Woking F.C.
Woking Football Club is a football club from in Woking, Surrey, England, formed in 1889. However at the moment they are playing in the Conference South in the 2011–12 season. For the 2011/2012 season, Woking are sharing their ground with Conference National club Hayes & Yeading United.
Conference years
Promotion to the Conference
Promotion to the Conference was achieved in 1991–92. The Isthmian League title was clinched in early April, with seven games still to be played, 18 points clear of nearest rivals, Enfield. Few of the championship winning side were retained for the higher division and Woking finished the season in eighth position. The following summer saw Chapple sign former Chelsea, Sunderland, Fulham and QPR winger, Clive Walker, from Brighton & Hove Albion and he was to prove the catalyst in the most successful period in the club's history. The FA Trophy was won in 1994 when Runcorn were beaten on a waterlogged Wembley pitch. Twelve months later Kidderminster Harriers were beaten as Woking became only the second club ever to win successive finals. Wembley was revisited in 1997 and the FA Trophy was won for the third time, this time against Dagenham & Redbridge. The Cards also achieved five successive top five finishes in the Conference, including being runners-up in 1994–95 and 1995–96 when they finished below Stevenage Borough again, which has become somewhat a habit ever since. The club also continued to enjoy national prominence in the FA Cup. Barnet were defeated in successive seasons following draws at their Underhill ground. In 1996–97 a run in the FA Cup saw the club beat Millwall, then top of Division Two, and Cambridge United, who were challenging for promotion from Division Three. The Third Round saw Woking draw 1–1 away to Premier League side Coventry City, thanks to a last minute equaliser from the Cards' Steve Thompson, but Coventry won the replay at Kingfield 2–1.
At the end of the 1996–97 campaign, having just clinched the FA Trophy for the third time, Geoff Chapple and his coach, Colin Lippiatt, left the club and joined Kingstonian. This was the beginning of a much less successful period for the club. John McGovern and then Brian McDermott were given the position of manager, but neither achieved anything greater than a mid-table finish. After McDermott, Colin Lippiatt returned but fared little better. He was replaced by his former boss as Geoff Chapple too came back to Woking. Lippiatt departed in January 2002 and Glenn Cockerill joined as Chapple's assistant. This season ended with the club just one place above the relegation places. In the meantime very significant events had taken place off the field. The downturn in the club's fortunes had led to a financial crisis. With the club facing administration or worse, local businessman and long-time fan Chris Ingram came to the rescue, becoming Chairman in February 2002 with an aim of trying to increase the club's income and to secure its long-term financial stability.
Cockerill took over as manager later that year, and oversaw a relative period of stability for the club, before he was sacked shortly before the end of the 2006-07 season. An unimpressive campaign under the management of Frank Gray followed in 2007-08, before a disastrous 2008-09 season which saw three men (Kim Grant, Phil Gilchrist and Graham Baker) take charge of the club, eventually resulting in the club's relegation to the Conference South. That summer, a supporters' trust took over the running of the club. Woking finished 5th in their first Conference South season, but lost to Bath City in the play-off final. The following season saw Woking struggling to challenge for promotion, and Graham Baker was sacked halfway through the campaign for suggesting that the fans were expecting too much of the team. Garry Hill took over as manager and improved the team's form, eventually resulting in another 5th place finish, only for the club to get knocked out in the play-off semi-finals this time.
Players
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Notable players (Former and current)
These players are in here either because they have gone on to play for notable league clubs, etc., or because they are notable for when they were playing for Woking for scoring notable goals, etc.
Recent managers
Honours
- FA Trophy Winners 1994, 1995, 1997. Runners Up 2006
- FA Amateur Cup Winners 1958
- Football Conference Runners Up 1995, 1996
- Isthmian League Champions 1957, 1992
- Isthmian League Cup Winners 1991
- Isthmian Charity Shield Winners 1992, 1993
- Surrey Senior Cup Winners 1913, 1927, 1956 1957, 1971, 1991, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004
- Conference League Cup Winners 2005, Runners Up 1998
- Vauxhall Championship Shield Winners 1995. Runners Up 1996
- Trevor Jones Memorial Trophy Winners 2011. Runners Up 2009
- London Senior Cup Runners Up 1983
References
External links