In the latest instalment of one of the closest title races in Europe, the Rebels ground out a well earned point at fellow challengers Eastbourne Borough on Good Friday despite playing for nearly 70 minutes with ten men following the dismissal of Aarran Racine for an alleged elbow on George Alexander.

That point proved all the more valuable when news of Truro City’s 1-0 defeat at home to Torquay United meant Chris Agutter’s side would head into the final two matches of the season at the summit.

Wanderers were afforded a pretty stress-free afternoon as they raced into a 3-0 lead inside 7 minutes at home to Hampton & Richmond, courtesy of an incredible hat-trick by Charlie Carter – eventually winning 4-2.

That set of results left the top five separated by just two points but it’s the Reds with their destiny in their own hands, wins over Dorking and Enfield Town will clinch the title and with it promotion to the National League.

The opposition

Wanderers rise during their relatively short history is well documented, making it all the way to the National League before suffering the first relegation in their history last season.

They started the campaign relatively slowly after suffering injuries to some key players but a good run of form either side of the turn of the year saw them hit the summit for the first time in early February.

Manager

Marc White continues to serve a touchline ban so will be absent from the dugout this afternoon.

A remarkable figure in non-league, White has owned and managed the Wanderers since forming the club with friends in 1999.

Key player

Captain Charlie Carter has been in fine form this season, the 28-year-old midfielder in his first full season with Wanderers having joined from Eastleigh in October 2023 has hit 14 goals in the league.

The Reds back-line will also have to keep a close eye on the front two. The vastly experienced Jason Prior and Alfie Rutherford – both former Bognor Regis Town players – have 13 and 19 goals respectively.

Goalkeeper Harrison Foulkes has played every minute in the league this season.

Form

Dorking recently came through a tough run of fixtures with promotion rivals Torquay United, Boreham Wood and Eastbourne Borough – winning two out of the three – with the reverse to Torquay being their only defeat in their last ten matches.

They have the best away record of everyone in National League South this season, losing just four of their 22 matches on the road and picking up an impressive 42 points in the process.

Last 6

Sat 15 Mar – Torquay United (H) – Lost 1-0
Sat 22 Mar – Boreham Wood (A) – Won 1-0
Sat 29 Mar – Eastbourne Borough (H) – Won 3-1
Sat 5 Apr – St Albans City (A) – Drew 1-1
Sat 12 Apr – Bath City (A) – Drew 2-2
Fri 18 Apr – Hampton & Richmond (H) – Won 4-2

Previous Meetings

The Reds won the reverse fixture at Meadowbank on Boxing Day, 2-1 courtesy of goals from Glen Rea and Nicky Wheeler. Wanderers were reduced to ten men in first half stoppage time when Matt Briggs shoved former teammate Kane Wills into the perimeter fencing.

The two teams have not met at Woodside Road since November 2021 when Dorking came out on top in an FA Trophy tie against their then lower-division opponents.

Of the 10 meetings overall Wanderers hold the edge with 6 wins to Worthing’s 3.

Team News

Manager Chris Agutter will have the same squad to choose from as Friday’s draw with Eastbourne Borough but after battling for so long with a man disadvantage, coupled with the quick turnaround, it remains to be seen whether the Reds boss will feel the need to rotate at all.

Aarran Racine is available despite seeing red at the Reach TV Stadium, he will start his three match ban next weekend, as will fellow defender Sam Beard who picked up his 15th yellow card of the season on Friday.

Tickets

A reminder that this match is all-ticket and sold out.

Match Sponsor

Today’s match sees the return of our friends from friends Tippelaget! A group of six supporters from Norway who came over and sponsored the final home match (regular season) of last season, a 4-2 win over Weston-super-mare.

Thank you once again to them for their support, please make them feel welcome if you see them around the ground today.

Thanks also to AJW Group who are sponsors of the 1886 Lounge today.

How to follow

If you weren’t lucky enough to get a ticket, the match is available to stream live on National League TV via DAZN. Alternatively you can listen live to the club’s official match commentary service on Mixlr, or follow updates via the our X/Twitter account.