Monday 12 February 2024 will be a bitter-sweet day for all Guildford City Football Club supporters. This day marks the 50th anniversary of the last ever match played at our grand old Joseph’s Road ground. To remember Joseph’s Road and mark the closure a group of City supporters are meeting on 12 February at 10.30am in the cafe at Guildford Cathedral. ALL ARE WELCOME to come along to have coffee and cake and talk about the old days. To reminisce about our players of yesteryear, and to recall again those big FA Cup days when thousands of people descended on Joseph’s Road to support the town’s side.
During its history the club hadn’t been a stranger to financial hardships. But the final years of the Club’s tenure at Josephs Road, including the sale of the ground and the club leaving town left a very bitter taste amongst all those who cared for the Club. That bitter taste still lingers and will doubtless be evident at the Cathedral on Monday. Just how was the Club left high and dry? Why was the club allowed to leave town and slowly die? At best those in authority at that time, both at the Club and the Council acted naively, but many would say that dubious decisions were taken at that time that certainly were not to the long-term benefit of the Football Club and the local community.
Alderman Bill Bellerby
In 2004 a long-time Guildford councillor and former Mayor Bill Bellerby laid out in an article a record of the demise. Bellerby was a fervent City supporter and had been close to the proceedings at the Club.
“30 years ago, on 12 February 1974 Guildford City FC played their last game at the Joseph’s Road ground, thus ending senior football in the town. The tale of how the club and Guildford lost its well-loved team and ground will now be explained. The demise started as early as 1969, and with the club in financial trouble, the chairman Mr Mac Sinclair explored the possibilities of the ground being sold. The council agreed the ground could be developed for residential housing. They also offered the £1,000 to help it through the season with repayment at 8% interest if it continued. In February 1969 the club decided not to accept the deal and instead offered to sell the ground to the council for £30,000. The council approved the purchase in March, and on 3 April 1969 the club’s directors agreed to the sale with Mr Walter Wheatley signing for the club in the absence abroad of Mr Sinclair.
However, when Mr Sinclair returned, he objected and said that he had offers from private developers. Negotiations with the council continued but in July 1969 the club entered into an agreement with a local builder. In September 1969 the builder paid the club £40,000. In 1971 though, an organisation called Joviel Properties appeared on the scene and paid the builder £200,00 for the ground. They were also willing to advance £20,000 to help Guildford City in erecting grandstands on a new site.
As the 1973-74 season got underway Slyfield was earmarked as a possible new site but as it would not be ready for two or three years a temporary ground would be needed if the club was to avoid playing outside of Guildford. The council offered Bannisters Farm recreation ground at a peppercorn rent but this was not taken up. Instead, the club, without the knowledge of the council, took the decision to pull out of the town. Thirteen shareholders demanded an EGM of the club. At this meeting the general manager Colin Pinder told the board and shareholders that when the present board took over in July 1973 no provision had been made by their previous administration for a stadium for the 1974-75 season although it had been known since 1970 that Joseph’s Road needed to be vacated by April 1974. The club now faced a dilemma. Woking FC could not help but Dorking FC would, providing it was not a temporary arrangement. Due to the fan’s awareness of the problems ahead the directors felt uneasy, hence the last home game being in February and not April 1974. The next few games were quickly arranged at the Met Police ground at Imber Court. Then with the Southern League blessing the club moved to its new home in Dorking and became known as Dorking & Guildford FC. Quite simply the club had nowhere else to play.
The Joseph’s Road ground then sat empty and was not built upon until 1978!! Why wasn’t the team allowed to stay until building work was actually due to commence? What happened to the plans for the new ground at Slyfield? The year’s rolled on. A few people in the 1980’s tried to rekindle some enthusiasm but to no avail. In 1996 Godalming Town FC applied for money from the “Guildford City Fund” and were given £20,000 to help erect a stand and floodlights. This did not go down well with people who remembered the end of the Joseph’s Road ground, and the talk of a new stadium in Guildford. It was seen by many that the last chance to get senior football back in Guildford had gone.”
And what of the supporters?
Dennis May is the current Guildford City President who started watching City in the 1950s. He vividly remembers those final days. “12 February 1974 was a midweek fixture and the last ever match played at the club’s spiritual’ home, Joseph’s Road. The opponents were Folkestone, managed by Peter Sillett, a former England International and ‘City’ player. The result was a 2 – 0 home victory (just as it was for the first ever game in 1921). Little did the 625 spectators realise, when making their way home, that no further activity would take place on the immaculate home turf. The painful announcement the following weekend, by the local press, of an immediate move to Dorking, sent shock waves around the town. The weeks and months leading up to this date were fuelled by much uncertainty, with no information for the fans on where the club might be playing now that the ground had been sold. Incensed by what was happening, supporters stayed away from matches in great numbers. Of the few that remained, some mounted protests and demonstrations. In one a coffin was carried around the ground by protesting supporters. With very little maintenance in recent years, the ground was looking shabby and forlorn. This was a very sad time for Guildford football followers. So many wonderful games had been played at the old ground, so many great players had worn the red and white. So much had happened that people could talk about for many years to come. This is certainly not a celebration, but it is something to remember.”
Ian Plested is on the Media team at Guildford City FC. He says “My family moved to Guildford during that same week in February 1974. I was born in 1978 and have lived here most of my life. The Josephs Road ground was finally demolished in 1978. It is a real shame that I never saw the ground in person. Looking at the pictures it looks such a lovely ground and a real loss to the town and the community. It is very nostalgic for me, but in the 90s when there was the large bonfire and fireworks on Stoke Park, afterwards with all the people walking back to their homes, I would imagine that it was thousands of people leaving a big Guildford City cup tie in the town. The idea that the romance of cup would ignite the town and the community for a big cup tie with a massive crowd. Sometimes people ask, where Guildford City would be now if they hadn’t folded? Well look at Maidstone United who have made the 5th round of the FA Cup this year, and also play in National League South at the 6th level of English football. Maidstone United also folded, but this was in the early 90s and they reformed soon afterwards and made their way back after many years to the top end of non-league. Look at the clubs with whom Guildford City competed in 1974. Burton Albion, Cheltenham Town and Crawley Town are all now Football league clubs. It does pose the question as to what could Guildford City have achieved? We could be a National League side like some of our neighbours, or perhaps a Football League side playing out of our own ground at Slyfield. Fifty years is a long time and I just hope in a quarter of that time we will be watching Guildford City at our own ground in the town, and playing in a higher level.”