BoroGuide : St. Woking Day :

Introduced during the 2005/6 season, the reasons behind celebrating this particular focal point in the calendar was certainly not a new thing. It had been the case that up to and including the 2004/5 season, Stevenage Borough had finished above fierce rivals Woking for seven successive seasons without much in the way of a challenge, and for nine out of the ten seasons since 1996! This fantastic statistic was simply not receiving the attention and appreciation that it undoubtedly deserves, so the 2005/6 season heralded the first in which St. Woking Day was celebrated.

We will all know when St. Woking Day is upon us, for it is the point during the season whereby the Surrey club are again mathematically incapable of surpassing Stevenage Borough in the league table as has been so often the case in recent years. One hopes that the trend will not let up in forthcoming seasons just for the sake of satisfying the law of averages. The Cards had been edging closer to Boro' in recent years - finishing just two points below Boro' in the 2003/4 season - before resorting to type in 2007. It is essentially the equivalent of Boro' dangling a fiver on the end of some string and then yanking it away just as Woking bend down to pick it up, ripping their trousers in the process.

With the power of hindsight, we can reveal (or should that be revel) that the most recent St. Woking Day was the earliest on record. A combination of Boro's 2-1 win over Kidderminster Harriers and Woking's inability to defeat Cambridge United on 15 March 2008 put the Hertfordshire club so far ahead of their Surrey rivals so early in the season that Kingfield was but a hazy blur on some dark horizon. The 2007 St. Woking Day, just like 2006, had been the earliest of its kind since 1997, on 14 April both years. It is all the more satisfying finishing above Woking when it is guaranteed as early as possible.

Whilst every St. Woking Day is a grand day for all concerned, there are of course situations whereby the day could be made even sweeter. For example, if St. Woking Day coincided with the day Boro' wrapped up the title (just like 1996 eh?), or the day Woking were condemned to relegation. So here's to St. Woking Day 2009 and once it rolls around, we shall all raise our glasses to St. Woking in jubilation. Measure of port for the lads, and a dry white wine for ladies. And for that mes amis, I thank you.