Woking’s Elite Development Squad maintained their unbeaten home record this season, making it nine unbeaten with a 2-0 victory over Dorking.

“We left quite a few goals out there, we were quite wasteful in the final third,” said academy manager Matt Winter. “But we’re really pleased with the start, getting ourselves into an early lead.”

That lead was almost as early as the first minute, as Lucas Boxall found himself through on goal, but he fired straight at Sam Allison in Dorking’s net. Shortly over ten minutes later, Woking did take the lead, with an excellent 12th-minute ball from Leo Christophers, played across the goalmouth, tapped over the line by the arriving Boxall.

Woking hunted a second, and they didn’t have to wait long to double their advantage. In the 23rd minute, Quincy Patterson found himself one-on-one with Allison, and did well to round the shot-stopper, before slotting into the empty net.

While that concluded the goalscoring for the fixture, it certainly did not conclude the chances. Indeed, in the 32nd minute, Patterson’s free kick delivery produced a flurry of chances, firstly as Boxall rose highest, but couldn’t connect, which saw the ball fall to Kemall Wilson, who couldn’t control. Eventually, Jayden Smith did get an effort away, but his shot rose high over the bar.

The closest the Cards came to a third before half-time was from a 45th-minute free kick just outside the box. Patterson struck it well, but he could not direct his effort around the wall, and it remained 2-0 at the break.

Shortly after the restart, a 50th-minute red card saw the visitors reduced to ten men, after Jojo Ampah charged through on goal and was brought down in a second yellow offence.

Despite a man disadvantage, Dorking responded well, and forced Mikey Verga into a low save moments later, with a shot which made its way through a crowded box, and required Woking’s number one to block down to his right.

Woking had the better of the chances in the latter stages of the tie, but the Cards couldn’t find a way through. In the 64th minute, Jayden Hudson-Odoi collected the ball in the goalmouth, but the visiting defence threw bodies in the way to deny the winger a goal. Shortly afterwards, Patterson fired goalwards from a wide angle, but his effort was saved at the near post.

A couple of chances fell to substitute Joden Trickett before the close, firstly in the 78th minute as he tried to slot back across goal from close range, but dragged his effort narrowly wide. Then, in the 88th minute, Bailey Cotton lifted a delivery towards the forward, but he directed his header wide.

Despite a goalless second half, a strong performance, including securing a clean sheet, sealed a very pleasing 90 minutes for the Cards.

Elsewhere in the academy, the under-17s won 5-2 away from home against Metropolitan Police in the Isthmian Youth League Central Division on Monday, February 23. On Thursday, February 26, a second Isthmian Youth League victory, a 3-2 win at home against Chipstead, moved the under-17s into the league’s top spot.

Finally, also on Thursday, February 26, the first years, playing as Westfield, lost 4-1 at home against Hartley Wintney in the Allied Counties Youth League West Division.

By Holly Porter