Get the lowdown on our next opponents: Woking.
The Opposition
The arrival of Neal Ardley in the Woking dugout has had a notable impact on the Cards, and has seen them rise from potential relegation candidates to potential dark horses for a shot at the play-offs.
After beginning his tenure with an unbeaten run, his efforts were recognised when he was named National League Manager of the Month for April, having guided the club away from the drop zone in his four months in charge, ending the campaign with nine wins, 14 draws and just four defeats, a marked improvement on predecessor Michael Doyle.
They have since enjoyed a promising first half to the 2025/26 campaign, and currently sit 11th in the division, just six points off the play-off spots, having enjoyed an 11-game unbeaten run between September and December, something which was only ended by promotion hopefuls Scunthorpe United in their third-last game of 2025. While this did result in a three-match winless streak, the Cards returned to winning ways in style, thrashing Hartlepool United 4-0 thanks to goals from former Sutton men Olly Sanderson, Chin Okoli and Harry Beautyman, along with Ashley Boatswain helping to put the ten-men Pools to the sword.
Sanderson in particular has enjoyed an impressive return to Surrey after stints on loan at Bradford City and Harrogate Town last season, notching six goals this season to top the Woking goalscoring charts, and bettering Beautyman’s tally of five as the ex-Sutton captain continues to maintain his consistency as he reaches the twilight years of his career. Furthermore, on-loan AFC Wimbledon forward Josh Kelly has enjoyed a successful return to National League football alongside former Hashtag United forward Josh Osude, who has made the leap up the other way, each notching four goals.
It is without a doubt the Cards’ backline that has been key to their success so far this term, with their record of 33 goals conceded bettered by just three teams. Will Jääskeläinen’s clean sheet percentage of approximately 23% was notably higher than the league average last season, and he has maintained his impressive performances between the sticks to maintain his reputation as one of the league’s best, while Chin Okoli has marshalled the backline as vice-captain and has quickly become one of the standout defenders in the division.
His impact has been notable alongside the likes of Caleb Richards, Tunji Akinola, Aaron Drewe, Tariq Hinds and Timi Odusina, with Woking’s top ten appearance makers this season including six defenders, a reference to their hard work at keeping goals out of their own net, and has been something which has propelled them up the division after a 15th place finish last term.
The Manager
Neal Ardley
Former York City boss Neal Ardley replaced the outgoing Michael Doyle in December 2024, and sparked an outstanding run of form that guided the Cards away from the relegation zone last term.
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 saw 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 guided the Cards to a respectable 15th place finish last term.
One to Watch
Will Jääskeläinen
The son of former Bolton Wanderers and Finland goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen, Will Jääskeläinen has followed in his father’s footsteps to become one of, if not the best goalkeeper in all of non-league.
Born in Bolton towards the start of Jussi’s long-term stint at the Macron Stadium, the 27-year old started his career at Bromley Cross Sharks before later turning professional at his dad’s side, spending two years in Bolton’s youth setup before being released in 2017.
He subsequently went on trial in Jussi’s native Finland with Veikkausliiga side VPS, before returning to England to join Leek Town, just a month before joining Crewe Alexandra.
Jääskeläinen went on to appear almost 100 times for the Railwaymen across a five-year stay at Gresty Road, having initially gained experience out on loan with Loughborough Dynamo, Nantwich Town, Buxton and Chester, before signing a new three-year deal with Crewe almost a year before he made his first team debut, keeping a clean sheet as his side beat Yeovil Town.
The goalkeeper went on to become a regular in the side across the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns, before being released following Crewe’s relegation to League Two. A brief stint at AFC Wimbledon saw him spend a handful of months as cover for the injured Nathan Broome, before dropping into non-league to join Woking in 2023.
He has since established a reputation as one of the most high profile shot stoppers in the division, and has now appeared over 100 times for the Cards, having helped them achieve a shot at promotion with a fourth place finish in 2022/23, before playing a key role at the other end as they have twice avoided the drop to the sixth tier.
Recent Form
Truro City 0-2 Woking
Forest Green Rovers 4-2 Woking
Walton & Hersham 1-2 Woking
Woking 2-1 Macclesfield
Wealdstone 1-0 Woking
Woking 4-0 Hartlepool United
Last Time Out
Truro City shipped two late goals to lose 2-0 at home to Woking, who condemned the Tinners to only their second defeat since the turn of the year.
City created the better first half chances with efforts from Tyler Harvey, Dominic Johnson-Fisher and Lirak Hasani testing Will Jääskeläinen, but they couldn’t find a breakthrough, with Aidan Stone then forced into a number of key saves to keep the scores level before the break as the visitors grew into it. The Tinners took their performance into the second half though, but despite sustained pressure, City were repeatedly denied by Jääskeläinen.
As the clock ticked down, the Cards opted to make a triple change, on coming debutant Louis Flower, alongside Jack Turner and Jamie Andrews, and all three combined to cause late drama in Cornwall. First, Flower sprung inside the box to flick an improvised finish past Stone, before Turner reacted quickest to a parry from the City goalkeeper to seal the deal in added on time.
