Woking FC – or The Cardinals (The Cards) as they are nicknamed are arguably the best-known football club in Surrey and one with both a long history and a fair degree of success. They were officially formed in 1889 and joined the West Surrey League 1895-96. Woking lifted their first piece of silverware that year winning the league by a point and went on to become one of the early members of the then powerful Isthmian League.
They currently hold the record jointly for most FA Trophy wins with three, and in the 1990s twice finished runners up in tier five of the football pyramid. Sadly there was no automatic promotion in those days, but hey it was still mighty close to being a league club.
Woking has also lifted the FA Amateur Cup in the past and a number of lesser trophies including the Surrey Senior Cup on 13 occasions! Over the years they have built up a bit of a rivalry with Aldershot FC (in all their guises) so if you want to take in a game against them book a ticket especially if you want a seat. They will be meeting in the 2021-22 season so mark your diary!
Leeds & Nottingham Forest fans who love their trivia will be interested to know that Scotland International Frank Gray was manager for the 2007 -8 season. He played with some distinction for both clubs being part of both sides European Cup final squads.
Anyway given their long history we thought a short chronology was in order to highlight their memorable moments.
A Brief Woking FC Chronology
1889 Formed
1895 Joined the West Surrey League
1898 Played in the Surrey Senior Cup Final for the first time
1905 Lost 16-0 to the New Crusaders in the FA Cup.
1908 Played the then mighty Bolton Wanderers in The FA Cup 1st Round.
1911 Joined the Isthmian League
1913 Won the Surrey Senior Cup Final for the first time
1913 Recorded their best win to date 17-3 over Farnham
1926-7 First top five Isthmian League Finish
1956-7 Isthmian League Runners up
1958 Amateur Cup Winners
1982-3 First Ever Relegation
1990-91 Reached The FA Cup 4th Round
1991-2 Promoted to the Conference National League
1994 Won the FA Trophy for the first time
1994-95 Second place in the National League (tier 5) – their joint highest ever league placing. They also won the FA Trophy again.
1997 Lifted the FA Trophy for a record-equalling third time
2006 FA Trophy Beaten Finalists
2009-10 Reached The Conference South Playoff Final.
2011-12 Conference South Champions
2018-19 Conference South Playoff Winners
FA Cup Runs of Note
Woking first reached the second round of the FA Cup in the 1978-79 season. They saw off fellow non-league side Barnet 3-0 in a replay in round one and their reward was a trip to then Third Division high flyers Swansea City. They earned a credible 2-2 draw and then put on a battling display in the home replay going town 5-3 in extra time. The crowd officially 6,000 (but probably larger) was and remains a record. You can read a bit about the game here.
Round Four!
That was impressive, however, it was well eclipsed by the 1990-91 efforts which saw them breeze through to round three with wins over fellow non-league sides Kidderminster Harriers & Merthyr Tydfil. This threw up an early January trip to Division Two West Bromwich Albion. Against all the odds Woking played the game of the round and came away 4-2 winners!
They were drawn at Home to 1st Divison Everton in round Four, however, they elected to play the match at Goodison Park for financial reasons. They ended up losing 1-0 so who knows what might have happened had they elected to bring the Merseysiders down to Surrey. Whatever this plus another successful run to round three the following season marked the start of their climb into the higher tiers of the football pyramid so it was probably the right decision.
Woking is now no strangers to the FA Cup Proper and as recently as 2018-19 they were in the third round for the 5th time losing 2-0 at home to Premier League Watford.
So if you are in the area and like your football with a hint of grassroots then get down to the Laithwaite Community Stadium. The fans are generally welcoming and the football surprisingly good.
Woking FC List of Honours
League
Football Conference (5th tier)
Runners-up 1994–95, 1995–96
National League South
Champions 2011–12
Runners up 2018–19
Play-off winners: 2018–19
Isthmian League
Premier League Champions 1991–92
Runners-up 1956–57
Division Two South Champions 1986-87
Division One Runners Up (promoted) 1989-90
West Surrey League
Champions 1895-96
Cup Competitions
FA Trophy
Winners 1993–94, 1994–95, 1996–97
Runners-up 2005–06
Conference League Cup
Winners 2004–05
Runners-up 1997–98
FA Amateur Cup
Winners 1957–58
Isthmian League Cup
Winners 1991
Isthmian Charity Shield
Winners 1992, 1993
London Senior Cup
Runners-up 1983
Surrey Senior Cup
Winners: 1912–13, 1926–27, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1971–72, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1999–00, 2003–04, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2016–17 (Thirteen Times)
Runners up: 1897–98, 1907–08, 1909–10, 1910–11, 1927–28, 1934–35, 1945–46, 1958–59, 1970–71, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2008–09
Other records
Highest league position:
2nd in Conference National (tier 5): 1994–95 & 1995–96
Best FA Cup Run:
Round Four: 1990–91
Record attendance 6,000 Twice both in FA Cup Games
vs Swansea City, FA Cup, 19 December 1978;
vs Coventry City, FA Cup, 4 February 1997
Club Details
The information below will come in useful if you are planning to take in a game or just want to keep abreast of their performances.
Address
Woking FC
The Laithwaite Community Stadium
Kingfield
Woking
Surrey
GU22 9AA
Telephone 01483 772470
Woking FC On Social Media
So there you have it our quick guide to the club. If you want to see who else plays in the area check out our other local club pages here. Or for more information on the town itself, why not have a look at our Woking town guide.
