Preview : All you need to know ahead of Wealdstone trip to Dorking
THE DETAILS
Dorking Wanderers vs Wealdstone
Vanarama National League
Meadowbank
3pm kick off, Saturday 22nd October
TICKETS
Tickets can be bought either in advance online or on the gate, with prices at £16 for adults, £13 for concessions, £8 for under-18s and £4 for under-8s. The match will be segregated.
THE CONTEXT
Wealdstone travel to the Surrey Hills to take on a rather unpredictable Dorking Wanderers side. The Stones are on a disappointing run of one win in their last nine games, including last week’s FA Cup exit at Boreham Wood. They will be looking to Olufela Olomola and Simeon Akinola to fill the boots of Rhys Browne, who was sold to Woking last week.
The Dorking story is well documented, and Wanderers manager/owner Marc White has overseen a remarkable rise from the Sussex leagues to the highest step of non-league football in just 23 years. Wanderers are enjoying their first season at this level, currently sitting in a respectable 15th place.
They have scored 24 goals and conceded 30 in 13 games so far, meaning the average Wanderers game has four goals per game so far this season! Immense wins against Notts County and a 5-1 thrashing of big-spending Dagenham and Redbridge have been followed by a disappointing 4-1 loss at Altrincham, and a 3-1 home loss to Eastleigh in the FA Cup.
ONE TO WATCH
James McShane has stepped up admirably following the devastating loss of last season’s top scorer Alfie Rutherford to an ACL injury. The makeshift striker has 10 goals in 13 games, which included a memorable hat trick against top of the table Notts County. Wanderers are also missing star man Matt Briggs, with the winger still recovering from his own ACL injury suffered last season.
DID YOU KNOW?
Dorking is famous for its breed of chicken. The Dorking chicken is among the oldest breeds of British chicken and is celebrated on the badge of the Dorking Wanderers logo, as well as an infamous sculpture as you enter the town.
FORM GUIDE
Wealdstone:
Boreham Wood (A) 5-3 L (Olomola 2, Akinola)
Boreham Wood (H) 1-2 L (Akinola)
Solihull Moors (A) 2-1 L (Olomola)
Aldershot Town (A) 1-2 W (Browne 2)
Southend United (H) 0-1 L
Dorking Wanderers:
Eastleigh (H) 1-3 L (Gallagher)
Altrincham (A) 4-1 L (Gallagher)
Yeovil Town (H) 1-1 D (Muitt)
Dagenham & Redbridge (H) 5-1 W (McShane 2, Bowerman, Mekki, Seager)
Scunthorpe United (A) 3-2 L (Seager, McManus)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Played – 3
Won – 2
Drawn – 1
Lost - 0
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
Aug 2021 – Dorking Wanderers 1-2 Stones - (Browne 2)
Feb 2020 – Stones 3-1 Dorking Wanderers - (Emmanuel, Lewis 2)
Nov 2019 – Dorking Wanderers 2-2 Stones - (Noel-Williams 2)