2004/05 - Match No. 40
FA Trophy, 4th round
Saturday, February 5th, 2005
Alfreton Town 0, Woking 3
Report by Gordon Foster (Mansfield CHAD). Pics by Phil Lucic.

ALFRETON exited the FA Trophy with their heads held high, and to loud applause at the end, as Conference National full-timers Woking went through by a flattering margin of victory at the Impact Arena on Saturday.
Reds boss Dave Lloyd made a point of shaking each of his players by the hand as they left the field after seeing his side bow out, and stressed that the club’s season is far from over.
But he will have to get through the next few weeks without both Ben Chapman and Mitch Ward, who both picked up serious injuries during the 90 minutes.
Woking struck a double blow just before half time when, moments before, they had appeared grateful to be heading for the interval with the scoresheet still blank.
And the Surrey side showed just how to defend a lead in the second half, popping a third in for good measure with 14 minutes to go.
Despite the result, a bullish Lloyd insisted afterwards: “I’m very proud of my players – they were tremendous and the result bears no reflection on the game.
“I made a point of shaking hands with each one of them because they put in a tremendous effort, they showed a lot of quality, and we made a fair few chances.
“The Woking players themselves congratulated our lads on their performance and said we were a very good side – and this is from a club pushing for a place in the Football League next season.
“As far as we’re concerned now, we are out of all the cup competitions, but our season is far from over. We’ve got to turn our league results round if we want to go up, and I think we’ve shown today, against a team at that higher level, that we are quite capable of doing that.
“Losing Mitch and Ben to add to our already heavy injury list is a blow, and maybe I’ll have to bring in one or two more players, but the two I’ve just brought in – Michael Simpkins and Luke Foster – did really well.”
The home fans, too, gave tremendous backing, even when the Reds were chasing the game, as they showed their appreciation of the fare on view.
But the worry, if there is one, is that not enough of the chances that are being created are being put away.
There was early evidence of that fact when Jon Boardman miscued a clearance onto Chris Bettney’s cross from the right. Mick Godber received it, but saw his hooked volley held by giant keeper Shwan Jalal.
A short spell of Woking pressure saw Foster twice and Grant Brown having to clear, and Chris Sharpling lifted a good chance from ex-Arsenal man Ian Selley’s free kick too high.
Peter Duffield was unlucky not to put the Reds into a 15th-minute lead, though. From Godber’s intelligent lay-off, Duffield spotted Jalal off his line and tried a spectacular 40-yard lob over him, only to see it curl away from goal at the last moment.
Lee Butler produced the save of the match four minutes later, brilliantly pushing aside Jefferson Louis’ 25-yard half-volley. But the rest of the half – until that cruel five-minute spell at the end – belonged to the home side.
Jalal needed two attempts to save from Duffield who had been quick to pounce when the keeper spilled Matt Fisher’s initial effort, while Chapman was unlucky twice inside a minute from crosses by Duffield.
First, Simon Jackson took the ball off Chapman’s toe as he was about to turn the ball in, and then the left-sided player really should have done better than to place the ball wide of the far post when he seemed to have the goal at his mercy.
Woking had been far from out of it, but the home defence stood up well to anything thrown at them, with Foster and Simpkins both impressing.
However, the Cards played a couple of aces in the last five minutes to transform the nature of the game.
First, Selley and Justin Richards set up Steve Evans who cut in from the left to beat Butler with a firm strike.
Then, as the half entered stoppage time, Richards headed Sharpling’s right wing cross in at the back post for a simple and preventable second goal.
With Chapman having suffered a torn stomach muscle before the break, David Holmes made his appearance for the second half.
And when Karl Murray brought down Duffield on the edge of the area, Ward’s direct free kick was too high.
A poor clearance out of the home defence then let in Louis who looked set to make it three, but the striker’s finish was as bad, and Butler was left with a routine save.
Alfreton continued to look for a way back, but when Godber received another Ward free kick and turned his man in the right of the area he could only hit the side netting.
Ward had to be helped off with damaged ankle ligaments following a challenge which earned Louis a booking on 68.
But any lingering hopes of the match being saved were ended in the 76th minute. Jalal’s long clearance was flicked on by Richards to Louis, and although Brown managed to toe-poke the ball away from the striker it was only into the path of Murray, who unleashed a venomous shot which no keeper on earth would have stopped.
Although the game was now over as a contest, the home side continued to try to play with some purpose, but a competent Cards defence denied them even a consolation goal at the end.
ALFRETON: Butler, Blount, Simpkins, Foster, Brown, Ward (Nwadike 69), Bettney (Woolley 82), Fisher, Godber, Duffield, Chapman (Holmes h/t). Subs not used: Sale, Cooper.
WOKING: Jalal, Murray, Boardman, MacDonald, Selley (Smith 84), Richards (Nade 79), Sharpling, Evans, Oliver, Louis (Foyewa 82), Jackson. Subs not used: Basso, Ferguson.
REFEREE: Paul Varley of Ilkley.
ATTENDANCE: 585.
SCORERS: Woking – Evans 40; Richards 45; Murray 76.
CAUTIONS: Alfreton – Godber 26 (foul on Jackson). Woking – Murray 50 (‘professional’ foul on Duffield); Louis 68 (foul on Ward).
REDS MAN OF THE MATCH: Luke Foster.