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Introduced during the 2005/6 season, the reasons behind celebrating this particular focal point in the calendar were certainly not new. It had been the case that, up to and including the 2004/5 season, Stevenage had finished above fierce rivals Woking for seven successive seasons without much challenge. For nine out of the ten seasons since 1996, the dominance seemed to be set in stone. And this fantastic statistic was not receiving the attention and appreciation it undoubtedly deserves. So, the 2005/6 season heralded the first celebration of St Woking Day.
St Woking was an unfortunate soul who lived during the time when Altrincham were one of the best non-league teams in the country, and when the little clubs were forced to scrap around for the most meagre of resources by the Football League overlords. His struggle came to represent the toils of the Woking clan – at that point, there had been no association. But the band of inept warriors led by Geoffrard de Chappelle adopted St Woking as their patron saint after the game was up and Woking FC realised they would never be Football League.
Woking We will all know when St Woking Day is upon us; it is the point during the season whereby the Surrey club are again mathematically incapable of surpassing Stevenage in the league table. Even the law of averages didn't question the superiority of the side from Hertfordshire, despite what we now know to be Woking's pretty flawed efforts to tip the balance of power as the 21st century took shape. Two points was the gap between the sides in 2003/4 - in 2010/1, that gap was two divisions. LOL as da kidz may say respeck.
Unprecedented in the history of St Woking Day, the 2008/9 season was a watershed moment in the relations between Stevenage, Woking and the bumbling St Woking of the Ryman. Boro' took their eyes off the ball in the pursuit of promotion and let Woking slip out of the division. The date of that St Woking Day was 21 March. The Hertfordshire side weren't even in action on the day it occurred. Failure to get anything from Kidderminster saw the Cards condemned to another season below Boro'; the previous season, it was Boro's against Kiddy that did the job. Funny ol' game.
Needless to say, St Woking Day is a grand day for all concerned - festivities often go long into the afternoon. But now what happens? With Woking fumbling around somewhere in the non-league abyss and Boro' in the Football League, we're at a loss as to what to do. Maybe we'll chart the history of St Wilder of Oxford to see if there's any banter in that. But for now, 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.
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St Woking Day
A footprint in history
21 March 2009 -
14 March 2008 -
14 April 2007 -
14 April 2006 -
23 April 2005 -
24 April 2004 -
21 April 2003 -
23 April 2002 -
25 April 2001 -
29 April 2000 -
1 May 1999 -
We'll skip 1998 -
14 April 1997 -
27 April 1996 -
We Will Remember
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