While the 2026/27 National League campaign got underway yesterday, it really didn’t seem quite right to kick off a new season, and not just because we’re in the midst of a summer heatwave and still hungover after the 2026 World Cup finals.

Come five o’clock the Cards, looking to right the ship after a headline-grabbing close season, were bottom of the pile after slipping to a 3-0 home defeat to county rivals Sutton United. But that wasn’t the main issue for me. It was the fact that former Woking FC press officer, loyal Cards supporter and committed club volunteer John Moore was no longer among the press benches at Kingfield.

Geography and circumstances ruled out a trek from West Cornwall for this Cardinals fan (joining an A30 full of cranky holidaymakers making their way back upcountry after a short break? I don’t think so), but as is so often the case I tuned into the action via BBC Radio Surrey on the internet, club chaplain Ian Nicholson summarising for Tom Mitchell on this occasion, both keen to convey their own tributes to John, a regular summariser on the airwaves down the years, the 66-year-old having passed away a few weeks ago after a short illness.

In fact, their brief eulogy of sorts came during a first half hydration break which was clearly a good idea in the circumstances – Surrey one of 19 counties recording less than 1mm of rainfall across July, and the drought continuing to cause consternation – but also conjuring up worrying echoes of that controversy-laden World Cup, not least regarding the amount of times that unpopular break led to changes of fortune on the pitch.

As it was, Ian stirred up the emotions for the listeners with an understated but heartfelt tribute to a friend and colleague, a man he labelled ‘never short of opinions but also incredibly kind and caring,’ going on to convey that it was ‘a huge, huge loss, very much unexpected.’ Tom then voiced his own thoughts, paying respects to a fella he often shared the airwaves with… only for the game to restart at breakneck speed in that 27^th minute and for the Cards to be undone by a long throw and some abject defending.

It was moving yet seemed totally ironic, this listener with a wry smile, imagining John downplaying those tributes with a modestly dismissive but authoritative, ‘You’re too kind, but enough of that, let’s get back to the football…’ just before that opening goal went in.

My old mate Simon Bell, a one-time Cards regular and part of my Wubble Yoo fanzine team (taking over from issue six when I headed up to Lancashire), was known back in the day to bellow out ‘Concentrate!’ as we celebrated Woking goals, convinced – often with good reason – we would concede straight away and all the good work would be undone. And on this occasion, I felt the presence of Moorsie doing the same, fuming at a switch-off that saw us behind.

As it was, there had been less appearances at the mic in more recent seasons, a dodgy back complaint initially doing for our John for longer trips, our man more likely heard at home games instead. But he certainly put in the miles down the years, and many a time we’d chat on the terraces or by the press areas of various grounds, not least when I was Lancs-based and we were both reporting, as well as our regular catchups online or over the phone.

In that period he travelled here, there and everywhere for the cause, including lots of car shares with old pal, club photographer and fellow press officer David Holmes, often breaking the ice with hair-raising stories about their journeys to some or other non-league (usually northern in my case) outpost. As for the many matches I missed, it was always part of the build-up to hear Moorsie’s introductory ‘Good afternoon, everyone!’ not least as it meant I’d successfully found the right link and he was coming in loud and clear.

It’s fair to say John’s co-commentary often left an impression on Cards and opposition fans tuning in, with many a complaint of blatant bias, John always happy to tell it how it was and rarely mincing his words, quick to berate officials and Woking’s opponents alike on the airwaves. And yet he was never reticent to criticise our performances too. 

In my football reporting days I took it as a badge of honour that of two Lancashire clubs I chiefly reported on both felt I must be a fan of the other as I dared criticise them if I felt something needed documenting, never one to take a party line on various incidents and allegations, leading to occasional tension with management, players and fans. And while we were very different in our approaches, John saw it a similar way and went even further in his own verbal analysis many a time. For while he was unashamedly Woking through and through and no one doubted that, he was quick to slam aspects of our game. No one got an easy ride.

