Woking 1 Rushden & Diamonds 4

Match Report Courtesy of Sports.Com

Rushden continued their dominance at the Conference summit with a resounding win at basement club Woking.

Brian Talbot’s men, unbeaten this season, started in determined style and Andrew Burgess went close to scoring with a neat flick from John Brady’s cross early on.

But it didn’t take long for the visitors to take the lead. Just nine minutes had elapsed when Shaun Carey’s neat ball forward found Duane Darby in the box.

The striker turned superbly past Scott Smith before planting a firm right foot shot across keeper Mark Ormerod and into the far corner.

Moments earlier Justin Jackson had almost repaid another slice of his huge transfer fee but he could only hit the post with a free header from Brady’s excellent deep cross from wide on the right.

After 15 minutes Woking should have equalised after a short period of sustained pressure. Jamie Pitman’s tenacity won him the ball out on the right, he set up Steve Perkins for the cross and when Mark Watson headed back across goal Steve West should have done better than head wide from three yards.

The visitors should have been two up soon after when Burgess shot tamely past the upright after Jackson had put him clear following some neat footwork.

As Diamonds kept the pressure they hit the woodwork for the second time. Another deep cross, this time from Tarkan Mustafa, found Darby completely alone in the box and his expertly directed header was brilliantly turned on to the post by Ormerod.

Unfortunately for the former Brighton keeper his error led to Rushden’s second on 34 minutes. Jackson’s forceful run down the right saw him put in a low cross to the near post.

Ormerod spilled it and Brady rammed home his shot to make it 2-0.

Watson’s overhead kick flew narrowly over on the stroke of half-time, but it was Diamonds who went into the break deservedly in front.

After just two minutes of the restart Woking’s misery continued when Diamonds increased their lead. Jim Rodwell’s cross from the left found Darby unmarked again and this time he made no mistake, heading past Ormerod for his second.

As the Cardinals created a rare moment of danger, Jackson curled just wide after 73 minutes, but Woking did get on the scoresheet at last when West headed home Pitman’s cross to reduce the deficit.

Scott Steele brought a wonderful save from Billy Turley in the 82nd minute, but it was Rushden who sealed the result with a late Jackson penalty to make it 4-1