Woking and Solihull Moors Serve Up End-of-Season Masterpiece in Goalless Glory
When both sides have little left to play for, you get exactly what you'd expect - a thrilling 0-0 draw that had all the intensity of a pre-season friendly between two teams who'd rather be on the beach.
Nothing quite says 'edge-of-your-seat entertainment' like a goalless draw in April between two mid-table sides with about as much motivation as a wet Tuesday in Woking. Which, coincidentally, is exactly where this particular non-spectacle unfolded at the Laithwaite Community Stadium.
Woking and Solihull Moors treated the assembled crowd to 90 minutes of what can generously be described as 'pre-season intensity' - a phrase that does exactly what it says on the tin. Both teams seemed perfectly content to go through the motions in the Enterprise National League, safe in the knowledge that come May, this result will matter about as much as last week's lottery numbers.
The closest either side came to troubling the scoreboard operators was when Aaron Drewe managed to craft something resembling a chance for Jamie Andrews, only for Laurie Walker to remember he was supposed to be keeping goal and duly saved the effort. It was the kind of moment that had supporters checking their phones to see if anything more interesting was happening elsewhere.
For Woking, there was theoretically something at stake - a victory would have secured a top-half finish, which sounds impressive until you remember we're talking about mid-table anonymity versus slightly higher mid-table anonymity. The kind of achievement that gets a brief mention in the programme notes and then forgotten by the time the summer signings are announced.
Solihull Moors, meanwhile, appeared perfectly happy to take their point and head back up the M40, job done and nobody injured. It's the kind of pragmatic approach that keeps teams in this division - not too good, not too bad, just pleasantly mediocre.
The match itself was apparently played with all the urgency of a Sunday morning kickabout between mates who've already agreed to call it quits at half-time for a pint. Both sides seemed to have collectively decided that April football is optional, and entertainment is somebody else's problem.
As the season limps towards its conclusion, this goalless stalemate serves as a perfect reminder that not every match can be a classic. Sometimes you get exactly what the fixture list suggests - two teams fulfilling their obligations while dreaming of their summer holidays.
Still, at least nobody got injured, the pitch got a workout, and both sets of supporters can say they were there. Whether they'll want to admit it years from now is another matter entirely.