The new season finally gets underway for Guernsey on Saturday afternoon and it couldn’t be a more exciting way to get under way than the return of the FA Cup to the island to mark the start of a new chapter in the Green Lions’ history.
Old friends Bedfont Sports are the visitors to Victoria Park. Their promotion from the Combined Counties Premier Division North coupled with our relegation to the Southern Combination Premier Division means the Sarnians are the underdogs, taking on a higher-tier opponent in the competition for the first time since our debut season in the Cup in 2013-14 (when we were knocked out by then-Conference South side Dover Athletic).
Our last outing in the FA Cup was in August 2016, when we were knocked out by Thamesmead Town on penalties in a replay, just days after FA Cup football had left the UK mainland for this first time in its illustrious history – to date our only local FA Cup fixture which finished 2-2 thanks to goals from Dave Rihoy.
Seb Vance will be hoping to make his 50th appearance for the club, while some of the youngsters who have impressed for the Development side in the Spirit Cup may be hoping to sneak onto the bench. Our pre-season friendly saw the returns to the club of Callum Le Lacheur and Will Fazakerley, so they will also be keen to make an instant impact.
Bedfont’s best ever FA Cup performance was in 2021-22 when they were just one game away from the first round proper. Their promotion via the play-offs takes them back into the Isthmian League South Central. After a 100% record for the Green Lions across our four meetings in the Combined Counties days, we failed to win any of the subsequent four meetings in Isthmian South Central, managing just one draw, which was on Bedfont’s last visit to the island. They beat us 6-0 in the final game of that season but it wasn’t quite enough to keep them up.
A search doesn’t make it obvious as to their recruitment over the summer, but the club’s social media suggest at least five new signings.
Saturday’s match kicks off at 2pm. Fans unable to make it to Footes Lane can listen to full live commentary on our @GuernseyFC X Space and keep up to date with updates on our social media accounts. There will be a full match report on the website following the game.
Victoria Avenue will close to public traffic from 1pm until 5pm, with access only for permit holders and blue badge holders. Our matchday guide for getting to the new ground can be found here.
