Fact File
Full Name: Woking Football Club
Year Formed: 1887
Nickname: The Cardinals
Stadium: The Laithwaite Community Stadium
Capacity: 6,036
2021/22 Finish: 15th in the National League
Review of the 2021/22 season
Woking made a fairly decent start as they saw themselves just outside of the play-offs in October as they sat in eighth. However, a shocking FA Cup fourth qualifying round defeat to Horsham highlighted the Cards’ inconsistencies. They stayed around the upper mid-table towards the end of the calendar year but also fell at the first hurdle in the FA Trophy after a 3-1 defeat to Yeovil Town. Woking’s failure to find a consistent run of form continued into the second half of the campaign. Manager Alan Dowson was relieved of his duties in February and was replaced by Darren Sarll. Despite indifferent form, Woking stayed well clear of the relegation zone and finished the season with a 0-0 draw away at Chesterfield.
Manager – Darren Sarll
Following a five-year playing career, Darren Sarll moved into management. He started out with Stevenage Borough reserves where he managed the side that lost the Colwyn Cup final to Dunstable Town. The former midfielder also spent time with the Brentford and Rotherham United youth teams before returning to Stevenage as first-team manager in 2016. He won the League Two Manager of the Month award in February 2017 but was dismissed in March 2018. Sarll became Yeovil Town manager in 2019 for newly relegated National League side Yeovil Town. He spent three years at Huish Park winning the National League Manager of the Month award on two occasions – September 2019 and November 2021. In March 2022, the 39-year-old made the rather surprising decision to leave Yeovil and join Woking.
Star Player – Padraig Amond
Padraig Amond knows how to score goals and that has shown from the start of his career with Shamrock Rovers – scoring 15 goals from 62 appearances. The striker played for a few different clubs around the Republic of Ireland and even Portugal. However, he moved to England after a successful loan spell with Accrington Stanley with the deal being made permanent. Amond spent time with various Football League and National League sides with his best stint coming with Grimsby Town, he bagged 37 goals in 55 games as the Mariners won promotion to League Two. The forward enjoyed a four-year-spell with Newport County as he continued to make a name for himself. Amond won another promotion with Exeter City last season, this time to League One. The 34-year-old made the move to Woking during the summer; a signing that caught the attention of all in the fifth tier.
Overall Head-to-head Record
P5 W2 D1 L2
Chesterfield and Woking have an even head-to-head record since the two clubs first met during the 2019/20 season. The Cards won the first of the meetings last season with a brace from Tahvon Campbell and a goal from Inih Effiong more than cancelling out Saidou Khan’s first-half screamer. The reverse fixture had a lot on the line for the Spireites; a goal-less draw at the Technique Stadium secured play-off football for Paul Cook’s side.
Played for both – Jim Kellermann
One of Woking’s summer signings has pretty good knowledge of the Technique Stadium after recently spending a season in north Derbyshire. Jim Kellermann signed his first competitive contract with Woking’s biggest rivals, Aldershot Town, in 2016 after leaving Wolverhampton Wanderer’s academy. He became a fan favourite during his two-year spell with the Shots. However, injury would hamper his time at St Mirren, AFC Fylde and Kidderminster Harriers. Kellemann joined Chesterfield in the summer of 2021 and was loaned out to Tamworth for some valuable game time. The midfielder became a big part of the 2021/22 squad – scoring twice in his 36 appearances last season. Upon his release from the Spireites, the 26-year-old moved back down south to join Woking.
