Woking produced a superb performance to earn a comprehensive 5-0 win at home to Gateshead in the National League.

The Cards hosted Gateshead at the Laithwaite Community Stadium, hoping for a first home win of the season against a side who were coming off the back of a midweek defeat.

Neal Ardley handed a first start for the Cards to Josh Kelly, while former Woking midfielder Curtis Edwards made his Gateshead debut in the midfield.

On a bright and sunny afternoon in Surrey, Woking almost made a perfect start when a long ball up to Wimbledon loanee Kelly was well controlled by the forward, but he fired straight at Gateshead keeper Tiernan Brooks.

They would have the lead after 12 minutes, however, when a long throw fell to Aiden O’Brien, who passed the ball into the bottom left corner to cap off a brilliant week for him, as he missed the Cards’ midweek fixture at Halifax with his wife giving birth.

Ten minutes later, they had a second after an excellent team move. The ball moved from right to left, as Jamie Andrews ended up finding Tariq Hinds, whose curled finish was inch perfect and nestled in the far corner.

Andrews and Aaron Drewe were linking up brilliantly, and the latter’s ball across goal somehow evaded every Woking player inside the box. They linked up once again after half an hour, this time in reverse as Andrews latched onto a through ball, but was brilliantly denied by Brooks.

Woking hoped to pick up where they had left off in the second half, and another mistake at the back, this time from David Ferguson, saw Drewe pick up the ball and drive a fierce shot across the face of goal.

Brooks was called into action even more impressively when a brilliant Woking move ended with Caleb Richards’ low cross finding O’Brien, who was somehow denied at point-blank range by Gateshead’s keeper, who pushed the ball over the bar.

They had a third on the hour mark when another excellent ball from Drewe found Andrews inside the box, whose finish on his weaker foot went under Brooks and into the bottom corner.

Timmy Akinola, who departed Gateshead to join the Cards in July, went close with just over 20 minutes left when he was found down the right-hand side in acres of space, but his shot went across the face of Brooks’ goal.

The Cards scored their fourth goal of the afternoon in the 73rd minute when Josh Osude was played in behind just a minute after coming on and slotted past Brooks for his first professional goal.

Tom Norcott in the Woking goal was finally tested after 79 minutes when Kyle Hurst’s strike from a tight angle was beaten away by the on-loan Reading keeper.

Gateshead keeper Brooks was putting up an impressive fight, and was on hand to deny Drewe from close range after more superb build-up play.

As the clock neared the 90th minute, Osude managed to burst down the left hand-side and poke the ball past Brooks for his second of the game to make it 5-0 as the Cards capped off a brilliant display.

By William Bewsey