Connector housings (11, 12) to be mounted on a printed circuit board (100) have a plurality of rows of contacts (13, 14) extending from wall surfaces of the housing (11, 12). These contacts (13, 14) are soldered to conductive pads (23) of a flexible circuit (20). The flexible circuit (20), bent in a generally U-shaped, about an insertion portion (31) of a metallic guide portion (30) which is to be inserted between rows of contacts (50) of a mating connector (40) for interconnection therebetween. The guide member (30) preferably engages a ground conductor (176) on the reverse surface of the flexible substrate and includes extending portions (142) to groundingly engage conductive member (43, 124) positioned at both ends of the housing. In an alternate embodiment strengthening plates may be adhered to the flexible circuit between the opposed arrays of conductive pads and ground contact pads.