Delano Sam-Yorke scored his first goals of the season and Dennon Lewis added a third as Woking for the second time this season with a 3-1 win at home to Torquay on Tuesday night. Here are five things Radio Woking Sport’s commentator Scott Taylor learnt from the tie:
Photo by David Holmes – A full set can be viewed at www.wokingfc.co.uk
Dennon Lewis Can Fire Woking Out Of The Relegation Zone… – Dennon Lewis scored his third goal of the season at the Laithwaite’s Community Stadium to round off a much-needed win for the Cards. The Watford loanee is now Garry Hill’s top-scorer this season and with performances like he showed in front of the Woking faithful, there is no surprise to see why. Lewis, 19, also provided the cross for Sam-Yorke’s second goal and benefitted from playing in a less-restricted midfield role allowing him to get into space and use his undoubted ability with a man-of-the-match performance. Cards fans should be confident that if he continues to flourish in a three-man midfield, then the future is very bright.
…But Hopes Sam-Yorke And Ugwu Can Form A Prolific Partnership – Despite Sam-Yorke’s brace, there continues to be question marks about his place in the side, which Hill firmly put straight in his post-match interview, promising he will get 10-15 goals out of his striker. He and Gozie Ugwu showed signs of promise on Tuesday night that the pair can form a partnership. Both players have similar stature and the combination of Ugwu’s strength and hold-up play with Sam-Yorke’s clinical finishing, it is an exciting time for the Cards. However, Woking’s troubles to convert key chances showed in the first half, but they soon put that right in a blistering second half.
Hill’s 3-5-2 Is The Way Forward For Woking…. – Not many sides in the National League or in English football in fact, deploy the 3-5-2 formation, but on the evidence of the last few games, it works. Woking have picked up seven points in their last four games as other teams struggle to adapt to playing against Hill’s side.
…And The Way Forward For His Players – The performance on Tuesday evening showed that the formation deployed by Garry Hill’s side benefits the players. Joey Jones was allowed to play in a back three alongside Brian Saah and home debutant Connor Essam. Fabio Saraiva is blossoming in a midfield three in his first season in the National League and Jake Caprice’s attacking style suits the wing-back role that he plays in. Finally, captain Keiran Murtagh seems to be flourishing with the armband and another fine performance on Tuesday evening was evident as Woking secured a 3-1 win.
Connor Essam Can Ease Question Marks Over Yakubu Absence – For any Woking fans who feared that the defence would not be as strong without Ismail Yakubu, fear not, Connor Essam perfectly fills the void. The former Leyton Orient defender has had experience in the Football League and this was clear to see as he put in a composed showing in a back three, a role he will have likely been new to. Essam is not the replacement for Yakubu, but whilst the latter eases back from his injury nightmare, Woking fans can find peace that Essam is at the heart of the defence.
Words: Scott Taylor