The ‘A31 derby’ was settled without Guildford City really needing to step out of first gear as Farnham Town were seen off on a cold evening at Spectrum. Goals from Jack Guilford, Dan Moody and Joel Greaves came before Matt Bunyan reduced the deficit late on.
It didn’t take long for the hosts to go ahead. Guildford’s Guilford broke forward after just two minutes and his deflected shot sailed past a helpless Strudley in the Farnham goal. Moody doubled the lead on 17 minutes with an excellent finish – his fifth goal in seven games. The game settled into a midfield slog with neither side making many chances in the remainder of the half.
City came out strongly in the second half and looked intent to add to their total. They did just that in the 56th minute, newly re-signed forward Greaves slotting home after finding himself space on the left hand side of the Farnham penalty area. For a while the visitors found themselves up against a Guildford side showing flashes of the passing football they are capable of, with Joel Hughes surging forward strongly on the left hand side. However, the avalanche of goals never came and Bunyan’s goal in the 80th minute, following a defensive slip, ensured a nervy ending. Farnham stepped up the pace and even had the ball in the back of the net soon afterwards – this time the assistant referee’s flag coming to City’s rescue.
In the end Guildford City saw out a comfortable victory to once again go top of the league ahead of a trip to Sussex League high-fliers Lancing in the FA Vase.
Guildford City:
Antony Hall, Elvis Defreitas, Ben Rayner, Simon Cooper, Tony Chaplin, Corey Holder (Tom Penson 63), Dan Moody, Ben Camara, Lance Banton-Brown (Austin Gacheru 40), Jack Guilford (Joel Greaves 55), Joel Hughes.
Unused substitutes: Will Heavey, Martin Debrah
Cautioned: Simon Cooper, Tom Penson
Referee: D. Sotimirin
Attendance: 48
