Woking’s Elite Development Squad extended their unbeaten home record to ten games as they came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Sutton United.

Joden Trickett netted twice against his former club to overturn the two-goal deficit and earn the Cards a point.

“Giving away the goals we gave so early on gave us a really tough task against a Sutton team who, in my opinion, are the best team in the league,” said academy manager Matt Winter.

“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb, but I was always confident we had enough quality to go and harm them, and we did.”

A fast start from Sutton saw Woking fall behind almost immediately. The visitors won a penalty in the second minute, and Rashaad Drysdale stepped up from the spot and sent Cards keeper Mikey Verga the wrong way to give Sutton the lead.

The Cards almost had the perfect response when Quincy Patterson nearly picked out the bottom corner, but he dragged his effort wide.

Patterson then burst into the box in the 21st minute, but he couldn’t skip around the Sutton pressure, and the visitors recovered before Patterson could take aim.

Promising spells of play followed for both sides, but it was Sutton who doubled their advantage, as Woking turned a difficult-to-defend delivery into their own net in the 36th minute.

Then, moments before the break, Trickett made Woking’s second-half task far more manageable, with a close-range 45th-minute strike across goal reducing the deficit, and seeing the forward register his first goal of 2026 from open play.

Following the restart, it did not take Trickett long to net his second of the afternoon, with a 55th-minute through ball being chased down by the number nine, who slotted home from just inside the box to draw the teams level.

While that proved the decisive goal in seeing the spoils shared, some good chances in the closing stages meant either side could have claimed all three points.

Woking’s biggest chance fell to Lucas Boxall, with an excellent 81st-minute through ball from Trickett sending the skipper through on goal. Sutton keeper Klevis Muca came out to meet the strike and blocked Boxall’s effort with his body.

Moments later, a delivery dropped in the goalmouth, with Boxall and substitute Jayden Smith attempting to take aim, but Sutton’s defence reacted to block both efforts, before Smith poked wide.

It was then a 90th-minute effort, hit first-time at the back post, which almost saw a dramatic late winner for the visitors, but it instead struck the post, confirming a 2-2 draw as honours finished even.

Elsewhere in the academy, on Wednesday, March 11, the under-18s drew 1-1 away from home against Carshalton Athletic in the National League Alliance Division F, with Stefan van Wijngaarden netting his first goal since his return from the leg injury that saw him sidelined for more than 15 months. Also on March 11, the first years, playing as Westfield, won 3-1 away from home against Guildford City in the Allied Counties Youth League West Division.

On Thursday, March 12, the under-17s drew 1-1 at home against Leatherhead in the Isthmian Youth League Central Division. It was George Loader’s 92nd-minute equaliser that secured a crucial point for the Cards as they reclaimed top spot in the league.

By Holly Porter