While this Friday night friendly fixture was about 50 miles from home, I thought the opportunity to visit the home of National League Woking FC and see this friendly fixture, was too good to miss.

Woking’s Kingfield stadium holds 6000, with 2500 being able to be seated. Entrance for this friendly was just £5. The ground imposed on its locality with its arches protruding from the Main stand behind the goal. I parked on a local side road and walked through the showers of fireworks tonight to the side entrance.

Coming into the ground was like entering a maze with toilets, a club shop, fan zone and food stands leading into narrow passageways allowing fans to access different stands. I watched the ground from the open standing terrace in what was labelled as “Moaner’s corner”. There was a decent crowd of 437 tonight.

Woking FC sit in mid-table 11th position in the National League and are managed by Alan Dowson who led the side out of the National League South back in 2018, also taking them to a celebrated FA Cup 3rd round tie against Premier League Watford.

Brentford have had a fabulous start to their first Premier League season and sent their B team down for this competitive friendly.

The game was fluid and open with both sides demonstrating good early touches and accurate passing. It took until the 29th minute for the deadlock to be broken, when Jamar Loza followed up on a shot by Tarryn Allarakhia, which the Brentford keeper, Shepherd, had parried, to send Woking into a 1-0 lead.

Just three minutes later (32 minutes) Loza broke free again and lifted the ball over the keeper for his and Woking’s second, making it 2-0 on the night.

The lead was sustained until half time, despite a late chance for Brentford, from a free kick on the edge of the box, which was hit narrowly over.

After the break Woking made it 3-0 early on in the 47th minute, when one of the triallists finished, with a fine header at the far post, from a Maguire-Drew cross.

In the 85th minute Brentford pulled a goal back through Tristan Crama to make it 3-1. Brentford had grown in confidence throughout the second half and went close to making it 3-2 two minutes later when a shot went narrowly wide.

At the final whistle the score remained 3-1 to the National league side. This friendly had drawn a sizeable crowd and was good value for money, with a free fireworks show all around the stadium for constant entertainment!!