A Disappointing Defeat for City Against In-form Alton

Published on: 6 Mar, 2025
Updated on: 6 Mar, 2025

Guildford City (0) 0, Alton (0) 3

By Barry Underwood

In-form Alton gained their fifth consecutive win at the Spectrum to rise to eighth position in the league table.

For Guildford this was a disappointing result, made worse by two goals conceded in stoppage time at the end of the game.

It was goalless at the interval and although the visitors had looked a little sharper, City were very much in the game. But throughout, and despite considerable possession, Guildford looked tame in attack.

Eyes skyward as Manny Acheampong waits in the Alton goalmouth but Alton kept a clean sheet.

You felt that if Alton were to score it would be a tough ask to get back on level terms. On just two minutes City’s new keeper Oliver Davies saved smartly after a misjudgement in defence.

Later Alex Rodway-Brown made a superb block in the box to avert a chance on goal. For lengthy periods the first half consisted of midfield sparring, although the home side was guilty of conceding possession too cheaply.

On 20 minutes Rodway-Brown shot acrobatically but his effort went well wide. On the half hour Alton came mighty close to taking the lead. Interplay on the edge of the box gave a shooting chance and the ball rolled just wide of the back post.

Five minutes before the interval Alton saw a half volley clear the crossbar, and there was all to play for after the break.

Alton shot wide early in the half after City lost possession. Minutes later Manny Acheampong shot over the bar when the ball fell to him following a free kick.

But around the hour mark Alton had a good spell, several times causing some consternation in the City defence. It was no real surprise when Alton took the lead. Oliver Davies saved firstly with his legs but amidst circling defenders Ed Dryden netted smartly on the turn.

Guildford’s Sam Sesay on the ball.

Guildford sparked into life after conceding the goal, and suddenly they were able to move the ball around in a confident manner. But chances on goal were still few and far between.

As the game neared its end Oliver Davies saved well low down, and the keeper owed his captain some thanks for clearing the ball after Davies had slipped over on the edge of the box.

Hopes of a late equaliser for the home side were thwarted when in the first minute of stoppage time Liam Marshall netted with the help of a small deflection.

Alton rubbed it in in 90+4 when Tommy Whitby lobbed Davies for a third, although to the naked eye he did seem yards offside.

Team: Oliver Davies, Sam Sesay, Ben Gambrah, Freddie Robins, Lex Stingelin, Joe Atkins (Ben Drake 60), Deven Reid-Solanki (Luca Le Page 83), Jaiden Chang-Brown (Keoindre Ellis-Vassell 83), Jake Brown (Qasim Khan 60), Manny Acheampong (Daniel Emmanuel 74), Alex Rodway-Brown.

Referee: Joe Alborough

Attendance – 82

Listen to Ian Newson Plested’s post-match interview with team manager Carl Taylor here: