Hartlepool United return to Victoria Park on Saturday, looking to produce an immediate response when they face Woking in the Enterprise National League.
Pools opened the campaign with successive victories and clean sheets against Barrow and Aldershot Town but have since suffered three narrow defeats against Sutton United, Eastleigh and FC Halifax Town.
Woking have collected four points from their opening five fixtures. The Cards recorded their first victory against AFC Fylde before following defeat at Hornchurch with a 1-1 draw against Southend United on Monday.
Pools begin the weekend with six points, while Woking sit 20th ahead of the 3pm kick-off.
Pools Return Home
Lee Clark’s side made an encouraging start to the season with an assured 2-0 victory over Barrow.
Will Harris opened the scoring with an excellent half-volley before Jack Nolan marked his competitive debut by finding the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.
A different test followed at Aldershot, where Pools remained patient and disciplined before substitute Corey McKeown scored the only goal of the game ten minutes after his introduction.
Those performances demonstrated the different qualities within Clark’s rebuilt squad. Pools played with aggression and attacking intent against Barrow before showing the resilience required to protect a narrow lead at the EBB Stadium.
The standards established during those opening victories were not maintained at Sutton. First-half goals from Temi Babalola and Emmanuel Osadebe put the hosts in control before McKeown reduced the deficit with his second goal in successive games.
Pools produced a much-improved display against Eastleigh despite playing virtually the entire second half with ten men following Neo Eccleston’s dismissal. Clark’s side continued to pursue a winning goal, only for Nelson Khumbeni to strike deep into added time.
Another closely contested game followed at The Shay on Tuesday. Pools reached the interval level but were unable to respond after Halifax broke the deadlock during the second half.
The margins have been narrow, but three successive defeats have presented Clark’s players with their first difficult period of the campaign. Saturday provides an opportunity to rediscover the intensity, togetherness and quality which underpinned their opening two victories.
The Opposition
Woking finished 10th in the National League last season, collecting 65 points from their 46 fixtures.
Former England international Jermain Defoe was appointed First Team Manager in March and oversaw the final six games of the campaign.
Defoe was expected to lead the Cards into the new season but left by mutual consent in July, shortly before their opening fixture. Player-coach Craig Ross and Jake Hyde were subsequently placed in interim charge.
Woking endured a difficult beginning to the campaign, losing 3-0 at home to Sutton United before suffering a 2-0 defeat at Gateshead.
Their first points arrived in dramatic circumstances against AFC Fylde at the Laithwaite Community Stadium.
Danny Ormerod gave Fylde a first-half lead before Matt Ward capitalised on a defensive mistake to bring Woking level. Harvey Broad quickly restored the visitors’ advantage, but Roy Syla equalised in the 90th minute before substitute Taylan Harris completed the turnaround during added time.
A 1-0 defeat at newly promoted Hornchurch followed before Woking returned home to face Southend United on Bank Holiday Monday.
Harry Cardwell’s penalty gave Southend the lead before the interval, but half-time substitute Aiden O’Brien equalised in the 61st minute to earn the Cards a 1-1 draw.
Woking have therefore collected four points from their last three fixtures after opening the season with consecutive defeats.
Woking’s Threat
Woking have primarily operated with a back three during the opening weeks of the season, using their wing-backs to provide width while retaining numbers through central areas.
Ross and Hyde started with a 3-5-2 against Southend, with Zico Asare and Anthony Georgiou operating on the flanks and Ward supporting Liam Dulson in attack.
Ward is a mobile and technically capable forward who can play centrally or from a wider position. His anticipation allowed him to punish a defensive error against Fylde, while O’Brien provides experience and versatility across the forward line.
The Cards strengthened their attacking options this week with the signing of experienced centre-forward John Marquis.
The 34-year-old has scored more than 100 EFL goals during spells with Millwall, Doncaster Rovers, Portsmouth, Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury Town. He scored 26 league goals as Doncaster secured promotion from League Two in 2016/17.
Marquis offers a physical focal point and proven penalty-area presence, while Jake Forster-Caskey brings further Football League experience in midfield. Syla and Steven Turner provide energy through central areas, with Chinwike Okoli and Shadrach Ogie offering physical presence in defence.
There should be opportunities for Pools at the other end. Woking have conceded nine goals and are yet to keep a league clean sheet this season. They have also lost both away fixtures without scoring.
Pools will look to test that defence through the intensity of their press, quick movement into the channels and greater precision in the final third.
Recent Meetings
The two sides exchanged convincing home victories last season.
Pools secured a 3-0 win at Victoria Park in August 2025 through goals from Jermaine Francis, Cameron John and Alex Reid.
Francis opened the scoring with a back-post header before John converted from close range following another set-piece delivery. Reid added the third shortly after half-time, latching on to Matty Daly’s pass before rounding Ross and finishing into the empty net.
Woking responded with a 4-0 victory in the return fixture at the Laithwaite Community Stadium in January.
Oliver Sanderson headed the Cards in front before Okoli doubled their advantage from close range. Pools were reduced to ten men shortly before half-time following John’s dismissal, with Harry Beautyman and substitute Ashley Boatswain adding further goals during the second period.
Saturday will be the seventh meeting between the clubs since Pools returned to the National League in 2023.
The View from Lee Clark
“We’re very determined to put things right. Three losses on the bounce is not what we envisaged.
“Everybody is hurting and disappointed, but there is a real determination to get back to winning ways against Woking. We have to show that we are a good squad and bounce back from these three disappointing results.
“We have total belief in the players because of what they showed throughout pre-season, in the opening two games and against Eastleigh. It is about finding the opening goal when we are in the ascendancy and then kicking on from there.
“It is a tough period, but when you face difficult moments in football, you have to puff your chest out and be ready for the next challenge. Saturday gives us another opportunity to get back on track.”
Woking Fact File
Full name: Woking Football Club
Nickname: The Cards
Founded: 1889
Ground: Laithwaite Community Stadium
Interim management: Craig Ross and Jake Hyde
Director of Football: Jody Brown
2025/26 league finish: 10th
Current position: 20th
League record: Played five, won one, drawn one, lost three
Goals scored: Four
Goals conceded: Nine
Last league result: Woking 1-1 Southend United
The Interim Management Team
Ross and Hyde were placed in interim charge following Defoe’s departure shortly before the beginning of the campaign.
Ross is combining coaching responsibilities with his role as a goalkeeper. The 36-year-old has made more than 200 appearances for Woking across two spells and signed a new two-year contract in May.
He had previously formed part of an interim management team following Neal Ardley’s departure last season, helping the Cards climb into the top half before Defoe’s appointment.
Hyde joined Woking as a player in 2022 following spells with York City, Halifax, Barnet and Wrexham. He has since moved into the club’s coaching structure and works alongside Ross and Director of Football Brown.
One to Watch: Aiden O’Brien
O’Brien scored his first league goal of the season to secure a point against Southend on Monday.
Introduced at half-time with Woking trailing, the experienced attacker found the net in the 61st minute to complete an improved second-half performance from the Cards.
The 32-year-old made more than 200 appearances for Millwall after progressing through the club’s academy and later represented Sunderland, Portsmouth and Shrewsbury Town.
He can lead the line or operate behind another striker, with his movement, experience and ability to find space inside the penalty area making him an important part of Woking’s attack.
Did You Know?
Woking won the FA Trophy three times during the most successful period in the club’s history, lifting the competition in 1994, 1995 and 1997.
The Cards also produced one of the FA Cup’s most famous giant-killings in January 1991 when Tim Buzaglo scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 third-round victory over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.
