City’s Fate Goes to Final Match

Published on: 21 Apr, 2024
Updated on: 22 Apr, 2024

Tadley Calleva (0) 2, Guildford City (0) 0

By Barry Underwood, Guildford City club secretary

Guildford City’s fight against relegation goes to the season’s final day.

Next Saturday’s crucial match is against Epsom & Ewell who sit just one place above Guildford City with a two-point advantage. A win would guarantee relegation is avoided while a draw or a loss would leave City’s fate at the mercy of the results of the the two teams below them, Sheerwater and Colliers Wood. (See table below.)

On Saturday, to their credit, the City lads gave their all against play-off chasing Tadley at Barlow’s Park, but as so often this season crucial decisions and lady luck weren’t looking too kindly on the Guildford side.

Despite the importance of the game to both sides, the match opened quietly, and it was nearly 20 minutes before either side had any sort of attempt on goal. It was a further 10 minutes before a shot troubled a goalkeeper, and it was City’s Mac Chisholm who saved comfortably. This raised the tempo a little and Tadley glanced a header wide.

Minutes later Ben Mitchell raced clear for City and his low effort was brilliantly saved by Craig Atkinson in the Tadley goal. In first-half stoppage time, a Tadley free-kick cleared the crossbar and it was all square at the break.

The second half was more open, and it was City who had the first sight of goal. From a free-kick Tolu Ajayi-Obe and Rayyan Adam both headed the ball on for James Glover whose shot on the turn went wide.

The home side responded immediately, and Mac Chisholm saved well at his near post. A huge moment in the game came on 55 minutes. Ben Mitchell received the ball just inside the box before he was absolutely wiped out by a desperate defender. It was the stonewall of all stonewall penalties. But incredibly the referee thought otherwise, and Guildford was denied a clear goalscoring chance.

Mac Chisholm again saved well before Ben Mitchell again got goal side, but he delayed his shot long enough for Atkinson to make a blocking save. The resulting in-swinging corner from Leo Anthony looked as if it would drop under the bar but Atkinson again saved acrobatically. Tadley opened the scoring on 69 minutes.

Mac Chisholm saved well from close range, but Kieran Rodgers was on hand to fire home the loose ball. The goal took the sting out of the game, and on 86 minutes Ross Cook converted a low cross with aplomb to confirm the points for Tadley.

We hope to add photos to this report tomorrow.

Team: Mac Chisholm, Lewis Taylor, Rayyan Adam, Tolu Ajayi-Obe (Shane Johnson 84), James Glover, Niall Stillwell, Leon Dadey (Callum Sullivan 87), Shiloh Ndiulor, Ben Mitchell, Jamie Hilton (Darnell Ramsey 77), Leo Anthony (Anthony Ogbanufe 73). Unused sub: Jack Phillips.

Referee: Simon Graves

Attendance – 125

Hear Ian Plested’s post-match interview here:

Next Match: Guildford City vs Epsom & Ewell 3pm Saturday, April 27 at Spectrum.

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