Phil Walsh’s second-half header rescued Fleet from further woe and a second successive home defeat after Woking sought to protect their 2-1 lead from the first-half.
Liam Daish restored former Cards striker Liam Enver-Marum to the starting line-up in place of Ben Greenhalgh and Patrick Ada returned from suspension, meaning Craig Stone only made the bench. Fleet got going early with Moses Ashikodi firing just wide on three minutes but they took the lead for the first time at Stonebridge Road this season on eight minutes. Walsh launched a quickly-taken long free-kick from well inside his own half and it looked a somewhat optimistic ball but Nathan Elder kept it in with a header back into Joe Howe’s path. The Fleet defender wrapped his foot around the ball and it curled away from his namesake Aaron in the Woking goal and nestled in the far corner of the net.
Woking responded with an Adam Doyle header that looped over the goal and the impressive Kevin Betsy produced a hopeful cross-cum-shot that Preston Edwards seemed satisfied to see out but it curled back into the danger area and bounced off the bar. The let-off didn’t last long for the Fleet as Woking were level on 16 minutes. Gavin McCallum’s shot hit a Fleet defender in the box and as the Cards appealed for handball, Jack Parkinson was the most alert in the resulting confusion and he lashed the ball home past Edwards.
The visitors had plenty of pace up front with Betsy creative, Bradley Bubb laying off balls for his colleagues and Parkinson putting in a decent shift in the middle and they soon began to gain the upper hand. And sure enough the Fleet buckled on 22 minutes when Adam Newton’s delivery and Edwards’ somewhat impetuous attempt to claim the ball caused a scramble inside the Fleet area and it sat up for former loanee Brett Johnson to convert from close range.
Woking owned the rest of the half as the Fleet were left chasing shadows and struggling to do anything meaningful in the visitors’ half of the field. Edwards twice saved well from McCallum and then from Betsy but his teammates initiated precious little in front of him and it was backs to the wall for the remainder of the half.
The welcome break seemed to do Fleet good as Woking sat back in the second half, content to soak up the bits and pieces that the home side produced. Besty could have nudged his side further in front on 49 minutes but Edwards was equal to the shot. And though Fleet succeeded in gaining a foothold, there was still frustration among home supporters as distribution from midfield went awry on several occasions.
Enver-Marum made way for Greenhalgh on 66 minutes and it was from the substitute’s set piece that the equaliser arrived on 75 minutes. Fleet had been gradually pushing Woking back into their own half but without much success in the final third. That changed when Greenhalgh’s corner was met by the onrushing Walsh who cam through a crowd of players to power a bullet header past the hapless Howe.
The goal opened the game as Woking became more adventurous again and Fleet went in search of a winner, Elder and Ashikodi’s renewed efforts making Woking’s defence work harder. Edwards saved again from Betsy and at the other end
