Get the lowdown on the U’s next opponents: Woking.

The Opposition

Woking head into the final day of the season safe from relegation, with the appointment of Neal Ardley midway through the campaign overseeing a rise in form for the Cardinals, and could now finish as high as 11th.

Following a difficult start to the campaign, Woking opted to make a change in the dugout with Michael Doyle being dismissed, and former York City boss Ardley subsequently lost just one of his first 17 games in charge to guide the club away from the drop zone.

Since that sole defeat – coming against former club York – the Cards went on to enjoy a further seven-game unbeaten run prior to successive defeats against Barnet and Wealdstone, but have since remained unbeaten again in their last eight league games, losing only in the FA Trophy semi-final against rivals Aldershot Town.

However, the Cards have assembled a squad with enough quality to get by at this level. The likes of William Jääskeläinen has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the division behind a defence that includes the long-serving Dan Moss, Timi Odusina and former U’s loanee Chin Okoli, who has massively bolstered the Woking backline after joining on loan from Millwall in January. The trio are shielded by the likes of Dale Gorman, Frank Vincent, Jamie Andrews and Olatunji Akinola and flanked by the likes of Dion Kelly-Evans, Dennon Lewis and Tariq Hinds, while Adam Chicksen’s early return to Notts County will have proven to be a blow for the Cards after appearing 26 times for the club.

Nonetheless, Ardley’s backline has certainly been a key part of their form, with Woking being one of the lowest goalscorers in the league. The recent signing of Josh Osude from Hashtag United looks to be an exciting attempt to add additional firepower to their frontline, alongside Aiden O’Brien and the returning Inih Effiong, but they have largely had to rely on the goals from Harry Beautyman from midfield and Sam Ashford, with Jermaine Anderson (1), Lewis Walker (4) and Mattew Ward (4) scoring just nine goals between them.

The Surrey-based outfit now make the short trip to Sutton looking to end the campaign in a positive manner, with hopes of a return to the top end of the National League table next season. Woking have spent their entire history in non-league including a decade at step one – minus a single season in the National League South in 2018/19 – and have largely had to endure mid-table finishes aside from a fourth place finish under Darrell Sarll in 2023. However, there will certainly be a feel-good factor at the minute for the Cards, who have enjoyed a successful start to life under Ardley.

Recent Form

Eastleigh 2-2 Woking

Woking 3-0 Aldershot Town

Maidenhead United 2-2 Woking

Woking 1-0 AFC Fylde

Forest Green Rovers 1-1 Woking

Woking 1-0 Solihull Moors

The Manager

Neal Ardley

Former York City boss Neal Ardley replaced the outgoing Michael Doyle back in December, and sparked an outstanding run of form that has guided the Cards away from the relegation zone.

An ex-midfielder, Ardley notably turned out over 200 times for Wimbledon FC during the 1990s, enjoying a successful 11-year career with the club before moving to Watford in 2002, where he racked up a further 111 appearances for the Hornets. He later finished his career with spells at Cardiff City and Millwall, before hanging up his boots in 2007.

Looking to kick-start a career in management, Ardley returned to Cardiff in a coaching capacity when he took over the Bluebirds’ academy, and aided the development of the likes of Joe Ralls and Theo Wharton who both went on to appear for first team.

Following five years in the Welsh capital, Ardley returned to Wimbledon when he took over his former club’s successor, AFC, and went on to enjoy a stellar six-year stint at the helm, in which he guided the club into League One with his first ever trophy in management when the Wombles won the League Two play-off final in 2016.

After navigating the third tier for the first time in the club’s history, Ardley established the Dons with a handful of mid-table finishes before departing in 2018 by mutual consent, and later took over at Notts County. He was unable to prevent the Magpies from dropping into the National League though, and despite reaching the play-offs and FA Trophy semi-final, was dismissed from his role towards the end of the 2020/21 campaign with County finding themselves 14 points behind league leaders Sutton.

Ardley would remain in the fifth tier though, taking over at Solihull Moors the following summer where he again experienced a promotion charge, with the 52-year old guiding the club to their second-highest finish in their history in third, before losing to Grimsby Town in the play-off final. History would then repeat itself for Ardley, who followed up a play-off appearance with a mid-table finish the following campaign, and he subsequently exited Damson Park in June 2023.

