Woking's Youth Brigade Face Hectic Week as Academy Fixtures Pile Up
The Cards' academy sides are in for a proper marathon with five matches crammed into four days, including a tasty local derby for the U19s against Dorking Wanderers.
While Woking's first team might get the headlines, their academy lads are about to embark on what can only be described as a fixture pile-up that would make even the most hardened non-league manager wince. Between April 20th and 24th, the Cards' youth sides have managed to cram in five matches across three different age groups – because apparently rest is for the weak.
The fun kicks off on April 20th with a proper local derby as Woking's U19s lock horns with Dorking Wanderers in the National Academy League. Given that Dorking have been making quite the name for themselves in recent years, this should provide a decent litmus test for the Cards' prospects. On the same day, Westfield – that's Woking's U17 outfit for those not fluent in academy speak – will be making the trip to face Alton in the Allied Counties West Division.
If you thought Monday was busy, wait until you see what the academy schedulers have cooked up for the rest of the week. The U18s get the dubious honour of playing twice in 48 hours, first hosting Bromley on April 22nd before turning around to face Slough Town the very next day. Someone clearly believes in testing these youngsters' recovery abilities.
Not to be outdone, the U17s – the proper Woking U17s, not their Westfield counterparts – round off this fixture bonanza on April 23rd with a home clash against Walton & Hersham in the Isthmian League Central Division. By the time Thursday evening rolls around, the academy physios will probably need their own medical attention.
This scheduling masterclass spans four different competitions, which is either excellent preparation for the demands of modern football or a masterclass in how to exhaust your youth players before they've even reached senior level. The cynic in all of us might wonder if someone in the academy office has confused quantity with quality when it comes to match preparation.
For the parents brave enough to follow this whistle-stop tour of Surrey and beyond, it's going to be a week that tests petrol budgets as much as player fitness. Still, there's something refreshingly honest about grassroots football's approach to fixture scheduling – why have one match when you can have five?
Whether this represents shrewd preparation or administrative chaos remains to be seen, but one thing's certain: Woking's academy sides won't lack for match practice come the end of April.