Page 12 - Raynes Park Vale v Guildford City

25-yard Jimmy Brown piledriver was season was soon abandoned for the fer to Leeds United. Langley went on
enough to win the tie in front of 7,831 duration. It was long a point of discus- to play for Brighton & Hove Albion,
at Josephs Road. Guildford couldn’t sion amongst City fans as to whether Fulham and Queens Park Rangers in
repeat their heroics in the next round this golden City team would eventu- a long-playing career. He also became
when they departed the competition ally have been elected to the Football the only Guildford City player to go on
at another Football League side Don- League if the war hadn’t intervened. to gain full international caps for Eng-
caster Rovers. In a pre-substitute age 1946-1960 land. In another first he also became
three players suffered injury during the When the playing squad re-assembled the only City player to have a road
match and were largely passengers. Fi- in 1946 after the war very few of City’s named after him when Josephs Road
nancially though the 10,942 attendance 1938–39 team remained. That didn’t was eventually replaced by a housing
at Belle Vue softened the blow of a 4-0 prevent another successful season with estate.
defeat. In pursuit of their first South- City again finishing Southern League Won seven of their next nine
ern League title City finished the sea- runners-up. A new goal scorer had ar- Archie Macaulay was appointed man-
son like an express train, winning nine rived at Josephs Road in the form of ager in 1953 and he set about building
out of their last 10 games. The title Fred Monk who netted 29 league goals another successful side. This culmi-
was finally clinched in the penultimate in 32 appearances. There then was a nated in a second Southern League
match, and to the acclaim of the town period of relative mediocrity until the Championship in the 1955-56 season,
City were Champions! Jimmy Brown 1950-51 season when City secured a with City finishing four points clear
had contributed 38 goals in 34 league third-place league finish. Eddie Pass- of Cheltenham Town in second place.
appearances. Aldershot made a good start and were more’s 38 goals played a large part in Guildford’s championship goals were
FA Cup 1st Round 3-0 up in the first half. But after the City’s season. principally shared by Rick Pearson
Manager Haydn Green was now in break it was end to end stuff but at the Despite a gallant performance and Alec Hope, whilst defensively
demand and prior to the 1938-39 he final whistle the Hampshire side came In 1951-52 finished fourth in the Mick Morton was considered one of
very nearly departed for Torquay Unit- away 4-3 winners. Back in the league league, but the highlight was reach- the best defenders outside of the Foot-
ed. But the city board were very well the prolific Jimmy Brown set an unbro- ing the second-round proper of the ball League. The final years of the
aware how important he was to the ken club record by scoring seven goals FA Cup. A first round win over fellow decade were unremarkable. Indeed,
club, and they managed to ensure that in an 8-1 victory over Exeter City Re- Southern League club Hereford United in the 1958-59 season City went 20
Green stayed in post for a further sea- serves. In a table-topping clash against saw City drawn away at then Football league matches before winning their
son. In the FA Cup 1st Round, proper Colchester United in April a crowd of League side Gateshead. It remains the first match of the season on 21 Febru-
City were drawn away to local Foot- 9,443 assembled at Josephs Road to longest journey undertaken by a Guild- ary. Amazingly they then won seven of
ball League rivals Aldershot. A crowd watch City win 3-1. Again, Guildford ford City side. 150 City fans had made their next nine matches to pull away
of 11,000 gathered at the Recreation came like a steam train at the end of the the pre-motorway 600-mile round trip from the foot of the table.
Ground to witness a tense cup-tie. Jim- season winning their final eight match- to Gateshead and were amongst the 1961-1970
my Brown scored for City in a 1-1 draw es. But it wasn’t quite enough as City 15,000 crowd. The highest attendance The sixties were Guildford City’s sec-
and both teams assembled for the re- finished runners-up by just one point to at any Guildford City match. Despite ond golden period. In 1961-62 the club
play at Josephs Road. The 9,932 crowd Colchester United. a gallant performance Gateshead won returned to the top echelons of the
was a ground record although many War clouds were gathering the clash 2-0. At the conclusion of the Southern League, finishing third be-
felt there were many more attending. In September 1939 war clouds were season in 1951-star half-back Jimmy hind Oxford United who were bound
The resulting match was a real thriller. gathering in Europe and the 1939-40 Langley left the club in a £2,000 trans- for the Football League, and Bath City.