Making his international debut the year after our FA Amateur Cup triumph (three days after his arrival, on Boxing Day 1959, the Cards thrashed second-place Kingstonian 6-1 at Kingfield in the Isthmian League, John Hebdon and younger prospect George Harris – that season’s top scorer – both scoring twice, with skipper Charlie Mortimore and young Vic ‘Nobby’ Reynolds also on the scoresheet, that quartet bagging more than 50 goals between them that season), he played a bit himself back in the day, and I get the impression he was a non-nonsense character on the field too, demonstrating the trademark passion we’d hear pitchside later on. By all accounts, he played like he reported on the radio, heart on his sleeve. I recall him telling me about a 1984 cup final he featured in with Weysiders FC, the amateur Guildford side for whom future FA Cup hero Tim Buzaglo first starred, playing their home games on Shalford Park, barely a mile from my childhood home.

Weysiders were at their peak in the 1983/84 season, clinching two league titles and three cup wins, the following season adding Surrey Intermediate League top-flight honours, John among the players involved and pictured in a team shot on the club’s website with the previous season’s silverware in August 1984, Tim and brother Richard Buzaglo absent while playing cricket. John told me a few years back, talking about their cup win, ‘I actually played up top that day to partner Buzaglo. Still got the medal somewhere. Three Woking players played for Weysiders – Tim and Richard Buzaglo and Justin Horner, who was the most talented of them all. He played for Sutton when they put Coventry out of the FA Cup, and I was there!’

Apparently, one of his partners in defence around then was future Woking and Aldershot chairman Shahid Azeem. Small world, eh.

While remembered for some of his more withering comments on the radio, I should add that where praise was deserved he was quick to dish that out too. However, sometimes even those carried a barb, as I was reminded on looking back through some notes, finding details of a trademark exchange with BBC Surrey’s Mark Francis during a home clash with Wrexham from October 2019, one I felt the need to write down that day, having almost spat my afternoon cuppa out.

JM (summarising): “I have to say, so far the referee’s done very well.”

MF (commentating, a tad shocked at John’s conciliatory tone): “He hasn’t really had a lot to do.”

JM: “Well, he hasn’t, but that doesn’t stop a lot of referees from interfering and messing up the game.”

While I enjoyed his commentaries with Mark Francis and more recently Tom Mitchell, it was earlier ones with Gavin Dennison, Adrian Harms (of whom I recall John telling me he went to Godalming Grammar school with), Jon Howick and Gary Smith that truly resonated with me, and he was certainly always very nurturing of Jon H’s radio career in that era of The Two Jonnies on the mic, their rather natural joshing banter a joy to listen to for those of us who couldn’t get to a match.

I posted something in October 2014 about The Two Jonnies attending a match at Concord Rangers where one or other of them picked up the wrong specs, in true Barker and Corbett style. I wish I could remember the details, but it was one of many lovely moments, their chemistry something to behold.

I suggested a little protection on John’s part with regards to Jon Howick’s fledgling broadcasting career, and vaguely recall a more brazen minder’s role at times. He was something of a unit after all. A rather tasty encounter with Billericay in December 2018 springs to mind, as does a particularly feisty encounter in West Yorkshire against Halifax Town we both attended, John confessing the next day, ‘I was quite animated at half time. Surprised you didn’t see me confronting the stewards to bollock them for allowing some of their fans to stand by our dugout and hurl abuse at Garry Hill.’

He was kinda loyal like that. And as for those charges of favouritism for his club, as he put it to me in August 2015, ‘Everyone knows I’m just a fan and very biased. A Bromley fan took exception when I took great delight in two of their players being subbed because of injuries.’ He concluded, ‘If they don’t like it, then switch it off or tune into your local BBC station.’

I only got wind of the sad news of John’s departure a week or so ago, and now wonder if I should have put two and two together, our last online conversation right at the back end of last year. However, we were always busy with our own lives, and my move to Cornwall has given me fewer opportunities to return to Kingfield.

As it was, our last swap of messages in December 2025 was fairly apt, reminiscing about that glorious FA Cup run of 1990/91, the one I missed… despite having caught our 2-1 fourth qualifying round home win over higher-placed Bath City in late October before buggering off for a year of backpacking world travels, having to make do with hearing from 10,000 plus miles away about our heroics at The Hawthorns and Goodison Park.

It was on the latter match that we were chatting, our excuse a story I relayed of a fellow Cards fan’s chance encounter with a good mate of Kevin Sheedy, leading to a message from the man himself (a classic tale that deserves its own retelling at some point), the Eire international who broke Cards’ hearts on that fateful day in Merseyside in late January 1991.

