Woking joint-interim manager Jake Hyde saw plenty of positives after the Cards lost 4-1 on penalties against West Bromwich Albion’s under-21s in their opening National League Cup group stage game.

The two sides played out a competitive 0-0 draw at the Laithwaite Community Stadium, before the Baggies won the resulting penalty shoot-out to claim an additional point.

“These games are important for minutes,” said Hyde.

“It's an important game for us, we can look at another formation, so we can look at different options and players in different positions.

“It's still so early in the season. We're still finding our identity in terms of nailing down exactly what we want to look like.

“We got a lot out of some boys that haven't played as many minutes. They got some really good minutes with some really good performances.

“We got a couple of the injured lads back. They've worked really hard behind the scenes, so that was fantastic to see.

“I think it was a really good performance in between both boxes.

“The rotations are good and there was a little bit more of a snap to it.

“I love the fact that when our midfielders jump, they jump with intensity. We're improving in that area.

“We're moving the ball well. We're creating chances and we look a very good footballing side between both boxes.

“The game is won in both boxes, so we're still sharpening the tools, but there were lots of positives.

“We've been building up for the past few weeks and we've been getting stronger, but we're probably not quite where we want to be yet.

“We're getting better each week. We're still improving.

“We look nice on the eye at times. We're playing good stuff, we just need to sharpen up and be more clinical because goals change games.”