Guildford City FC emerged with a well-deserved point from this thrilling and highly entertaining clash against Windsor at the Guildford Spectrum. City were missing club captain Ben Rayner and Stefan Joseph was suspended after last week’s red card, so Jack Guilford stepped up as skipper and the midfield dynamo rose to the occasion with a battling performance in the centre of the park.
The visitors had won their last match by six goals and their confidence on the ball was evident and in the early stages it was Windsor who looked the liveliest. It was therefore no great surprise when Kane Jones put the visitors ahead after just 10 minutes. Jordan Taylor lost the ball deep in the City half and Jones’s rather tame shot spiralled up and over the stranded Antony Hall via a wicked deflection almost in slow motion.
Afterwards, Windsor might have enjoyed more of the possession, but City certainly looked sharp as they broke forward and they deservedly equalised via a brilliant 35 yard volley from Liam Harwood. City were perhaps guilty in the first period of giving up possession too cheaply, whilst giving opportunities to Windsor’s Kyle Lucas continually, who posed a threat to the City rear guard. It was Guildford, however, who nudged ahead just prior to the interval. On a typical counter-attack, Anthony Baker was brought down as he took the ball to the by-line and up stepped Sam Spencer to drill the ball home from the spot for a half-time lead.
HALF-TIME: Guildford City FC 2 (Harwood, Spencer) – Windsor 1 (Jones)
The second half followed the pattern of the first, with both sides attacking in equal measure. On 55 minutes it looked for all the world that City would score a third, but a fantastic double save from Carl Dennison kept the visitor’s in the match. Firstly, Dennison parried Anthony Baker’s fierce effort from the edge of the box and then recovered to parry Ryan Wallis’s follow-up effort. Three minutes later, Dennison’s heroics were rewarded when Windsor netted an equaliser via Barry Dunbar after Antony Hall had failed to hold a high ball.
Following the equaliser, Elvis Defreitas picked up a yellow card as he struggled to contain the lively Kyle Lucas who curled a shot with the outside of his foot just over the bar. The game was still flowing from end to end and City should have gone ahead again on 64 minutes when Khari Oriogun’s run into the penalty area was illegally halted. Sadly for the home side on this occasion Sam Spencer blazed his second penalty attempt high over the crossbar.
As the game entered its latter stages, Antony Hall was twice forced into impressive action as Windsor sensed a late winner, and indeed both sides came close in the final stages. For City, a fine Junior Alade cross from the right was met by Anthony Baker but his header just cleared the cross bar as he was moving back as he jumped. At the other end, Kyle Lucas headed wide after a misdirected clearance fell to him. But finally, after six minutes of stoppage time, referee Nigel Owen brought the curtain down on an enthralling 2-2 draw; a game in which both sides will have been satisfied with the result, but perhaps also were left wondering what might have been.
Team: Antony Hall, Elvis Defreitas, Bruce McPhail, Liam Harwood, Ray Guilford, Jordan Taylor, Anthony Baker, Jack Guilford, Sam Spencer (Tommy Tydeman 75), Ryan Wallis (Junior Alade 65), Navid Zandi (Khari Oriogun 58). Unused subs: George Baldwin, Liam Talbot.
Yellow cards: Elvis Defreitas, Jordan Taylor, Jack Guilford, Sam Spencer and Tommy Tydeman.
Referee: Nigel Owen
Attendance: 106
Barry Underwood
Images sourced from: http://tinyurl.com/kwl79ej