In short, we stoked up memories of (count them) 35 years ago, like old codgers, John remarking how in those days, ‘you could get to Liverpool in under three hours.’ He told me, ‘I was there. Drove up the M40, which had just opened, and no one seemed to know about it. And the minute we parked up outside the Liver Building, ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ started playing on the radio.’ That serendipitous moment relived, he added in classic Moore-ish style, ‘When we parked near Goodison, a scally asked me for money to look after the car.’

Of course, it was never just about glory games with John, and off the top of my head I remember a long chat we had before an embarrassing 4-0 FA Trophy defeat at lower-league North Ferriby United in dismal light and conditions, very few of us away fans turning up for that pre-Christmas 2013 tie on Humberside. Another that lives in the memory bank was Hyde away, something we both wish we could have done come full time, an amazing league game (I still maintain we didn’t play that badly, but just happened to ship seven goals and draw a blank!) also remembered this week by Jon Howick via Messenger while holidaying in the US, making his way to Philadelphia.

Jon, these days with TalkSport, said, ‘Moorsie was such a character and a lovely bloke, very supportive, witty and fiercely loyal. I owe a lot to him while I was cutting my teeth in local radio comms. I only met his family on a handful of occasions when we’d meet up for drives to long away games, but he seemed like a lovely family man.’

Scanning his own grey matter, he added, ‘I’ve certainly got a few memories. Top of my head our train journey to Gateshead and sharing a minibus with the team to the ground. John’s chair breaking and him blaming it on me… the awfulness of the 7-0 loss at Hyde (Woking won 7-0 the week before), and winning the Conference South title at Maidenhead – Moorsie got me into the dressing room and helped with my broadcasting equipment, neither of us realising we had lost our signal ages ago!

‘He also got attacked by a wasp live on air at Weymouth. I believe he had killed it before full time. He really hated Weymouth, and I think that capped off his day!’

Speak to his former ‘oppo’ David Holmes and ex-Woking News & Mail reporter and Cards striker Clive Youlton (John told me once, ‘I also used to play football against Clive Y, and did my best to kick him!’ which I put down to healthy respect, Moorsie style) and they’ll have a wealth of stories to tell, as will legendary Surrey Advertiser reporter Chris Dyke, whose words were pure gold for me for many years while watching the club’s fortunes from afar (my folks sending Surrey Ad reports when I moved north).

In fact, Chris reminded me of a regular occurrence, one I heard many a time via the joys of BBC Surrey’s internet coverage. He said, ‘When John was co-comm at Kingfield I was always sat next to him. Just as the second half kicked off there was always a formidable clatter of glass bottles being emptied into a wheelie bin adjacent to our position in the press box at the front of the stand. At which point John would declare with relish to his listeners: “Sounds like Chris Dyke’s been in the bar at half time again!” We always had a laugh at that.’

As for the many Woking managers he saw come and go, there was clearly much love for ‘Geoff’s golden era’, as he put it, but he also had a lot of time for Garry Hill, telling me in September 2012, with clues to his own modus operandi, ‘He’s a breath of fresh air and never tries to hide or make excuses.’ That could have been us talking about John.

With that passion came a few blasts, and I recall a fully-blown row with the voice on the end of the line at BBC Surrey after a game at Macclesfield around 2013, although a few days later he was quick to tell me how much he admired Tim Durrans, the other party on that occasion, his description of him as a ‘hard-nosed journalist’ respect for his professional approach in John’s mind. And let’s face it, the coverage and support non-league Woking receive from local radio is always to be admired.

He loved a good moan of course, be that about referees, South West Trains, Weymouth FC… you name it. And woe betide any commentator who ill-advisedly let slip the latest scores from the Premier League, potentially spoiling his evening in front of Match of the Day.

You could certainly never deny Moorsie gave his all for the cause, and after that September 2013 debacle at Ewen Fields, Hyde, he told me, ‘I got in at 4am and I’m on a course today so hopefully I won’t nod off. Feel shattered.’ I’d love to know if he did doze off at work that day.

And while I make much of the occasional rants, there was so much laughter and gentle piss-taking, including his memorable description of old Cards foe Steve King’s ‘rather fetching, natty riding attire’ during an encounter at the Moss Rose Ground, where he was managing Macclesfield Town, delighting in telling me he ‘looked like he was off for a riding lesson afterwards at the local pony club.’ Again, I’m thinking there was a deep-seated if reluctant respect for what his target had achieved in non-league.  

