ISMAIL YAKUBU is one of six Woking FC players to be released by the club after the club have announced their released list for the upcoming 2016/17 season.
SHOWN THE DOOR: Woking have released club captain Ismail Yakubu and goalkeeper Michael Poke – photo by David Holmes, a full set can be viewed at www.wokingfc.co.uk
The Cards’ club captain, 32, was released alongside goalkeeper Michael Poke, defenders Brian Saah and Frazer Shaw, midfielder Max Kretzschmar and forward Zak Ansah as the Cards prepare for 2017/18.
First-team manager Anthony Limbrick is in talks with a whole host of players about potential contracts for the upcoming season, with the club hopeful of announcing the deals this week.
Yakubu joined Woking at the start of the 2015/16 season after his release from Newport County, but his first season at the club lasted just six games after he suffered an ACL injury against Boreham Wood in August 2015.
After making his comeback from injury, Yakubu was given the captain’s armband, but only played 28 of the 46 National League games as the club continued his rehabilitation.
The experienced defender scored twice for the Cards with his final Woking goal coming on the opening day as they suffered a 3-1 defeat at home to the Champions Lincoln City.
Yakubu spent most of his Woking career alongside Brian Saah, who was another player to be let go by the club.
THOSE HAPPIER TIMES: Brian Saah made 80 appearances for Woking – photo by David Holmes, a full set can be viewed at www.wokingfc.co.uk
Saah was a constant in the Cards’ backline, making 80 appearances since joining Dagenham and Redbridge in the summer of 2015.
After spells at Torquay United and Cambridge United, this was Saah’s most effective spell at any club other than that at his first club Leyton Orient, where he made 82 appearances in London.
Poke, 31, was a key figure in Garry Hill’s side last season, with a string of impressive performances despite keeping just six clean sheets.
The former Eastleigh, Portsmouth and Torquay United goalkeeper was one of the surprises on the list, with Poke becoming something of a fans favourite at the Laithwaite’s Community Stadium.
Poke made 35 appearances in his one and only season with the Cards, and after suffering a back injury midway through the campaign, he lost his place between the sticks to Brandon Hall.
Max Kretzschmar was another player that may have felt aggrieved to leave the club, after scoring three times in nine starts, but suffered multiple injuries in a frustrating first season for him.
TO THE MAX: Max Kretzschmar scoring against Aldershot Town – photo by David Holmes, a full set can be viewed at www.wokingfc.co.uk
The midfielder, 23, was a constant in the first seven games of the season, but then only played four games from the start of September to the New Year after a string of injuries.
He returned with a goal in the 2-1 defeat to local rivals Aldershot Town, and followed that up with goals against Dover and Dagenham & Redbridge as he ended the season on a high.
However, it was not enough to earn him a contract. Another player who failed to secure another contract for the upcoming season was left-back Frazer Shaw.
Shaw, 22, joined in November 2016, and made just six appearances for the Cards, featuring against former side Accrington in the FA Cup before ending his Woking career with a 4-0 humbling at Aldershot Town on Boxing Day.
The final player to be released was forward Zak Ansah. The former Arsenal trainee, 22, has had a frustrating career with spells at Charlton, Plymouth and Newport County, but could not cement a place in the starting line-up.
This was the case at Woking and despite a promising start, scoring once in the opening nine games, he was sidelined for six months, returning in the 2-1 defeat to North Ferriby in March.
His final came in Woking’s 4-2 defeat to Maidstone later that month, and bids farewell after just one season at the club.