TT MATCH PREVIEW – WOKING (H) by Steve Harris

TT PREVIEW

Steve Harris – @steveharris84

Match details: Torquay United vs Woking FC

Venue: Plainmoor

Date: Monday 30th August 2021

Kick-off: 3pm

Woking FC fact file:

Year founded: 1887

Nickname: The Cards

Last season’s league finish: 20^th National League

Notable honours:

Football Conference/Blue Square Premier/National League: Runners-up: 1994-95 & 1995-96

Conference South/National League South: Champions: 2011-12

FA Trophy: Winners: 1993-94, 1994-95, 1996-97

Head to Head:

Torquay: 7 Draws: 6 Woking: 8

League Position and Recent Form:

Torquay: 15th – L, D Woking: 10th – W, L

Manager: Alan Dowson

Gateshead-born Alan Dowson appeared in the Football League for Millwall, Fulham, Bradford City and Darlington before first dropping into non-league football with Slough Town in the 1993-94 season. He took up his first managerial post in 2004 when he was appointed as player- manager at Walton and Hersham and in his first season in charge they finished as runners-up in Isthmian League Division One.

In 2007, he moved on to Kingstonian who he guided to promotion from Isthmian League Division South in the 2008-09 campaign. He remained in charge of the K’s until 2014 and during this time they twice missed out on promotion to National League South through the Isthmian League play-offs – in the 2009-10 and 2013-14 seasons – before he resigned to spend more time with his family.

His next managerial port of call was with Hampton and Richmond in September 2014, who he would later lead to the Isthmian League title in the 2015-16 season. He was then appointed as manager of Woking in the summer of 2018 and led them to promotion from the National League South via the play-offs.

Player to watch: Jordan Maguire-Drew

After starting his career with Brighton and Hove Albion, Jordan Maguire-Drew first made his name during a loan spell with Dagenham & Redbridge in the 2016-17 season, where he scored 16 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions. Further loan spells followed with Lincoln City, Coventry City and Wrexham before he joined Leyton Orient in January 2019. He helped Orient win the National League title in 2018-19 and was later loaned to Crawley Town in the 2020-21 campaign. After leaving Orient, Maguire-Drew became one of a host of new signings made by Alan Dowson in the summer of 2021.

Old boys:

Torquay: Armani Little, Dan Holman

Woking FC: None

Last time: Torquay 1-0 Woking FC – 2nd April 2021

GOALS: TUFC – Wright (83)

TEAMS:

Torquay United: Covolan, Wynter, Law, Sherring, Lewis, Hall (Andrews), Randell, CLE, Little, Kimpioka (Waters), Boden (Wright)

Woking: Smith, Gerring, Diarra, Ferdinand, Cooper, Casey, Lofthouse (Hodges), Kretzschmar, Block, Dalby (Smith), Dempsey (Skinner)

Possible line-ups:

Torquay United (4-4-2)

Mark Halstead

Ben Wynter – Joe Lewis – Dean Moxey – Dan Martin

Connor Lemonheigh-Evans – Armani Little – Tom Lapslie – Keelan O’Connell

Dan Holman – Danny Wright

Woking (4-2-3-1)

Craig Ross

Kyran Lofthouse – Joe McNerney – Moussa Diarra – Josh Casey

Soloman Nwabuokei – Rohan Ince

Tom Champion – Jordan Maguire-Drew – Tahvon Campbell

George Oakley

TT Pre-Match Talking Points…

Can we improve on last week’s attendance after the battling performance at Notts County?
Will GJ simply move Martin into LB and Moxey into CB, and keep the rest of the Meadow Lane XI in place?
When will key players Connor Lemonheigh-Evans and Asa Hall get their places back in GJ’s first XI?