A hard-fought 1-0 victory over Wealdstone at The Laithwaite Community Stadium saw Woking climb to eighth in the National League, leaving their opponents languishing in 21st. A first-half penalty, confidently dispatched by Cian Harries, proved the difference in a cagey encounter punctuated by fouls and tactical substitutions.
The opening exchanges were tentative, with neither side able to carve out any clear openings. The match quickly descended into a stop-start affair, with Wealdstone’s Jack Cook the first to be cautioned for a clumsy challenge in the 16th minute. Woking’s Dale Gorman followed him into the referee’s notebook just seven minutes later, also for a foul, before Wealdstone’s Max Kretzschmar received a yellow card in the 28th minute, underlining the scrappy nature of the contest.
The decisive moment arrived in the 31st minute when a Woking attacker was brought down inside the penalty area following a driving run. Referee Wayne Cartmel immediately pointed to the spot, and Harries made no mistake, sending the Wealdstone goalkeeper the wrong way to give the home side the lead.
The second half witnessed a flurry of substitutions as both managers attempted to alter the flow of the game. Around the hour mark, Woking introduced Harry Beautyman for Jermaine Anderson, while Wealdstone replaced Henry Sandat with Dominic Hutchinson. Neither change, however, had the desired effect. Christian Scott then came on for Jack Wells-Morrison for Wealdstone, and Charley Kendall replaced Tom Leahy for Woking. In the closing stages, Todd Miller replaced Micah Obiero for the visitors, and Ben Wynter came on for Lewis Walker for Woking. Despite the raft of changes, the scoreline remained unchanged. Wealdstone manager Matty Taylor’s frustration was evident as he received a yellow card for dissent late in the game.
Woking professionally saw out the match, defending resolutely to secure a valuable three points and improve slightly on their recent head-to-head record against Wealdstone.