Get the lowdown on our next opponents: Guildford City.
The Opposition
Guildford City have embarked on a challenging campaign in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South, currently sitting bottom of the league after 16 games.
Following on from a respectable 12th place finish last term, the Sweeney will have been hoping to push up the division after successive mid-table finishes, but have struggled at the wrong end of the table despite kicking off their 2025/26 season with victory over Thatcham Town.
Led by experienced manager Carl Taylor, Guildford have since been condemned to a host of defeats in recent weeks against Cobham, Redhill, Sutton Common Rovers, Balham, Tooting & Mitcham United, Horley Town, Chipstead, Camberley Town, Abbey Rangers, Tadley Calleva, Knaphill and Sheerwater, as well we being eliminated from the FA Cup, FA Vase and Combined Counties League Cup.
Spearheaded by last season’s top scorer, Manny Acheampong, Guildford have maintained consistency in their ranks having kept a hold of a number of players who appeared frequently throughout the campaign, including Ben Drake (37), Jake Brown (35), Alex Stingelin (34), Joe Atkin (32), Darnell Jon-Peter (22), Joshua Adjei (21), Keoindre Ellis-Vassell (19), Tobi Falodi (18), Deven Reid-Solanki (17) and Jaiden Chang-Brown (16).
City have also added a handful of players to their ranks in their attempt to build on last season’s mid-table finish, most notably Kai Zini, who has bolstered their team and tops their appearance chart so far this term (18) after re-joining the club, having missed much of last season with injury.
Zini has been joined by Marvin Wood, who graduated from the club’s Under-18s, along with Frank Boamah, Ben Matthews, Sam Harper, Jordan Skeene, Bryan Edwards, Maddox Holloway and Robbie Mundow.
However, Taylor’s side will be looking to return to winning ways after a poor run of form in recent weeks, with the Sweeney yet to taste victory since their opening league win of the season against newly promoted Thatcham.
The Manager
Carl Taylor
Carl Taylor is an experienced non-league manager with a career spanning several clubs, and he added Guildford to his long list of jobs when he took over in May 2024.
In his formative years, Taylor played for Brentford, Kingstonian and Staines Town before moving into management at Feltham, and subsequently spent seven years at Maidenhead United in the Isthmian Premier and Conference South.
This preceded 12 months at Hornchurch in the Conference South before taking a break, which came to an end when he returned to manage Burnham in the Southern League Premier Division, before spells at Chertsey Town and Banstead Athletic.
He became known for his tactical adaptability and strong man-management skills, building a reputation for developing players and fostering a positive club culture, with his time with the latter seeing him lead the club to the semi-finals of the Surrey Senior Cup, notably defeating higher-league teams AFC Wimbledon and Woking before a narrow loss to Tooting & Mitcham United. He also guided the team to the top eight in the league prior to the division’s curtailment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One to Watch
Kai Zini
Kai Zini has returned from injury this season, and has been a standout player despite the Sweeney’s struggles so far.
A versatile attacking midfielder or forward, Zini has developed a reputation for his energy, creativity and eye for goal with spells at Camberley Town, Ashford Town (Middlesex), and Corinthian-Casuals, gaining valuable experience across non-league football.
Despite his young age, he’s already established himself as a key player for Guildford and has made more appearances than any other Guildford player this term.
Photo Credit: Guildford City Football Club
Recent Form
Guildford City 0-2 Sheerwater
Knaphill 1-0 Guildford City
Guildford City 1-3 Tadley Calleva
Abbey Rangers 4-0 Guildford City
Guildford City 0-2 North Greenford United
Guildford City 0-2 Camberley Town
Last Time Out
After another defeat at the Spectrum Guildford now find themselves nine points adrift of safety in the still relatively early league table.
A brisk squall and a radiant rainbow sparked the interest of the spectators for a spell but there was little on the pitch to excite, though just prior to the half-time whistle City debutant keeper Mason Whitnell made an excellent save enabling City to go into the break with the match goalless.
The second half looked positive when Kai Zini’s shot from just outside the box zipped inches over the crossbar, but that proved to be the best Guildford could offer. Sheerwater were enjoying good possession and broke the deadlock on the hour-mark, as with his first touch after arriving off the bench, Harvey Valter was played in to shoot home from an angle. The followed this up by having all of the play, and in stoppage time Sheerwater extended their lead when Tom Gardner volleyed home from a corner.