A brief stint at York City followed, but Ardley lasted just five months in charge at the LNER Community Stadium, and returned to management almost a year later when he was named as Doyle’s successor at Woking. This has seen him enjoy a far more successful time of it, losing only one in his first 17 matches in charge at the Laithwaite Community Stadium, and has since lost a total of four games to see the Cards rise to 15th in the Vanarama National League table.

One to Watch

Harry Beautyman

Harry Beautyman is a player who is no stranger to Sutton supporters, and he will be hoping he can recover from a recently acquired injury in time to make a return to Gander Green Lane, for the first time since departing last summer.

The former U’s midfielder has been a mainstay in the heart of Woking’s midfield throughout the campaign, and is currently their top scorer with ten goals in 32 appearances.

A product of the Leyton Orient academy, Beautyman gained experience on loan at St Albans City and Hastings United at the start of his career, before linking up with the U’s for the first time in 2011. The midfielder went on to enjoy a two-year stint in South London, scoring 24 goals in 105 games as well as winning the Supporters’ Club Player of the Year award in his first season, topping off his fine form in amber with a call-up to the England C squad.

Beautyman subsequently joined Welling United in 2013, before moving on loan to Peterborough United a year later, and soon saw the deal made permanent after impressing for the Posh in his maiden campaign in the Football League. He remained at London Road for a further season before embarking on stints at Northampton Town and Stevenage, which preceded a highly anticipated return to Gander Green Lane in 2018.

His second spell saw him cement himself as a U’s legend, going on to appear over 200 times across the next seven years, with his most notable individual campaign coming in 2019/20, where he notched 17 goals from midfield which saw him voted Club Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and Supporters’ Club Player of the Year, as well as earning him inclusion in the National League Team of the Season. He subsequently played a key role in Sutton’s promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history with a title-winning campaign the following season, and went on to rack up almost 100 League Two appearances for the club, prior to his departure last summer.

A move across Surrey saw Beautyman make the switch to Woking where he has become a key part of the team under both Michael Doyle and Neal Ardley.

Last Time We Met

Two early goals were enough to seal victory in Surrey, with Sutton United overcoming Woking with a narrow win.

Lewis Simper’s first goal for the club gave the U’s the lead after just 12 minutes in fortuitous fashion, with his low strike from distance taking a huge deflection which wrong-footed William Jääskeläinen and flew into the back of the net to break the deadlock, with Jeremy Sivi doubling their lead five minutes later with a superb volley from the edge of the box.

Substitute Tom Leahy halved the deficit with a little over 15 minutes to go when he got on the end of Deon Moore’s cross, but despite their efforts, Michael Doyle’s side were unable to come from behind with the U’s making it four games unbeaten.

Relive the victory here.

Head-to-Head

Woking 1-0 Sutton United (28/09/2024)

Sutton United 3-2 Woking (11/05/2021)

Woking 0-1 Sutton United (01/12/2020)

Sutton United 6-2 Woking (01/01/2020)

Woking 0-2 Sutton United (26/12/2019)

Sutton United 2-0 Woking (06/03/2018)

Woking 2-0 Sutton United (16/09/2017)

Woking 2-1 Sutton United (01/04/2017)

Sutton United 4-1 Woking (08/10/2016)

Played for Both

Lennie Dennis

An all-action centre-forward, Lennie Dennis joined Sutton in 1985 in an attempt to replace the prolific Micky Joyce, and went on to spearhead the attack alongside Paul McKinnon.

After previously experiencing low-key spells with Bromley and Dulwich Hamlet, Dennis contributed to the retention of the Isthmian League title in his first season, winning promotion into the Conference with 32 goals, and perhaps most famously, later featured in the team that beat Coventry City in the FA Cup Third Round in 1989. Dennis was also recognised for his performances with a call-up to the Jamaica squad in 1988, gaining one international cap in a World Cup qualifier against the United States.

Having become a crucial part of the team under Barrie Williams, a broken leg against Barnet became a key factor in the club’s relegation in 1991, and he later left for spells with Welling United and Woking, before returning to Sutton to accumulate a total of 144 goals in just 264 appearances.

Honourable mentions: Chin Okoli, Lewis Simper, Charley Kendall, Nana Boateng, Harry Beautyman, Aiden O’Brien, Lee Angol, Rhys Browne, Ricky Korboa, Deon Moore, Josh Neufville, Matt Tubbs, Ben Wynter, Ross Lafayette

Photo Credit: Woking Football Club