conference teams of the 1990's yet have never quite grabbed the "Holy Grail", despite two runners up spots and two third place finishes during this time. Where ultimate success has not eluded them is in the FA Trophy. They went to Wembley three times in four years in 1994, 1995 and 1997 and won it all three times with our once again not very own Kevan Brown lifting the trophy for them on all three occasions.

Kevan is of course not the only person to have combined both Yeovil and Woking on their footballing CVs. Robbie Carroll was probably the start of it in the 1990's when he left Yeovil for Woking, but things have got rather silly in the past few years. Firstly, Colin Fielder and Terry Howard arrived at Yeovil, with ex-Woking coach Colin Lippiatt arriving from Kingstonian not long afterwards. After Colin was given the Head Coach job things got a even more silly as Woking kindly donated Kevan Brown and Steve Thompson for a combined total of 7,500 quid. Sale of the Century in our book - those Surrey folk were being far too nice for their own good! A bit over six months later, John McGovern, the Woking manager who had allowed us this daylight robbery was given the boot, and who should sit in the Woking hot seat but ex-Yeovil winger and assistant manager Brian McDermott! So that left the ex-Woking assistant in the Yeovil hot-seat and the ex-Yeovil assistant in the Woking hot-seat. Are you following all of this ? McDermott turned the second half of that season around but greater forces were at work. In the meantime Rob Smith passed in the direction of Woking in the summer of 1999 after an injury riddled season at Yeovil.

Woking's Original Main Stand. Right next door to it there is an even smaller stand that doubles as a garden shed.

So far so complicated, but the ties that bind between the clubs were about to become ever more interlinked. Lippiatt resigned from the Yeovil job in autumn 1999 after refusing to go full-time at Huish Park, ex-Card Steve Thompson taking over as Glovers manager on a temporary basis. Meanwhile a dismal home record at Kingfield meant the standard poor start to the season went on and on and on. The unthinkable was on the cards [boom-boom! -ed] - Woking were staring relegation in the face and McDermott paid the inevitable price with his job, Colin Lippiat taking over from him after a brief spell working back in tandem with Geoff Chapple at Kingstonian. Big Col returned to Kingfield with the brief of keeping the Cards up and Yeovil began repaying their debt to Woking - with interest. By now the Dave Webb full-time revolution had begun at Huish Park and surplus to requirement players Steve Stott, Kevan Brown and Matty Hayfield all arrived at Kingfield free of charge and all Woking fans (at least the ones we listen to anyway) agree that they, together with Colin Lippiatt, were the difference between survival and the drop. To add further insult to injury after keeping them up we also gave them Jamie Pitman for nothing and a former loan striker at Yeovil, Charlie Griffin, also signed up from Swindon.

The following season was a pretty nondescript one for the Cards, the mid-table mediocrity achieved by Lippiats men probably acceptable to most fans after the traumas of the season before. The links between the Glovers and the Cards were strengthened yet again that summer with the signing of yet more Yeovil players in defenders Paul Steele and David Piper; and at the beginning of last season optimism was high amongst supporters that Woking could really begin to push on and regain their place amongst the top sides in the league when £110,000 was splashed out on ex-Yeovil (of course!) striker Warren Patmore after a brief and not particularly happy stay at Ru$hden, and former Crystal Palace youngster Chris Sharpling.

The best laid plans of mice and men...... Almost before the season had begun Big Col's plans were in ruins when 3 of his midfielders were picked for the British Universities to play in the World Student Games in China. Interminable rows followed with threats of legal action from all sides but the three left for Peking in the end anyway which meant a gaping hole in midfield had to be filled. Signings were made to cover for those missing but the damage had been done and team spirit suffered accordingly. The Cards made their usual poor start to the season which didn't help and then a tribunal forced the club to take back two of the 'China Three' on their return to the country, leaving the Cards with a top-heavy squad with rather too many mediocre midfielders and a much too large wage-bill..... To make matters worse results were poor (with the exception of a 3-1 win at Huish Park, grr) and attendances were dropping: Things had to change or disaster, on and off the pitch was a very real possibility.

