MATCH PREVIEW | WOKING

The Bees travel down to The Laithwaite Community Stadium this Saturday (3pm) as they take on Woking in the Vanarama National League.

Barnet FC:

 

Lee Ndlovu was the hero for the Bees last weekend as his extra time winning goal gave Barnet the 1-0 win over Dagenham & Redbridge.

 

From the very first whistle, the tone of the match was set with both Barnet and Dagenham & Redbridge pushing for dominance.

A prime chance came in the 20th minute when Idris Kanu delivered a well-timed ball to Ryan Glover, but his strike was comfortably gathered by Louis Jones in goal.

Just ten minutes later, Dagenham’s Dom Telford found himself one-on-one with the keeper, but his low shot was agonizingly wide of the bottom right corner, rolling past the post.

Anthony Hartigan then tested his luck from outside the box, but his powerful strike sailed well over the crossbar as the game remained goalless heading into the break.

Barnet’s first real chance of the second half came in the 50th minute when Zak Brunt chipped a ball into the box for Callum Stead, whose header soared just over the bar.

With time running out, further changes were made with Lee Ndlovu replacing Telford and Billy Clifford replacing Glover.

Ndlovu’s physical presence helped Barnet press forward, while Clifford’s tenacity in defence thwarted any attempts from Dagenham to break through.

As the clock wound down and seven minutes of added time were announced, Barnet’s supporters, with over 3,000 strong behind their team, roared them on for one final push.

Following a corner, the ball was pinged around the box before falling to Ndlovu, under pressure from a Dagenham defender, Ndlovu displayed remarkable composure, controlling the ball and expertly slotting it past Jones at the near post.

With only minutes remaining, Barnet had seized the lead, and with Dagenham throwing everything forward in search of an equalizer, The final whistle blew, and Barnet claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory, extending their lead at the top of the table and showing their resilience under pressure.

Barnet’s last five results:

 

Barnet FC 1-0 Dagenham & Redbridge

Barnet FC 5-0 Yeovil Town

Oldham Athletic 0-3 Barnet FC

Rochdale 0-4 Barnet FC

Barnet FC 3-1 York City

From the dugout:

 

Connor Smith’s pre-match interview can be viewed HERE!

Woking:

 

Woking visited Jakemans Community Stadium last Saturday as they took on Boston United in the Vanarama National League.

Straight from kick off Boston started strongly, applying early pressure, with Jacob Hazel and Cameron Green creating chances.

However, it was Woking who struck first against the run of play in the 23rd minute.

A shot from Jermaine Anderson was parried by Boston’s goalkeeper Cameron Gregory, and Harry Beautyman pounced towards the ball, scoring from a tight angle and giving Woking a 1-0 lead.

As the second half progressed, Boston intensified their pressure.

A great cross from Cameron Green found Jai Rowe, whose header glanced just wide, followed by another shot from Rowe that required a save from Woking’s goalkeeper Will Jaaskelainen.

Boston’s persistence paid off in the 66th minute when Rowe met Brad Nicholson’s long throw to equalize.

Woking responded quickly, with Dennon Lewis’s brilliant cross finding Effiong, who slotted the ball past Gregory to restore Woking’s lead in the 76th minute.

In the final moments of injury time, Boston’s Nicholson delivered another long throw, flicked on and bundled home by Rowe from close range, securing a last-minute equalizer to make it 2-2.

Woking’s last five results:

Boston United 2-2 Woking

Southend United 2-2 Woking

Oxford City 2 (1)-(2) 2 Woking (Woking win 2-1 on penalties in the FA Trophy)

Forest Green Rovers 1-1 Woking

Woking 1-0 Solihull Moors

In the opposition dugout:

 

Woking manager Neal Ardley will be in the dugout for the Cards this Saturday with his assistant Simon Bassey alongside him.

Ardley began his managerial career at AFC Wimbledon, during his time there he led the club to promotion to the EFL League 1 for the first time ever in their history in 2016, after beating Plymouth Argyle in the play-off final.

In December 2024, Ardley became the manager of Woking.

While only being at Woking for a short time, he has only lost once out of seventeen mates, with his only lost coming at the hands of his former side York City.

Ones to watch:

Woking centre midfielder Harry Beautyman is the top goal scorer in the league so far for the Cards this season.

He has scored 8 goals as well as assisting 2 in 29 appearances and is currently averaging a goal every 262 minutes.

Last time these two sides met:

The Bees battled through tough weather conditions to secure a dominant 2-0 win over Woking FC at The Hive last time out.

Woking had early chances, with Tom Leahy heading a cross just wide and Dion Kelly-Evans hitting the crossbar from a corner.

However, Barnet struck first when Rhys Browne capitalized on a rebound, slotting it past the Woking goalkeeper’s left, after an Anthony Hartigan free-kick attempt was blocked.

Defensive heroics from Ade Oluwo also kept Woking at bay, blocking a dangerous run from Matt Ward.

In the second half, Barnet continued to press.

Tavares missed a header from a corner, but Bailey Hobson doubled the lead when he netted the rebound after his initial shot was saved.

Hobson had more chances, and substitute Zak Brunt also had two efforts that narrowly missed the target.

As the game reached full-time, Barnet dominated throughout the game to secure the win and earn the three points.

The Bees will be wanting to continue performing at their highest level this Saturday as well as looking to widen the gap at the top of the Vanarama National League table.