Fleet Town 0, Guildford City 0
by Ian Plested
The cliché of waiting for a bus and then lots of them turn up together can be definitely applied to Guildford City this season with reference to draws. Before this week City had only drawn one match all season and that was in late December at home to today’s opponents Fleet Town. Now after the two games this week City have tripled their draw count with two draws in four days.
In a game that ended with no goals, the opening of the match certainly gave the impression that it would not be goalless affair. Within 30 seconds of the kick-off Joe Condon high shot saw Fleet’s goalkeeper save at full stretch. Soon after Scott Costello ran into the box from a long pass and was felled but penalty appeals were waved away by the referee. Joe Condon in the 20th minute received the ball well in the box and his shot beat the Fleet keeper but rolled slowly across the goal to hit the post. In the first half Fleet only had a couple of long shots on goal, and otherwise applied pressure from set pieces. City, with a number of key defenders missing, defended well, with stand-in left back Leon Dadey outstanding. Joe Condon had another chance with a blocked goal-bound shot near the end of the half. But it was goalless at the break, with Guildford disappointed that they hadn’t take their chances to have taken a lead.
The 2nd half was more even and lots of the play was being played in midfield with neither team allowed to settle and control the half. Fleet’s biggest chance of the game came in the 61st minute with good play on the right wing and a pass into the box for an unmarked Fleet player to convert. But to his credit Jamil Saleh did excellently to clear the ball off the line. For the remainder of the half Guildford had more chances with Enow Ojong shooting over the bar and Stephan Langley having a shot well saved. It was in injury time at the end of the game that the game was revitalised with a long throw-in from Jamie Pearce which caused problems for the Fleet defence. The ball fell to Enow Ojong who saw his goal-bound shot blocked. Fleet were then on the attack and there was a nervy moment when Stephan Langley fouled a Fleet player just outside the box for a free kick. Home fans thought Langley lucky not to be booked in a game with no cautions given at all. From the resulting Fleet free kick the ball drifted harmlessly out of play, and that was the last of the action and the game ended 0 – 0 with a point for both teams.
Team: Stuart Norman, Stephan Langley, Leon Dadey, Ashley Hitchinson (Tommy Brunton 75), Campbell Scott, Jamie Pearce, Scott Costello, Jamil Saleh (Zeid Hannachi 75), Joe Condon (Cameron Edwin 65), Cameron Gyeabour (Enow Ojong 65), Ricardo Andre. Unused sub: Neil Roissetter.
Referee: Adrian Newby
Attendance – 252
