Woking 2 Aldershot Town 0

Last updated : 09 October 2006 By Footymad Previewer
Sparked by an inspirational performance from teenager Guiseppe Sole, Woking beat Aldershot in the Conference for the first time in seven attempts while beating their League hoodoo in front of the Sky cameras.

Sole, just 18, scored one and had a big hand in the Cards' opener but this was by no means a one-man show with some towering performances in an excellent all-round team display.

Steve Evans returned to the team with a goal and, thanks to Aldershot shooting themselves in the foot with some shocking distribution in the opening 20 minutes, the home team capitalised, took the game by the scruff of the neck, and never let go.

Aldershot arrived at Kingfield with two kits, neither of which were acceptable to referee Graham Horwood, both in part clashing with Woking's home kit. After a heated discussion the Shots ended up wearing Woking's away strip from two seasons ago - which would not have gone down too well with their sponsors, particularly live on TV.

Woking dominated the early patches of play with Sole a constant threat up front and Goma Lambu a menace to Shots' on-loan Reading defender Curtis Osano.

With Aldershot having a tendency to give the ball straight back to the opposition with some incredibly shoddy passing, Woking began to force the issue.

Woking were shutting down space and not allowing the visitors to play in a competitive display which signalled their intention to lay the ghost of not having beaten their neighbours.

After a fierce spell of pressure, Woking took the lead on the half-hour mark in no small part to an incredible piece of skill from Sole. A deep cross from Lambu looked to be going out for a goal kick at the far post when Sole leapt high and somehow directed the ball across goal with the outside of his foot from an outrageous scissor kick.

After Lambu's effort was blocked, Craig McAllister rolled the ball to Evans who gleefully side-footed home from close range. It was no more than Woking deserved for taking the game to the opposition and producing an excellent attacking display.

John Grant fired a long-range shot narrowly wide but that was the closest the visitors came to worrying Woking keeper Shwan Jalal who was a spectator throughout the opening 45 minutes, although he was helped enormously by the magnificent defensive pair of Tom Hutchinson and Karim El-Salahi.

Ollie Berquez hit the post with a magnificent curling effort as Woking nearly made it two and, after the break, Aldershot boss Terry Brown rang the much-needed changes, switching to a 4-3-3 formation with Joel Grant joining namesake John and Marcus Gayle up front.

It spelt a revival for the visitors who suddenly looked a real threat going forward and another substitute, Ben Harding, miscued from a good opening after bursting into the box. El-Salahi's incredible block on John Grant then prevented a certain goal after Jalal had turned aside Osano's shot.

A frenzied ten-minute spell of Aldershot pressure in the middle of the half saw Woking's defence put their bodies on the line with El-Salahi and Hutchinson immense alongside the equally effective Danny Bunce and hard-working Karl Murray.

Sole had the last say in the match, the precocious talent capitalising on a defensive mix-up from Dave Winfield and keeper Nikki Bull to head over the keeper before joyfully slotting into an empty net to seal a great win for the home team.