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Guildford City Football Club (formerly Guildford United and AFC Guildford) is a football club based in Guildford, Surrey, England. The club was established in 1921, folded in 1974 and was reformed in 1996. Guildford City play in the .


History


1921 – Second World War

The first club in the town was amateur side Guildford, formed in 1877 and known as the "Pinks". They played home matches at the Woodbridge Road Sports Ground. A successful start led to a number of people mooting a new professional club and by the end of 1920 Guildford United was formed. In May 1921 they were accepted into the Southern League. At the same time land had been purchased in Joseph's Road and "United" were able to kick off the 1921–22 season with a home match against Reading f.c Reserves. Playing in green and white the hosts won 2–0 with a crowd of over 5,000 fans or tourists spectators."Club history"
''Guildford City F.C.'', 19 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
In 1927 Guildford became a diocese and the
Guildford Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford, commonly known as Guildford Cathedral, is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England. Richard Onslow donated the first of land on which the cathedral stands, with Viscount Bennett, ...
was built. It was believed that Guildford would become a city so the club changed its name and the "City" was born. At this time they also changed the colours to red and white stripes. Although they had little early success in the League, the FA Cup bought a taste of glory in 1928–29 when, having battled through the qualifying rounds, they beat
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
4–2"Results archive"
''Guildford City F.C.'', 19 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
in the First Round Proper and in front of a crowd of nearly 8,000. Despite excellent gates the club was facing a financial crisis at the end of the season – this was to be a recurrent theme throughout the club's history. At the start of the 1936–37 season the club made the massive decision to turn full-time professional, appointing Haydn Green as manager. That season they finished 4th but next season things got even better. In 1937–38 City beat
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
but in the league they won 22 of their 34 games to finish as Champions for the first time. That feat was nearly repeated the following year, with City finishing runners-up to
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
by one point, scoring 126 goals in the process. In the league game at home to Colchester on Easter Monday City won 3–1 in front of the largest crowd ever for a league game at Joseph's Road 9,443. Earlier that season City had attracted an even bigger crowd to Joseph's Road for an FA Cup 1st Round Replay against local rivals
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...
. 9,932 people saw City lose a nail-biting game 4–3. This successful period was brought to a premature conclusion by the outbreak of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
.


Second World War – 1974

The ground had been used by the Army during the War. In 1946–47 City re-entered the Southern League – this time as a part-time club. In 1950–51 the team reached the final of the Southern League Cup for the first time, losing to Merthyr Tydfil despite winning the first leg. In the 1951–52 season the City undertook their longest trip when they travelled to Gateshead in the 2nd Round of the FA Cup. An estimated 5,000 supporters made the overnight trip to the North East of England in December. A 15,000 crowd saw City dominate the game but lose 2–0. In debt again, City sold Jimmy Langley to
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
for £2,000. He eventually joined Fulham and earned three England international caps.
Archie Macaulay Archibald Renwick Macaulay (30 July 1915 – 10 June 1993) was a Scottish football player and manager. Playing career Born in Falkirk, Macaulay started his playing career in junior football and joined Rangers in 1933, where he became a regular ...
was brought in as player-manager in 1953 and he started building a side that would win the title in 1955–56. However, he left before the end of the season leaving Bill Thompson to take over and lead the side to the championship. In 1958–59 the League expanded and was regionalised. City were in the South Eastern zone and could only finish 15th out of 17. For 1959 the league was revised again, this time to a Premier and First Division. City's miserable time the year before meant they started in the lower division. Albert Tennant, who had been a coach at Chelsea, took charge and he led City to promotion. In the 1962–63 season they lifted the Southern League Cup for the first time, beating Nuneaton Borough 2–1 on aggregate over two legs. Despite this success by the summer of 1965 it seemed that finance was again a major problem at the Club. A strict budget left the club short of players, resulting in a disappointing 16th-place finish, although they did manage to reach the final of the Southern League Cup again. They went on better the next year, winning the Southern League Cup with a 2–1 aggregate success over Barnet. In 1967–68 City had a notable FA Cup run. Drawn away to Brentford the City were leading 2–1 when the match was abandoned during the second half because of snow. A second trip to Griffin Park ended with a 2–2 draw and meant a replay at Joseph's Road in front of 7,500 fans who roared City to a famous 2–1 victory. Goalkeeper Peter Vasper was sold to
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
for £5000 and it was thought that this might ease the club's financial problems but they were worse than many had realised. The following season brought the end of Albert Tennant's nine-year reign and the club was relegated. In 1969–70 Joseph's Road was sold to signal the beginning of the end for the club. The following year they reached the second round of the FA Cup but the inevitable was only being delayed and although in 1972–73 the club again reached the first round of the FA Cup (a visit to Watford ended with a 4–2 defeat), they could only finish 18th in the League. Crowds of 4,000 were needed to break even but barely a quarter of that was achieved at most games. In 1973–74 a new board of directors took over with Bill Bellerby elected President (recently elected as Patron of the new club) and club stalwart Darby Watts as player manager. Despite the best efforts of Mr Bellerby and the long-standing chairman of the Supporters' Club John Daborn, it was soon announced that the club was to merge with Dorking and play at Meadowbank. The final game at Joseph's Road was played on 12 February 1974 when the City beat Folkestone 2–0 in front of 625 fans. After 53 years senior football at Joseph's Road had come to an end.