Enter Woking's real saviour: Chris Ingram, er, who? One of the richest individuals in the UK, in case you didn't know, that's who. Ingram, a Woking fan for many years, took over behind the scenes and enticed former Woking boss and legend Geoff Chapple, or BFG to you and me, back to the club as manager, Lippiatt reverting to head coach for a while before he too eventually was sacked, Glenn Cockerill taking over his position. The Cards struggled through to the end of the season, eventually doing enough to survive relegation. Ingram has stabilised the financial black hole at Woking over the summer (a near £500,000 loss for the last financial year could have proved the last straw for the club without his backing) just as Chapple has attempted to do the same to the playing staff by working to a clear and limited budget.

Prediction corner : 'A final position of 10th and a good run in the FA Trophy' was our prediction for the Cards this time last year proving conclusively once and for all that we know nothing about football, not that that will stop us from trying again! BFG has made some shrewd-looking signings on paper, the question is can they do the business on grass? Ex-Rushden winger Jon Brady knows how to win the Conference and former Sheffield Utd defender Lee Sandford should add some solidity to the defence. If the team can provide the ammo then Big Wazza will score the goals, add that all up and you get a final position of, er, 10th. And seeing as BFG's the boss a good Trophy run goes without saying, naturally. Nothing to this prediction business, don't know what all the fuss is about.....

Rosie O'Grady's - one of many pubs in Chertsey Road. All the Chertsey Road pubs are excellent for meeting people who have arrived by train.

Local Pubs :

A-plenty! If visiting by train check out Chertsey Road opposite the exit by Platform 1 where you’ll find Rosie O’Gradys, the Sports Bar (both of which have satellite TV) and that traditional palace of boredom - Weatherspoons. There is also a Firkin just around the corner should you fancy a pint of Old Badger’s Breath or Bishop’s Nipple.

Walking down to the ground will take you past The Sovereigns where you can either enjoy the unimaginative fare on the ‘Big Steak Pub’ menu, relax in the lounge bar or catalyse your sporting fervour around the crazy blue pool table. Or miss the pub out completely - that’s a hint.

The Fahrenheit and Firkin. The address may be in Cobham Road, but this is a side road off Chertsey Road, and is visible from the Wetherspoons pub.

You'll also find if you follow the natural route from the railway station to the football ground that you'll fall over The Litten Tree (see directions section for photo). This has two bars and an open beer garden at the front that is a good place to lie down in hot weather. At this point you are merely on the other side of the park where Woking Leisure Centre is and the ground is a maximum of 10 minutes walk away.

Wetherspoons, 51-59, Chertsey Rd, Woking, Surrey. GU21 5AJ
Tel: 01483 722818

Farenheit & Firkin, 1 Cobham Rd, Crown Square, Woking, Surrey. GU21 1HR
Tel: 01483 714162

The Sovereign, Guildford Rd, Woking, Surrey. GU22 7QQ
Tel: 01483 768868

Rosie O'Grady's, 12 Chertsey Rd, Woking, Surrey. GU21 5AB
Tel: 01483 725625

The Litten Tree, Constitution Hill, Woking, Surrey, GU22 7RT
Tel: 01483 762400

Likelihood the Natives Will Understand You :

Woking fans have a reputation for reciprocating whatever you do. If you walk in with a friendly attitude and a smile on your face, you'll find them just as friendly and talkative back. As a result, segregation is very rarely in force. That said, the fans may be friendly but watch out for their stewards. Say any rude word such as "rotter" or "scoundrel", or attempt to convince them that they are policing a football ground and not a Christian Coffee Morning, and you may find your stay at Woking F.C. to be a rather unpleasantly short one.

Top-Tip :

Drink your way up Chertsey Road finishing up in the club bar just before kick-off. At half time. And just after the whistle. When you get under the Kingfield Road End (KRE) sing lots of songs about what you think about Stevenage Borough. You'll be surprised how many friends you've just made all of a sudden. (This is, of course, unless you are from Stevenage Borough!!).