Woking Fans Face Agonising Decision: Who Deserves April's Gong?
The Cards Trust has thrown open voting for April's Player of the Month award, giving supporters until Saturday morning to pick their hero before the Halifax clash.
The democratic process is alive and well at the Laithwaite Community Stadium, where Woking supporters are being asked to make what could be the most important decision of their weekend – well, apart from whether to have another pint at half-time.
The Cards Trust has opened voting for April's Player of the Month award, giving fans until 9am on Saturday 25th April to cast their ballot for whichever hero has caught their eye during the month's proceedings. It's democracy in action, folks, though thankfully with less arguing about Brexit and more arguing about whether that tackle in the 73rd minute was actually worth remembering.
The timing is rather neat, with voting closing just before Woking's 12:30 kick-off against FC Halifax Town at the Laithwaite Community Stadium. One imagines the committee spent considerable time working out this schedule, possibly using advanced mathematical calculations or, more likely, checking when the pub opens.
The presentation ceremony will take place on the pitch after the final whistle of the Halifax game, which means the winner will either be celebrating in front of jubilant home fans or trying to look gracious while everyone's still processing whatever just happened over the previous 90 minutes. There's something beautifully optimistic about planning a pitch presentation before you know the result – the sort of blind faith that makes grassroots football so endearing.
For those unfamiliar with the rigorous selection process, this involves Cards supporters engaging in that time-honoured tradition of debating the relative merits of players who've spent the month running around muddy pitches in pursuit of National League South glory. It's the kind of passionate discourse that makes English football special, even if it occasionally sounds like an argument about whose turn it is to do the washing up.
The FC Halifax Town match promises to be an intriguing backdrop for the ceremony, assuming both sets of players remember they're supposed to be playing football rather than conducting advanced tactical discussions with the referee. Saturday afternoon kick-offs have a particular charm in non-league football – early enough to feel civilised, late enough to allow for proper pre-match deliberation in the local hostelry.
Whether this month's winner will be a defensive stalwart who's mastered the art of the perfectly timed sliding tackle, a midfielder who can actually pass to teammates, or a striker who remembers which end of the pitch houses the goal, remains to be seen. The beauty of these awards lies in their unpredictability – much like the matches themselves.
Voting remains open until Saturday morning, giving Woking fans plenty of time to make their voices heard in this most crucial of decisions.