Camberley Town (2) 5, Guildford City (1) 1
by Barry Underwood
Guildford again struggled to settle to their normal passing game on yet another foul day of cold driving rain. Not for the first time this season in these conditions the home side coped far better, and the City lads will have to reduce the mistakes made in poor conditions less what had looked a promising season will fall away in hugely disappointing fashion.
To be fair the opening of the match was dramatic. In the very first minute Kyen Nicholas fired goalward bringing an acrobatic save from Ossai. The ball fell loose but Eli Ogunseye’s effort was blocked at full stretch for a corner. Minutes later Billy Irving did well defensively to stop Camberley getting a free shot away on goal. On six minutes Irving went into a tackle near the touchline after which he was left laying prone. An initial examination suggested a dislocated shoulder but such was the angle that young Irving was laying he couldn’t easily be moved. An ambulance was summoned whilst the referee took the rest of the players off for a respite from the appalling conditions. With Irving lying out on the pitch in the ice-cold rain and the ambulance service suggesting a two hour response time, the decision was made to put Billy through the pain barrier by moving him and ferrying him to hospital. After a 26 minute break in the action the teams retook the field and play recommenced. Within minutes of the restart Guildford took the lead with a fine goal. Bobby Webbe’s pass to Kyen Nicholas was back heeled into space for Webbe to run on and slide the ball under the advancing Ossai. Camberley’s equaliser came from England Schoolboy player Dean Rule. A through ball was missed in defence and Rule rounded Norman to slot home. Six minutes later the home side took the lead. Stuart Norman’s clearance was miscued and it seemed all too easy for Hoppitt to collect the clearance, beat a player and shoot home. On 40 minutes Jordan Gallagher was brought down on the edge of the box and from his free-kick a City header was glanced just wide. Just prior to the half-time whistle Kyen Nicholas saw a power shot blocked, whilst Dan Band’s follow-up was deflected for a corner.
At the start of the second period City were very much in the game. Immediately a cross to the near post found Eli Ogunseye but his mishit effort was safely cleared. There was prompting and probing from both sides and on 57 minutes it looked for all the world that City had equalised. Nathaniel Williams got goal side and shot past Ossai. Sadly the ball held up in the mud just short of the goal-line and somehow the stretching Eli Ogunseye who was following up couldn’t bundle the ball over the line. It’s fair to say the game went downhill for City from this point. On 65 minutes Camberley netted a penalty, and in the last ten minutes they backed it up with two breakaway goals with City at sixes and sevens. Late in the evening word was received from Billy Irving that his shoulder had been put back in hospital, and an X-Ray had shown no further damage.
Team: Stuart Norman, Sean Mason, Isy Nzelo, Alex Cooper (Evan Lopes 70), Nemo Adams, Billy Irving (David Burton 6), Eli Ogunseye, Dan Band, Kyen Nicholas, Bobby Webbe, Jordan Gallagher (Nathaniel Williams 46).
Referee: Reuben Simon
