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RETURN OF THE GUILDFORD-GODALMING DERBY 29/05/2012
Excited Guildford City are getting all nostalgic after being handed an "emotional return" to the Evo-Stik Southern League.
And with neighbours Godalming Town also shifting across Non-League's Step 4 to Evo-Stik Southern League Division One Central next season, senior football in the area will be buzzing come August.
Double Combined Counties champions City's promotion was confirmed by the FA on Friday (May 25), along with Ryman League Division One South play-off semi-finalists Gs' switch as part of the annual Non-League reshuffle.
City commercial manager Kevin Parker, whose club suffered promotion heartache a year ago on ground grading issues, explained: "It is 38 years since Guildford last played in the prestigious Southern League, where City were for many years one of the country’s leading non-league clubs.
"Sadly after a period of uncertainty, the original Guildford City succumbed to financial pressures in 1974. In 1996 the club was reborn and finally the club has returned to its footballing roots."
He went on: "For all City fans, August will see an emotional return to the Southern League, with exciting looking fixtures, including old rivals Rugby Town and local derbies against Godalming Town."
First team manager Kevin Rayner is just happy to be on the way up at last, saying: "I'm not too fussed which league it is. We know a lot of the clubs in the Ryman but there's less travelling in the Southern and it's a decent league.
"Historically and for the fans it's great to go back into the Southern League - it's on the road to getting the club back to where it was."
Rayner - who is relishing two derby clashes with Gs - added: "It's a great relief to see us in the Southern. Even after we had won it [the Combined Counties Premier Division title] there were rumours you hear about us not going up. It's a year late from my point of view but we're here now and looking forward to it."
Gs joint-manager Neil Baker welcomed the news: "We're delighted. I played in the Southern League for many years so we know a lot of the sides and travelling is less," he said. "In my opinion the top 10 of the Ryman [Division One South] is stronger than the top 10 of the Southern Division One Central."
Baker, who is hoping the fixtures set up Christmas and New Year clashes with City, revealed: "I was waiting by my phone on Friday and was panicking a bit because there was talk of us being put in the [Evo-Stik] South & West division which would have been catastrophic."
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