WOKING secured back-to-back National League victories for the first time this season, exacting a cold measure of revenge on a Brackley Town side that had humiliated them in the FA Cup just weeks prior.
Goals from Olly Sanderson and a Josh Kelly penalty secured a routine 2-0 victory for Neal Ardley’s men, but the contest was effectively decided by a first-half red card for Zak Lilly that left the visitors chasing shadows for an hour.
The narrative coming into Saturday was dominated by the 6-2 score line from their previous meeting, but Woking wasted no time rewriting the script. After a fast start, the deadlock was broken in the 11th minute. Olly Sanderson, receiving the ball with his back to goal, produced a moment of sublime individual quality. He spun his marker with absolute ease, weaving into the box before rolling a precise finish into the bottom corner.
It was a goal that exposed the fragility of a Brackley side now in a slump of five consecutive defeats. Their afternoon went from bad to catastrophic shortly after.
As Timmy Akinola burst forward near the touchline, he was cynically scythed down by Zak Lilly. Referee Charles Breakspear wasted no time, judging Lilly to be the last man and releasing the red card. It was a decision that killed the game as a contest, forcing Brackley into a damage-limitation exercise before the half-time whistle even blew.
The visitors briefly thought they had found a lifeline immediately after the restart. The ball nestled in the Woking net following a corner, but celebrations were cut short by Breakspear’s whistle, spotting a foul on Aaron Drewe in the build-up. It was a reprieve for Woking, and the last time their dominance was truly threatened.
The result was put beyond doubt on the hour mark. Jamie Andrews’ delivery struck a Brackley arm just inside the box, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot. Josh Kelly stepped up, displaying ice-cold composure to roll the penalty down the middle as the keeper dived away.
Brackley almost responded instantly through Danny Newton, whose effort rattled the inside of the post—a devastating outcome for the visitors that summed up their fruitless afternoon. But it was a fleeting scare in an otherwise controlled performance.
For Woking, this was professional, disciplined, and crucially, a clean sheet. For Brackley, the freefall continues.