We ribbed him about his more maudlin pronouncements on air, but he was quick to concede we might have a point. As recently as mid-December 2024, swapping notes with my sister Jackie, a Cards season ticket holder, about an FA Trophy third round clash with Havant & Waterlooville neither of us could attend – listening in from Cornwall and Hampshire respectively – we agreed that John was ‘on one’, going on to trade ’John-isms’ as we listened in, filling in imaginary ‘Moorsie Bingo’ cards, a few favourite JM phrases ticked off. Among those proffered as likely utterances were ‘time and time again’, ‘what were they playing at?’ ‘where’s the marking?’, ‘how many times?’, and the assertion that it was ‘always gonna happen’. As it was, after a penalties win following a laboured 3-3 draw against lower-ranked opposition, he concluded that the Cards were ‘found wanting’ , at least one of the visitors’ goals a result of a ‘schoolboy error’, while another attack should have been ‘meat and drink for a player of his calibre’. At one point he could barely contain himself, raging, ‘Talk to each other!’ and admitting, ‘I’m fuming!’ In the end, having squeaked through, he was at last fairly reflective and somewhat relieved, telling listeners the result was ‘never in doubt’, but ‘boy, oh boy, they made it so hard,’ the exasperation still in that voice.

Telling him later about our bingo card, he had the good humour to laugh and admit, ‘I commentate like I’m still playing.’ And we’d never have wanted it any other way. This was proper passion from the sidelines, one of the many reasons I’ll always choose nights watching or listening to Woking FC rather than some par-boiled Premiership outfit.

Away from the football, yet key to our half time or pre-match chats or online exchanges, music was another passion, the two of us bonding on various acts, including ’70s heroes Mott the Hoople and Slade. He also loved Thin Lizzy, and after an interview I did with a member of Lizzy spin-off Black Star Riders, he revealed he was close to their singer, Ricky Warwick, his ex-brother-in-law.

We also both loved The Stranglers, linked to his own Godalming turf via Jean-Jacques Burnel alongside their better-known Guildford roots, and he too was once a Guildford Civic Hall regular. He also enjoyed Genesis – a band with their own Godalming link, of course – and Supertramp, as well as far younger bands like Dawes and Lonely the Brave. And while he kept his home life to himself, he was tremendously proud of his daughter’s music career, a super-talented musician who treads the boards under the name AlienBlaze. His immense pride at her recorded take on  Slade classic ‘Cos I Luv You’ was a joy to behold in itself, his influence down the years clearly paying off.

That was part of that other side of him, ever generous with his time, including his role alongside Holmsie in helping organise a shirt signing for my niece Sam’s 30^th birthday. Many more of you will no doubt have similar stories. In short, here was a fella who was always generous with his time, passionate about all he loved, and also extremely supportive of my writing (he was an author himself, writing on legal matters), affording me lavish praise at times in private messages, encouraging from the moment I introduced myself properly in 2012.

In a tribute on the club website and on social media on behalf of the club, Ian Nicholson wrote, ‘Along with David Holmes, John was Woking press officer for 11 years and despite only being volunteers, Holmsie and Moorsie proved to be a very reliable and professional partnership. John conducted many post-match interviews over the years and, in particular, developed a close friendship with former manager Garry Hill.

‘Alongside this, John was also a familiar voice as a BBC co-commentator for Woking home and away.  He supported and encouraged many different commentators over the years, including Adrian Harms, Jon Howick and Gary Smith. He was very knowledgeable about the National League and football generally and never held back from sharing his opinions – whether about referees, players or South West Trains!

‘There is so much more that could be said about what John did but perhaps the main things we will remember is how much John loved Woking Football Club and how easily he made friends. He was passionate about life and also very caring and loyal – and he had many close friendships at the club, going back decades.’

Like the Rev, I too will add that my thoughts are with John’s family at this sad time, particularly his wife Karen and daughter Alicia. His funeral is at Guildford Crematorium on Thursday, 20^th August at 1.30 pm, followed by a wake at The Ragged Robin on Guildford Road, Godalming, where ‘all are welcome to attend to remember a great servant of the club.’

We’ll miss you, John. You’d be embarrassed to hear all this and would no doubt respond, ‘You’re too kind!’ but you deserve the accolade, ‘Woking legend’. Up the Cards, Moorsie! We’re enormously sad to see you go.