SOUTHALL 1 (Matthew 56′)
GUERNSEY 1 (Fallaize 2′)
Guernsey dug deep to pick up an important point at Southall in their first away trip of 2025.
Jacob Fallaize’s early goal caught the hosts cold but apart for the odd half chance, the rest of the game was about the purple-donned Green Lions defending resolutely.
Although they had the luck of a missed penalty soon after conceding an equaliser, the Sarnians defended bravely and debutant Seb Sheppard was excellent in goal, making a handful of important saves to help his side to a share of the spoils.
The shock GFC opener came just 90 seconds in after Jacques Cauvin had been fouled as he burst down the right. Fin du Port swung in the free-kick towards the far post, where Fallaize had made a late run to meet it and buried into the ceiling of the net.
Sheppard’s first meaningful action came in the 10th minute, pushing wide as Zak Joseph aimed for the far corner from outside the area. A couple of corners followed that required ricochets to send them off target, with Lanseny Traore eventually curling wide to end the immediate danger.
The hosts were having a lot of the ball around the edge of the Guernsey box, with Ryan Hope firing wide after his side had moved the ball well across the pitch.
Sheppard stretched to get his fingertips to Remy Bennison’s header, taking enough sting out of it for Tom Dodds to head away from the goal line. In a brief moment of respite, Jacob Fallaize tried to catch out Michael Edegbe with a free-kick from inside his own half, but the Southall stopper held it.
Sheppard gathered from Romey Meodad and blocked at his near post to deny Bennison, then parried again as Meodad tried to pick out the bottom corner.
Jacques Cauvin almost scored a spectacular goal as he let fly from distance. The ball was rocketing towards the top corner but Edegbe got his fingertips to it to help it over.
Jaden Thompson-Brissett should have levelled before half time as GFC failed to clear their lines from an attack down the left, but somehow dragged wide in front of goal.
With the Guernsey goal leading a somewhat charmed life, the Green Lions were pleased to hear the half-time whistle for some respite. They tried to catch their hosts cold again in the second half, with Cauvin denied by Edegbe at the near post, and Matt Loaring headed Alex Ward’s corner just wide.
Sheppard scooped wide again as Hope cut in and aimed for the near post and Thompson-Brissett dragged wide again after cutting across the box.
Southall got their deserved equaliser in the 56th minute as the pressure finally told. After a neat move and overlapping run down the left the ball was cut back to the penalty spot for Brendan Matthew to stroke home. They nearly turned the game round from another pull back, but this time Sheppard stuck out a leg to help the ball wide as Aaron O’Connor looked for the far corner.
Alex Ward sent a speculative effort from range low and wide, then Sheppard pulled off his best save of the game, standing strong to tip over as a corner was cut back to the edge of the box for Hope to let fly with a rising drive.
The resulting corner was delivered to the far post and a block from a Guernsey defender prompted the referee to point to the spot for handball. It looked like GFC’s luck had run out but Thompson-Brissett was too precise in aiming for the bottom right corner and struck the foot of the post, with Sheppard having guessed the right way.
Sheppard made another diving save to his left to deny Matthew, and the resulting corner was just about scrambled off the line.
Owen Wallbridge had already replaced Simon Arnold due to a knock and Ben Solway came on for his first appearance of the season to provide fresh legs on the left, but the introduction of Seb Vance for Ward made a key difference as it added another body to the midfield and helped the visitors gain more of a foothold. They did almost get through a couple of times on the counter-attack through Wallbridge and Fin Patterson, but the final ball was just lacking.
O’Connor somehow headed the ball away from goal from virtually on the line when it looked easier to score as the host continued to pose a threat. The Southall number nine also headed over at the far post and collected from Thompson-Brissett in injury time, but a vital deflection kept the ball out as the Green Lions just about held their hosts out to claim a point.
Only two other games beat the frost in Isthmian South Central. Ashford Town were thrashed 5-1 at Moneyfields, while South Park saw a 2-0 lead almost turned into a 3-2 defeat only to nick a 96th– minute equaliser at Rayners Lane. That means Guernsey remain 21st in the table but wins over Horndean and Badshot Lea in the next game week could potentially see the Green Lions out of the relegation zone by the end of next weekend – something inconceivable a few weeks ago.
SOUTHALL: 1 Michael EDEGBE; 3 Azeez ALABI (c); 4 Ryan HOPE; 5 Romey MEODED; 6 Toby OGUNDEGA; 7 Jaden THOMPSON-BRISSETT, 8 Lanseny TRAORE; 9 Anthony O’CONNOR; 10 Brendan MATTHEW; 14 Zak JOSEPH (17 Jordi EBANDA, 71’); 16 Remy BENNISON (11 Makael SCOTT, 64’). Not used: 2 Noah HAY; 12 Darreon MARK; 15 Christian MULINDWA.
GUERNSEY: 13 Seb SHEPPARD; 4 Tom DODDS; 8 Matt LOARING (c); 12 Fin DU PORT; 14 Simon ARNOLD (11 Owen WALLBRIDGE, 59’); 17 Brandon WALLACE (28 Ben SOLWAY, 64’); 18 Dave MERRIS; 20 Alex WARD (15 Seb VANCE, 70’); 21 Jacques CAUVIN; 22 Fin PATTERSON; 24 Jacob FALLAIZE.
Attendance: 117.
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