Spelthorne Sports 6 – 1 Guildford City: Match Report

Spelthorne Sports (3) 6, Guildford City (1) 1

 

Guildford City slumped to another heavy defeat on Saturday, this time at up and coming Spelthorne Sports. With a number of players once again on the injured list, the visitor’s backline once again had something a makeshift look about it. Spelthorne have made remarkable progress as a club in recent years and it is likely in the short term that only ground grading strictures will delay their advance further. Perhaps the home side thought that they had already advanced to a more senior league as their starting line-up included would be squad numbers 14, 15, 17, 18, 21 and 24!

 

On a very heavy but perfectly playable pitch City were immediately on the back foot in the gloomy conditions, and frankly Guildford were simply just not at the races. Straight from the off the home side threatened down the flanks and in the second minute a lobbed attempt from close range struck the City crossbar. Guildford survived the early onslaught on their goal and gradually worked their way back into the game without substantially threatening the home goal and it was no great surprise when on 26 minutes the dam finally burst. After interplay on the edge of the box Spelthorne had time and space to curl a shot into the corner. On 33 minutes it was 2-0, when having cleared a corner, the ball was fired back in and an unmarked player was able to pick his spot. It was 3-0 after 38 minutes when Defreitas missed a clearance and Lee Staples shot into the corner. Guildford were defending deep as half-time approached and Staples almost followed up his goal but he volleyed wide with the goal at his mercy. City did gain a lifeline moments before the half-time whistle. Bruce McPhail’s deep cross was well taken down by the hardworking Sam Spencer and he slipped the ball past the advancing Stuart Norman for his fifth goal of the season.

 

City opened the second period with some momentum after their pre-half-time goal, and for twenty minutes they enjoyed a stabilising spell of possession. The nearest that the visitor’s came to netting again was when Tommy Degiorgio burst through some tough challenges into the box, only for the referee to blow for an earlier City foul as Degiorgio was poised to shoot. On 65 minutes though any hope of an unlikely City recovery was thwarted when possession was lost deep in the Guildford half and following a quick break the ball was slid into the City net. The last quarter was testing for the visitors when Spelthorne made it five after 71 minutes and the home side appeared to be running through almost at will. Lee Allen certainly saved his side on several occasions, whilst over eager strikers also missed several presentable chances. Spelthorne scored their sixth and last when Lee Allen was deceived by a curling effort after 84 minutes and all City could do was try to contain a rampant home attack.

 

Team: Lee Allen, Anthony Bridgeman, Tommy Degiorgio, Bruce McPhail, Elvis Defreitas, Ben Rayner, Sam Spencer (James Treherne 84), John Symons, Carlton Murray-Price, Ryan Wallis, Navid Zandi.

 

Referee: Steven Scott

 

Attendance – 40