Rebirth in 1996

In 1996 Bill Bellerby, then-Mayor of Guildford, enquired as to whether Burpham FC would be prepared to move to the Spectrum Leisure Centre and represent Guildford. Spectrum provided a venue which had the potential for development into senior football and already had floodlighting. AFC Guildford played in the Surrey Premier League, which eventually became Division One of the
Combined Counties League The Combined Counties Football League is a regional men's football league in south-eastern England with members in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Jersey, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and the western half and sou ...
. In 2003–04 AFC Guildford were crowned champions of Division One and gained their first-ever major honour. Promotion was obtained into the Combined Counties Premier Division, ground-sharing with Cranleigh FC while Spectrum was upgraded to meet the league's standards. In early November 2004, AFC Guildford returned to their home ground near to the town centre. In 2005 the club changed its name to Guildford United, but quickly acquired the name of Guildford City. The club finished second bottom in 2006–07 but the following season secured a runner-up finish in the Combined Counties Premier League under Scott Steele and Lloyd Wye. Kevin Rayner, and his assistant Roly Martin, took charge in 2009. After escaping relegation and undergoing a season of improvement, in 2011-12 the club had its furthest progress in the FA
Vase A vase ( or ) is an open container. It can be made from a number of materials, such as ceramics, glass, non-rusting metals, such as aluminium, brass, bronze, or stainless steel. Even wood has been used to make vases, either by using tree species ...
to date, but better was to come when the side clinched the Combined Counties Premier Division trophy. The club was denied promotion due to Spectrum failing a ground grading inspection. They retained their league title the following season and this time took their place in the
Southern League Division One Central The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English foot ...
. However, in May 2013, having guided City to a ninth-place finish in the new club's inaugural Southern League season, Kevin Rayner left the club to manage Chipstead. Guildford City were switched to the Southern League Division One South & West for the 2013–14 season, with former Sandhurst Town and
Cove A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are o ...
manager Dean Thomas taking the helm. Thomas resigned in November 2013 following a run of 10 defeats in a row. Kevin Rayner immediately returned to the club following his sacking by Chipstead earlier that month but was unable to prevent City from finishing bottom of the league and being relegated back to the Combined Counties League.


Stadia

Since 1996, Guildford City have played their home games at
Guildford Spectrum Guildford Spectrum is a leisure complex in Guildford, Surrey, England. Owned by Guildford Borough Council, it was opened on 23 February 1993 at a cost of £28 million. It is the home of ice hockey teams the Guildford Flames and the Guildford Pho ...
. The ground began as an extremely basic one but following City's promotion to the CCL Premier League in 2003/04 it was upgraded to meet the requirements of the division – a covered stand with 135 seats, a new officials changing room and toilets for public use being built. City used Cranleigh's ground while these changes were being made. Further improvements were made in 2011 and 2013 to meet requirements for Step 4 football, including extra seating, a covered terrace and hard standing around two further sides of the pitch. The record attendance was set on 8 September 2012 when the visit of Kingstonian in the FA Cup First Qualifying Round drew a crowd of 295 spectators. The club is keen to relocate from the ground however, and has pursued various options including groundsharing with Woking and joining community regeneration projects – none of which has yet come to fruition. The question of where Guildford United would play their home games figured largely when discussions began about setting up a professional football club in Guildford in 1920. Guildford FC, 'The Pinks', played their matches at the Woodbridge Road Sports Ground and some suggested a groundshare agreement could be negotiated. Most, however, agreed the club should have a ground of its own. Eventually an approach was made to Mr W. Triggs Turner who owned land in Guildford, and he made a very generous offer. Not only was he prepared to support the project, but he interested himself personally in the formation of the new club, and granted a loan to acquire the Joseph's Road ground. Mr Triggs Turner later set the seal on his generosity by wiping off the mortgage, and when the club came into being he was elected the first chairman of the directors. The original Guildford City spent their entire existence at Joseph's Road, before it was sold for development in 1974. The ground had a capacity of around 10,000, the record attendance being 9,932 for an FA Cup replay against Aldershot in the 1938–39 season.


