It’s back-to-back wins for the first time this season as the Fleet played their Cards right to see out a vital 1-0 victory.
Danny Searle named an unchanged side and the Fleet were almost celebrating the opener inside just two minutes. Franklin Domi broke quickly and exchanged passes with Ben Chapman but could only find the side netting. Woking were next up on 9 minutes when Jayden Luker took a shot from just outside the area that dragged wide.
The visitors enjoyed a fair amount of possession in the opening stages and Mark Cousins had to block at the feet of Lewis Walker as Woking pressed. But the Fleet found the breakthrough with 18 minutes on the clock. Domi was again quick to break and he played a great ball into Dominic Poleon, allowing him to flash a shot on goal and past Alexis Andre Jr.
Woking looked to respond and a quick link up between new signings Luker and Dion Kelly-Evans sent the ball flashing across the box. Cousins got to it but Lewis Dennon was there to attempt another shot on goal but it was superbly cleared away from the line by Luke O’Neill.
Poleon had a shout for a penalty waved away on the half-hour mark but the Fleet had taken a lot of the sting out of Woking heading into the break and Luker’s free-kick on 45 minutes went into the wall like many of the visitors’ set pieces on the night.
The second-half was only a few moments in when Mark Cousins kicked the ball against Ricky Korboa in his own box and the ball looped behind him and fortunately behind the goal. Cousins had to make the save five minutes later from the same player as both sides took it in turns to have spells in charge.
An altercation between Domi and Jermaine Anderson briefly saw tempers boil over before Poleon intercepted a poor ball out of defence but saw his run on goal deflected wide for a corner. Josh Wright whipped the ball into the area to pick out O’Neill at the far post but from six yards he lifted his first-time effort high over the bar. Ben Chapman sent an acute cross straight into the gloves of Andre Jr. before Kenlock ran 30 yards on 73 minutes, swapped passes with Poleon, and forced the goalkeeper to tip over.
The Fleet continued to pile the pressure on and with five minutes to go Bingham laid a great ball into substitite Darren McQueen whose shot was cleared off the line by Josh Casey. Bingham followed up but floated an effort past the opposite post.
Woking bossed possession for the last five minutes plus time added on and forced a goalmouth scramble before Charley Kendall somehow diverted a header down into the box wide. Dominic Samuel drew another save from Andre Jr as he twisted into a shooting position and the whistle was greeted warmly by Fleet fans who had gone almost a year without seeing back-to-back wins.
EUFC: Cousins, O’Neill, Kenlock, Skura, Wright, Domi (Clifford 65), Bilongo (McQueen 57), Chapman, Edser, Bingham, Poleon (Samuel 81). Subs: Cissé, Fogarty
WFC: Andre Jr, Casey, Wilkinson, Korboa (Kendall 70), Walker, Lewis, Akinola (Anderson 59), Kelly-Evans, Luker, Edwards (Oyeleke 46), Dyche. Subs: Odusina, Ince
Attendance: 1,525 (244 Woking)
Winning 50/50: 08132
Vote for your man of the match below…
