This article is part of the ‘League Preview’ series, in which every day we take a detailed look at one of Aldershot Town’s 23 prospective opponents for the upcoming National League season.
In the spotlight today is an incredibly familiar foe. Aldershot Town’s arch-rivals, and last year’s FA Trophy semi-finalists, Woking FC.
Founded in 1887, ‘The Cardinals’ are absolute staples of non-league football, having contested exclusively between sixth-and-fifth-tiers since 1992. Woking hold a joint-record three FA Trophy titles, all of which occurring during a four-year stint in the mid-1990s.
Due to both locality, heated history, and having contested in the same division for eleven of the last twelve seasons and counting, Woking and Aldershot each make up one half of an ongoing feud that stands out as one of, if not the, most hotly contested non-league rivalries of the modern era.
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Where is Woking?
The town of Woking is situated in the heart of Surrey, in the South of England. A popular London-commuter town, its approximately 76,000 population makes it the second largest settlement in the county, behind only Guildford. Roughly 12 miles from the EBB Stadium, this 26 minute journey will mark Aldershot’s closest away trip of the upcoming league season.
The Cards are one of just two professional football clubs in Surrey, alongside National League South side Dorking Wanderers, making them the county’s only team in England’s top-five tiers. Due to this, Woking currently serves as the closest place to see step-one football or higher in the towns of Waltham-on-Thames (~27,000 pop), Egham (28,000), and most notably, Guildford (78,000).
Woking play their home matches at the Laithwaite Community Stadium, Otherwise known as Kingfield. The ground opened in 1922, and has been the Cardinals’ home ever since. With a capacity of 6,036, it is the thirteenth-largest ground in this year’s National League. Aldershot Town are partially responsible for the ground’s record league attendance, with 5,171 witnessing the Shots win a 3-2 thriller on January 2nd, 2022.
Woking finished the 2024/25 season with an average league attendance of 2,322, the eleventh-best among teams currently in the division.
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Recent history and club highlights
Aside from a narrow relegation that was quickly remedied towards the turn of the decade, Woking have been a consistent feature of step-one football for a generation…
2024/25 – National League (15th)
2023/24 – National League (17th)
2022/23 – National League (4th)
2021/22 – National League (15th)
2020/21 – National League (20th)
2019/20 – National League (10th)
2018/19 – National League South (2nd, Promoted via play-offs)
2017/18 – National League (21st, Relegated)
2016/17 – National League (9th)
2015/16 – National League (12th)
Since their play-off promotion in 2019, the Cards have typically occupied a space in the lower half of the National League table. This is aside from a hugely successful 2022/23 campaign, which saw the Surrey side finish fourth behind Wrexham, Notts County and Chesterfield amid a particularly strong title race. Entering the fifth-tier play-offs for the very first time, they would eventually lose to seventh place Bromley in the quarter-final stage.
Members of the Isthmian league for the first 80 years of their competitive existence, the club have played at the top-two-steps of non-league since being promoted as Isthmian Premier champions in 1992. It was during this era that the club would have their greatest successes in both cup and league action, not only winning a joint-record three FA Trophy finals in four seasons, but also finishing Conference National runners up in both 1995 and 1996.
Their greatest foray in the FA Cup also occurred during the 90s, where, still a sixth-tier side, Woking defeated Bath City, Kidderminster Harriers, Merthyr Tydfil and most notably, West Brom to earn a tie against Everton in the fourth round. The match was originally intended to be played at Kingfield, though both sides agreed a reverse of venue was beneficial. The Toffees – featuring the likes of Neville Southall, Tony Cottee and Martin Keown – were frustrated but victorious, held to only a 1-0 scoreline in front of over 35,000 at Goodison Park.
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Pre-season, incoming transfers and other news
At time of writing, Woking have made 8 first team signings.
| Player | Pos. | Age | Arriving from… | Highest level played |
| Jack Turner | CM | 22 | Queen’s Park | Scot. Championship (Queen’s Park) |
| Jake Hyde | CF | 35 | Chelmsford City | League Two (Barnet) |
| Caleb Richards | CB | 26 | Kidderminster | National League (Kidderminster) |
| Tim Akinola | CM | 24 | Gateshead | SPL (Dundee) |
| Aaron Drewe | CB | 24 | Oxford City | Championship (QPR) |
| Craig Ross | GK | 35 | Maidenhead Utd. | League Two (Barnet) |
| Luke Hall | CAM | 22 | Worksop Town | NL North (Guisley) |
| Chinwike Okoli | CB | 21 | Millwall U21 | National League (Bromley) |
With a varied mix of age and experience arriving largely from divisions below, the Cards will be hoping that shrewd recruitment has unearthed significant value in this summer’s transfer market.
Making the biggest leap in leagues is creative midfielder Luke Hall; the 22-year-old was instrumental to Worksop Town’s promotion to step-two last campaign, scoring 10 goals and entering the Northern Premier League team of the season. Versatile defender Aaron Drewe boasts nine Championship appearances for QPR, though is having to make his way back up the pyramid after signing for sixth-tier Oxford City last term, where he impressed in a solitary season despite the club finishing 19th.
Woking’s pre-season campaign, which included a tie against Championship Portsmouth in mid-july, resulted as follows:
Met. Police 0-2 Woking (12/07)
Woking 0-2 Portsmouth (15/07)
Cray Valley 1-3 Woking (19/07)
Woking 2-0 Tottenham U21 (26/07)
Fulham U21 3-2 Woking (29/07)
Woking 1-0 Bournemouth U21 (02/08)
With preparations concluding with a home victory versus Bournemouth U21, Woking will begin their Enterprise National League campaign hosting newcomers Carlisle United on Saturday, 9th August.
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When will Aldershot and Woking play each other?
Often both sets of supporters’ first search following the release of the National League fixture list, the Shots will host their rivals on Saturday, 22nd November, while Tommy Widdrington’s men will make the short trip to Kingfield on Saturday, 21st March.
The sides first met 17 years ago, drawn against each other in the fourth qualifying round of the 1998-99 FA Cup. A meeting at the Recreation Ground finished goalless, prompting a replay across county lines, where 3,896 watched a thrilling three-goal encounter. Gary Abbott opened the scoring for the Shots, before Darran Hay and Scott Steele earned the Cards their maiden bragging rights, and a place in the first round.
The Shots would have the early rub of the green in league clashes, however, winning four of their first six bouts between 2003 and 2006, with the other two ending in a draw.
The sides have since met on a further 30 occasions, making this the phoenix club’s most frequent fixture since formation. At present, if you are of a North Hampshire persuasion, the head-to-head record makes for great reading…
Games played: 38
Aldershot wins: 20
Woking wins: 10
Draws: 8
Aggregate score: 60-45
Record Shots victory: 4-0 (2016)
Record Woking victory: 4-1 (2023)
The sides last met in April, as Woking, still reeling from their FA Trophy semi-final loss earlier that month, sought revenge on the Shots. Dan Moss’ goal was sandwiched between a Tariq Hinds double, as the Cards finished 3-0 winners on the day. With only one point and one place separating them in last season’s National League, the rivalry is as hotly contested and unpredictable than ever, and with that in mind, as if you needed telling, these fixtures are not to be missed.