Notable former players

* Jimmy Woolf * Bill Adams * Leslie Adlam * Sid Bishop * Jim Brown * Johnny Byrne * Ben Camara * Sid Castle * David Cliss * George Dobson *
Alfred Douglas Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas (22 October 1870 – 20 March 1945), also known as Bosie Douglas, was an English poet and journalist, and a lover of Oscar Wilde. At Oxford he edited an undergraduate journal, ''The Spirit Lamp'', that carried a homoe ...
*
Ray Drinkwater Ray Drinkwater (18 May 1931 – 24 March 2008) was an English footballer, who played in the Football League for Portsmouth and Queens Park Rangers. Drinkwater was born in Jarrow, County Durham and began his career with Guildford City in 1951 ...
*
Terry Dyson Terry Dyson (born 29 November 1934) is a retired footballer who played as a winger. Career Dyson was spotted playing football for the British Army during National Service After being demobbed in 1955 he joined Tottenham Hotspur from non-leagu ...
* Percy Gleeson * Bert Goodman * Jackie Graham * Harry Haslam * Paddy Hasty *
Billy Hodgson William Hodgson (9 July 1935 – 2022) was a Scottish footballer who played as a winger or inside forward. Career Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Hodgson started his career with Dunoon Athletic before joining St Johnstone in 1954. He had a loa ...
* George Horsfall * David Howells *
Matt Jarvis Matthew Thomas Jarvis (born 22 May 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. After an unsuccessful spell as a youth-team player for Millwall, Jarvis began his professional career with Gillingham, making his ...
* Tommy Jones * Peter Kavanagh * George Keith * Jim Langley * Ken Nicholas *
Gary Peters Gary Charles Peters Sr. (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representa ...
* James Phizacklea *
Charlie Rance Charles Stanley Rance (28 February 1889 – 29 December 1966) was an English professional footballer who played for Clapton, Tottenham Hotspur, Derby County, Queens Park Rangers and Guildford United. Football career Rance won two FA Amateur ...
* William Robb *
Billy Sperrin William Thomas Sperrin (9 April 1922 – 21 June 2000) was an English football inside forward and coach. He made 100 appearances as a player for Brentford and was later a member of the coaching staff at Hillingdon Borough for 12 years. Club ...
* Alfred Thompson * Bill Thompson * Cyril Toulose * George Urquhart


Honours

*Southern League Premier Division **Champions 1937–38, 1955–56 *Southern League Division One **Champions 1970–71 *Combined Counties League Premier Division **Champions, 2010–11, 2011–12


Records

*Best
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
performance: Second Round proper 1928–29, 1937–38, 1951–52, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1971–72 *Best FA Trophy performance: Second Round proper 1973–74 *Best FA Vase performance: Fourth Round proper, 2010–11 *Record Attendance: (FA Cup) 9,932 versus
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...
on 3 December 1938; 295 versus Kingstonian on 8 September 2012; (League) 9,443 versus Colchester United on 12 April 1939; 239 versus Godalming Town on 1 April 2013 *Most Appearances: 632 (Darby Watts – 1961–74) *Most goals in a season: 72 (Jock Thom) *Most goals in a match: 7 ( Jim Brown versus Exeter Reserves on 14 December 1938)


Partner clubs

The club has strong connections to German football club
Freiburger FC Freiburger FC () is a German association football club based in Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg. Freiburger FC were one of the founding clubs of the DFB ( German Football Association) in 1900. History Founded in 1897, for many decades FFC were t ...
, with Freiburg im Breisgau being a sister city of Guildford, and publishes news and results of the later club on its website, just as ''Freiburg'' does for ''City''. The club is also linked to
Havnar Bóltfelag Havnar Bóltfelag (HB, lit. 'Harbour football club') is a Faroese football club, and is one of the oldest in the Faroe Islands. The club was founded in 1904, and is based in the city of Tórshavn. Home matches are played in Gundadalur and ...
from the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
.Partner clubs
Guildford City F.C. website. Retrieved 23 September 2011


Notes and references


External links


Official site
{{Guildford Southern Football League clubs Football Combined Counties Football League Football clubs in Surrey Association football clubs established in 1921 Association football clubs disestablished in 1974 Association football clubs established in 1996 1921 establishments in England 1974 disestablishments in England 1996 establishments in England Football clubs in England