Spotless Moody has fun in the Farnham sun
Match Report By Tom Wellman
Two Dan Moody penalties and a goal from Jaydon Gibbs ensured a comfortable win for Guildford away at Farnham Town on Saturday, played on the warmest day of the year so far. The heat made conditions harder for both teams on a day in which cricket would probably have been more appropriate!
But unlike the sunny climate, the game failed to heat up as Guildford probed their opponents without sufficiently testing the keeper. Moody and Gibbs couldn’t score the opener with their attempts but a Will Heavey volley from 35 yards almost crept in; instead being tipped onto the bar.
Little else of note happened with the heat sapping energy levels and the hard pitch affecting control of the ball, but Guildford had Farnham at an arm’s length until the 33rd minute. Joel Hughes was hauled down in the area off the ball and the referee pointed to the spot and Moody made no mistake, sending the keeper the wrong way for his first penalty of the game.
City were dominating the match, giving Farnham no time or space in their half at all and it was only a matter of time before the second came. Gibbs, whose twin brother Kieran had earlier scored for Arsenal against Aston Villa, doubled the family goal tally for the afternoon with a curling finish from the edge of the penalty area just a minute from the interval.
After the break however, Farnham pushed to try and force them back into the game; Jack Dillon smashed the bar and had a goal disallowed for offside and Will Neville saw two attempts saved by Antony Hall. Whilst Town asserted themselves, City could attack on the break and Gibbs nearly grabbed a second but his lob was saved, as was Austin Gacheru’s follow up.
But the game was all but over in the 80th minute as Moody went down under a challenge, picking himself up before he dispatched the penalty into the left corner to make it three. Hughes, Bradnick and Heavey could have increased Guildford’s lead but the win is the most important thing and ensures the club basks in a 9 point lead as both the season, and weather, hots up.
Guildford City:
Antony Hall, Will Heavey, Tom Penson, Simon Cooper [capt.], Moses Spencer (Martin Debrah 80), Jack Guilford, Dan Moody, Ben Camara, Austin Gacheru (Luke Bradnick 84), Joel Hughes (Paul Spencer 84), Jaydon Gibbs.
Unused substitutes: Michael Hall, Corey Holder
Cautioned: None
Referee: C. Felton