After securing their first point of the season in battling style at Notts County, United face another tough test tomorrow.
The Yellow Army are sure to be eagerly looking forward to Woking returning to Plainmoor, for the latest instalment in what has become a hugely competitive fixture in recent times.
Who’s the boss?
Alan Dowson has been in charge at the club since May 2018, following a successful spell in charge of Hampton & Richmond Borough. Having represented the likes of Millwall, Bradford and Darlington in the Football League as a player, Dowson began his managerial career with Walton & Hersham, and saw his stock rise with championship-winning campaigns in charge of Kingstonian and Hampton & Richmond.
Having added to that success by leading Woking back to non-League’s top tier and re-establishing them there, the Cards’ boss will now be looking for a new era of full-time football at the Kingfield Stadium to herald a challenge towards the top of the table.
Player to Watch
Tarryn Allarakhia is one of the new faces in Dowson’s squad, having joined Woking in the summer following his release from League 2 side Crawley Town.
His impressive form as a youngster with non-league sides Aveley and Maldon & Tiptree soon caught the attention of Colchester United, and although that move didn’t see the Redbridge-born man make his EFL breakthrough, his spell at Crawley proved much more successful. The Yellow Army will already have seen him at close quarters in recent times, with his substitute appearance eventually helping Town edge through 6-5 against United last term, as the two sides fought out one of the FA Cup’s most memorable matches.
Played for Both
Experienced striker Scott Rendell has represented both Woking and Torquay during his career, with both sides profiting from his prowess in front of goal.
After beginning his career at Aldershot, a dream move to Reading failed to bring its hoped-for rewards, and it wouldn’t be until a subsequent move to Cambridge United saw Randell display his prolific goalscoring form for the first time. A move back into the Football League with Peterborough preceded a highly-successful year on loan at Plainmoor, with Scott netting 12 league goals in 35 games, as well as giving Paul Buckle’s men a new dimension in attack.
Moves to Wycombe and Luton followed, before Rendell became a Card, with an impressive temporary move paving the way for permanent one with saw him register 34 goals in just 59 outings.
This summer saw yet another new destination for the evergreen 34-year old forward, as he signed for Havant & Waterlooville.
Previous Encounter
Last season’s corresponding fixture saw Johnson’s men looking to reignite their automatic promotion challenge, whilst their opponents already had one eye on the 2021/22 campaign following a season of struggle.
The match looked destined to end goalless until United marksman rose of the bench to score within minutes of entering the field, to seal a narrow 1-0 win for an otherwise dominant Torquay side.
Tickets for the match are available until 2pm on Monday, with no tickets available from the turnstiles. Further details are available here.