City’s Draw Against Windsor – Hard Fought and Well Deserved

Published on: 22 Sep, 2014
Updated on: 22 Sep, 2014

City’s Liam Harwood celebrates his goal, with Bruce McPhail, Ray Guilford & Elvis DeFreitas

Guildford City (2) 2, Windsor (1) 2
By Barry Underwood

Guildford City emerged with a well-deserved point from this thrilling and highly entertaining clash against Windsor at the Spectrum.

City were missing club captain Ben Rayner and Stefan Joseph suspended and so Jack Guilford stepped up as skipper; the midfield dynamo rising to the occasion with a battling performance in the centre of the park.

City’s midfield dynamo Jack Guilford – who stepped up as skipper for the day.

The visitors had won their last match by six goals, their confidence on the ball was evident and in the early stages it was Windsor who looked the liveliest. So it was no great surprise when Kane Jones put the visitors ahead after just ten minutes. Jordan Taylor lost the ball deep in the City half and Jones’s rather tame shot spiralled up in slow motion and over the stranded Antony Hall via a wicked deflection.

Windsor might have been enjoying 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, and given opportunities Windsor’s Kyle Lucas continually 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.

City’s Sam Spencer making a run down the wing.

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 City keeper Antony Hall had failed to hold a high ball. 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 still flowed end to end and City should have gone ahead 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. 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 moving back as he jumped his header just cleared the cross bar.

At the other end Kyle Lucas headed wide after a misdirected clearance fell to him. After six minutes of stoppage time referee Nigel Owen brought the curtain down on a deserved 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

Report and photos provided by Guildford City FC