Match report by Barry UnderwoodBoth Guildford City and Horley Town had played out of their socks and gained impressive victories in their previous match. But this was a strange encounter. Throughout the match clear chances in front of goal were at a premium. City for their part struggled to make effective use of the ball, although there was no doubting the strength of their defending. Horley made good use of the ball but were unable to substantially pierce City’s back-line. All of the game’s goals came in the first 20 minutes and it seemed all was set for a cracker of a match. Perhaps it was the heat but the game didn’t develop as had been promised. The first goal came after just three minutes. When Kerran Boylan looped a header goal wards from the back of the box it seemed that City keeper Luke Badiali had the ball covered. However in trying to push the falling ball over the crossbar, the ball hit the woodwork and bounced into play where Ayden Richards was alert enough to prod the ball over the line. Stunned by this soft way of conceding your first goal in 285 minutes of football, City nearly conceded from another header at the back post but Chris Tancock was on hand to block the effort. Gradually City settled and a fine ball from Dan Stewart put Nathaniel Williams through on goal. Unusually though Williams totally mishit his effort which simply dribbled wide. Twelve minutes in though Williams won a penalty when his quick feet was too much for the Horley defender who brought him down in the box for a penalty. Up stepped Kieran Campbell who drilled home his sixth goal of the season from the penalty spot. Guildford enjoyed more possession now but were struggling to forge clear openings. On 20 minutes the home side nudged ahead for what proved to be the winner. Josh Coke found space on the right to fire in a shot goal bound from 20 yards. En-route the ball deflected off a defender leaving keeper George Hyde rooted helplessly to the spot. Horley still posed a threat and Nemo Adams lunged across brilliantly to block a close range effort. Late in the half both City strikers had shooting opportunities; Campbell’s long-range effort being parried by Hyde and Stewart’s, after a neat turn, drifted well wide.In the second period Guildford struggled to play any cohesive football. Horley enjoyed a territorial advantage for much of the half, and City’s defence had to be at their best to ward off successive attacks, together with a barrage of long throws into the box. Kieran Campbell did see a free-kick from just outside the box blocked by the wall, but until the late stages chances in the Horley area were rare. That said the action at both ends stepped up in the last fifteen minutes. Kerran Boylan headed wide for Horley, whilst on 76 minutes a Nathaniel Williams break out set Kieran Campbell up for a shooting chance which was blazed over. Substitute Marlon Pinder, with his first touch, ran impressively into the heart of Horley’s defence, but he finally ran out of space without a shot being unleashed. Fellow substitute Kyen Nicholas also lifted the watching Sweeney with several strong runs down the right flank. Luke Badiali made an excellent save at short range to cling on to a thumping close range effort from Boylan. Having gone to three at the back in search of an equaliser, Horley pushed forward frantically and Boylan had another shot blocked, whilst from the rebound Cockerill shot over the crossbar. The game’s final moment came City’s way when Kieran Campbell shot wide with a shooting opportunity. Not by a long way a vintage performance from City, but an excellent defensive effort which extends their unbeaten start to the season to five matches.Team: Luke Badiali, Chris Tancock, Ben Franklin, Luke Beale, Nemo Adams, Loiue Downey (Chad Goulter 61), Josh Coke (Kyen Nicholas 67), Miguel Anderson, Kieran Campbell, Dan Stewart (Marlon Pinder 77), Nathaniel Williams. Unused subs: David Burton, Endrit Dobraj.Referee: Bogdan CaraghinAttendance - 74
Match report by Barry UnderwoodThus far this season Guildford City has reserved their best football for Wey Court, the home of Godalming Town. After the Axtell Cup match and two FA Cup ties played at Godalming’s home ground, City returned to Wey Court to face Godalming Town in CCL derby action. With a bank holiday morning kick-off, the match was played in the heat of a very warm day. Both sides had played a league encounter on Saturday and this match was likely to be the survival of the fittest. Guildford weren’t at their best against Horley, despite claiming the points, but it soon became clear that the visitors were back to their lively best. Indeed some of City’s football in the first period was of the highest order, and truthfully they could have been four or five goals to the good by the interval. From a corner on six minutes the ball zipped across the six yard box just eluding Nemo Adams. The ball was cleared to the edge of the box where Nathaniel Williams volleyed just over. Ex-Merrow defender Chris Tancock was looking dangerous overlapping on the right flank, and on 11 minutes he smashed a tremendous effort against the crossbar. A minute or two later Tancock got forward again and his cross was met by Chad Goulter whose header was cleared off the line. It was no surprise when Guildford opened the scoring after 16 minutes. Dan Stewart ran at the defence, taking the ball past two players, before driving a shot beyond Bufton into the corner. Guildford were looking rampant at this stage and minutes later Stewart saw a left foot shot saved by Bufton from close range. City went two goals up on 26 minutes. Marlon Pinder’s arcing run beat the offside line and he coolly rounded Bufton to slide the ball home. On 31 minutes Nathaniel Williams pace took him round his defender but he delayed as he bore down on Bufton and his shot was blocked. The home side’s first shot on goal arrived on 35 minutes, and it was good enough to see Luke Badiali scurry across to save low down to his left. Godalming did enjoy more possession late in the half, but it didn’t stop City having two good goal scoring chances in stoppage time. Firstly Nathaniel Williams cross was just behind Dan Stewart and the same combination of players then worked an opening which led to Stewart’s effort being cleared off the line.Guildford opened the second half in the same lively fashion. Immediately Marlon Pinder saw an early effort saved by Bufton. On 51 minutes a glorious piece of interplay on the right led to Aaron Bufton bravely saving at Dan Stewart’s feet. Although Godalming had a fair share of possession in the second-half they were kept at a distance by the well-marshalled City defence, with both Nemo Adams and Luke Beale outstanding. Guildfordfor their part was always looking to break forward, and twice Darryl Siaw broke through on goal. Aaron Bufton again bravely saved at Siaw’s feet in the first instance, and in the second Siaw was brought down heavily by Bufton in the box for a penalty. Kieran Campbell stepped up but Bufton to his credit saved well with his legs. From a corner Nemo Adams first time effort cleared the crossbar, and at the other end Luke Badiali saved a long range effort spectacularly. In the game’s final moments City might have won a second penalty when Kieran Campbell was brought down heavily. Josh Coke had laid the ball square instead of shooting and Bufton was down heavily at Campbell’s feet, but referee Brown who enjoyed a fine game, waved play on. The final action was in Guildford’s goalmouth where Luke Badiali saved well from a corner, and as Luke Beale cleared the loose ball away the final whistle blew on what was another excellent performance from the men in red, white and black.Team: Luke Badiali, Chris Tancock, Ben Franklin, Luke Beale, Nemo Adams, Louie Downey (Miguel Anderson 64), Marlon Pinder, Chad Goulter, Kieran Campbell, Dan Stewart (Josh Coke 78), Nathaniel Williams (Darryl Siaw 59). Unused subs: David Burton, Adam Heagney.Referee: John Brown
Match report by Barry UnderwoodFull credit to both sides for playing out an entertaining Surrey Senior Cup tie at the Spectrum in the strong windy conditions caused by Storm Brian. At the end of 90 minutes with chances, great saves and shots hitting the woodwork at both ends the teams couldn’t be separated, and it was Colliers Wood who held their nerve longest to win the resulting penalty shoot-out. Thus Guildford City’s interest in cup competitions has sadly come to an end this season. Disappointing as that is, Guildford must now look to the league where they are still handily placed in the table. Within a minute of the game’s start City were forced into a substitution. Tom Booth was the victim of a poor challenge and limped off to be replaced by Endrit Dobraj. The change however didn’t stop City going forward in impressive fashion, and they very nearly took the lead after five minutes. Jordan Gallagher picked the ball up wide out on the right and his swirling cross cleared United keeper Jack Minchin and hit the crossbar. On 12 minutes Dan Stewart, who was leading the line in place of the suspended Kieran Campbell, reached the by-line from where his cross found Nathaniel Williams whose effort was blocked. The visitors had a good chance just minutes later when full-back Jake Hill found himself in an advanced position, but he saw his effort clear the crossbar. It was a good opening for the home side. The impressive Kiye Martin was at the heart of most of City’s good moves. On 16 minutes his 25 yarder forced a good save out of Minchin, who also smothered Nathaniel Williams’s effort from the rebound. Moments later a delicate pass from Dan Stewart gave Martin a shooting chance but with his unfavoured foot his effort skewed across goal. Then a little against the run of play the visitors took the lead when Mario Embalo timed his run well to bear down on goal where he had the composure to lob the ball over the advancing Ziobrowski and into the net. Playing with the considerable wind at their backs City still went forward. Dan Stewart had a shot saved before on 26 minutes the home side forced the equaliser. Kiye Martin displayed fine skill on the right before driving a low cross into the box where a defender turned the ball into his own net under pressure from the lurking Dan Stewart. City looked dangerous offensively and on the half hour Chris Tancock set up Kiye Martin for another effort from outside the box. This time Minchin saved acrobatically tipping the ball over via the crossbar. Three minutes before the interval City took the lead, and the goal came with the considerable assistance of the wind with Dan Stewart’s corner curling directly into the far top corner. That wasn’t the end of the first-half action. Colliers Wood had a golden chance to draw level when Chris Tancock was adjudged to have brought down Embalo. William Efambe stepped up to take the spot-kick but Kornel Ziobrowski guessed correctly to make a fine save.The second period was a different affair with Guildford finding it much harder to make headway. Colliers Wood enjoyed a considerable territorial advantage for much of the half, with Theo Woodhouse and Moses Kaddu dominating the midfield exchanges. For City Dan Stewart did see an early effort whistle inches wide, whilst on 54 minutes it seemed inevitable that the visitors would score. First a low shot hit the post but Kornel Ziobrowski twice dived bravely at opponents feet to thwart efforts from the rebound. Guildford’s best efforts came on the counter attack with both Kiye Martin and Nathaniel Williams shooting wide. On 75 minutes the hardworking David Opuku set up Jordan Gallagher whose powerful effort was well saved by Minchin. Three minutes later Colliers Wood drew level which came as no real surprise. A curling cross came across the box and Reanu Grossett did well to volley home at the back post. With penalty kicks looming both sides went for the win. Nemo Adams couldn’t make the most of a loose ball in the box following a corner, and Mario Embalo saw a good chance deflected wide for the visitors. In the final moments Jordan Gallagher went down in the box but Luis Nunes who enjoyed a fine game waved play on. And so the match moved to spot kicks. Colliers Wood gave an impeccable display from the spot scoring all five kicks, as initially did City until the unfortunate Opuku’s shot was saved.Team: Kornel Ziobrowski, Chris Tancock, Tom Booth (Endrit Dobraj 2), David Burton, Nemo Adams, David Opoku, Nathaniel Williams, Robbie Mundow, Dan Stewart, Jordan Gallagher, Kiye Martin. Unused subs: Shaun Johnson, Shawn Masterson, Nhoj Witter.Referee: Luis NunesAttendance - 56