With Norman Smith, selected for the holiday game, back to the army and Thomas off abroad, Tom Laker was deemed sufficiently recovered from the injury that had kept him on the sidelines all season and Alf Wallace was preferred to fill the final gap in the front line.

But first match of the New Year did not prove to be a good one for the Dons forwards. Stannard was closely marked by two players, Wallace was to eager and often got in the way, Green wandered out of position and Laker faded after a good start. Only Head played up to form, creating numerous openings for his colleagues only to see them dither on the ball when more first-time shooting would certainly have brought a crop of goals. The Woking defence were untiring throughout and took every opportunity afforded them by the forwards’ prevarication to clear in any direction to safety. Against a strong breeze Woking took the lead in the sixteenth minute, Boxall broke down the right and his cross afforded Wiles a shot which was charged down but Hewitt â€" playing his first senior game â€" met the rebound and fired home through a forest of legs. Eastaff twice saved well from Dons’ corners, but at half-time Woking held their lead.

The second half was not much better, and it wasn’t until the last ten minutes that Wimbledon put on an extra spurt that nearly levelled the scores. Three times the Cards keeper was beaten and three times the ball was cleared off the line, the best a header from Stannard over the advancing custodian hacked clear for a corner by a flying kick at full speed from Morris. However, it wasn’t to be Wimbledon’s day, and Woking almost got a second on the break, their outside leftâ€" another Wallace â€" got clear of the home backs, but shot straight at Haydock. Woking hung on grimly and their determination saw them progress to the second round.