| GUERNSEY | 7 | – | 3 | SHOREHAM |
| Dodd 1′, 45+4′ Patterson 9′ du Port 40′ Le Lacheur 70′ Gauvain 76′ Fazakerley 90+4′ | Lindsey 20′, 47′ Eckworth-Jones 56′ |
It wasn’t quite the back-and-fourth thriller of October, but Guernsey and Shoreham served up another goal fest as the Green Lions picked up another three points in front of a bumper four-figure crowd at Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon.
The pair shared double figures again though, taking the total to an astonishing 23 goals in just two matches between them.
Despite scoring in both the very first and very last minutes, the Green Lions made it far harder than they needed to despite playing most of the game against 10 men. Their three-goal lead was reduced to one early in the second half and it was a little tense for a while before goals in the latter stages making the score look more comfortable.
The fifth from substitute Callum Le Lacheur brought up a century of goals for the Sarnians in all competitions this season, a total they haven’t managed for more than a decade (2013-14), and also made it seven wins on the bounce for the first time since the mammoth 2012-13 run-in.
It came against a Shoreham side who had shaken off a 20-game losing streak with a draw and a win, and arrived in the island with a completely new squad – not a single player remained in the 16 from the 7-6 at their place.
It was the best possible start for GFC, with just 45 seconds on the clock when Charlton Gauvain collected from a corner and chipped into the area for Jamie Dodd to head home. His defensive team mate Jacob Fallaize almost repeated the trick five minutes later in heading down Fin du Port’s hooked cross after Dodd’s quick through, but Jack Wyatt parried it away.
But the second goal soon game from a sweeping move as du Port intercepted a poor goal kick and swept the ball out to the left for Brandon Wallace. The wideman drove down the left and clipped a ball in that bounced just in front of Fin Patterson, who took it first time on the half volley and drove it home for his fourth of the season just as the clock ticked over the eight-minute mark.
Such a start made it look like a long 90 minutes for Shoreham, but they fired a couple of warning shots to suggest they weren’t going to roll over, once when Aiden Eckworth-Jones chased a ball over the top and just got their ahead of Seb Sheppard, knocking it over the Guernsey keeper, but Fallaize had raced back in the nick of time to prevent the Musselmen number nine from finishing into an empty net.
But Fallaize then nearly put his side in trouble with a header back that fell short. Luckily, Sheppard was well placed to block with his legs at the near post as Jake Lindsey shot from the angle.
Dodd inadvertently got in the way of a goalbound Fallaize header from another Gauvain corner and Shoreham halved the deficit on 20 minutes from a very soft goal from a defensive point of view.
Lewis Cash got through the Guernsey midfield far too easily, manoeuvring away from a couple of nibbles and finding Lindsey, who then shrugged off the challenge of Fallaize and tucked under Sheppard.
But the momentum swung immediately back to the home side as Sam Murray got his head to a bouncing ball ahead of his marker Ben Thomsett, putting himself through on goal. The Shoreham captain made a desperate lunge to bring Murray down just outside the box and had no complaints when he was shown the red card as the last man and denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. Ross Allen’s resulting free-kick dipped but was beaten away by Wyatt at his near post.
Murray and Fallaize had chances blocked within seconds of each other as the Green Lions sought to but the game out of site, the opening created after good skill by Gauvain on the byline.
The Shoreham defence then dallied on the ball at the back, allowing Allen to pinch it back and drive a shot towards the near post, but again Wyatt thwarted the hosts with a block.
Dave Merris was off target from outside the box and Patterson had a good chance snuffed out by an excellent last-ditch block from Kai Birchley, but the momentum GFC were building told again on 40 minutes as du Port swept home a lovely effort from just inside the area after being teed up by Patterson.
Allen headed over and somehow neither Dodd nor Murray could finish a knockdown from a couple of yards out. A defender was also well placed on the post to clear off the line to deny Allen from a common corner routine.
Dodd’s second and GFC’s fourth came deep into injury time with the last touch of the half as he drifted into the area to nod in du Port’s cross.
This left the Green Lions well in command at the break against 10 men and the second half was surely to be a case of how many.
But to their huge credit, the Musselmen fought back and exploited the weakness that Guernsey’s high line often risks to haul themselves back into the contest. They twice lobbed a stranded Sheppard through Lindsey, from the angle to the left of the area, and Eckworth-Jones, from further out. Both came from balls out from the back that left GFC’s defence outnumbered and exposed. Lindsey outpaced Merris for the first as he chased a long ball, while the second came against another high line with Sheppard unsure whether to stay or go.
Those came either side of Wallace hitting the bar, ghosting into the area unchecked to collect a corner after du Port had acted as a useful decoy.
The game became a little bad tempered and Jacques Cauvin went into the book as the hosts suddenly became a little unsteady.
Tony Vance made four changes over the next 10 minutes which steadied the ship and they were all involved to some extent as the hosts those subs restored their two-goal cushion with 20 minutes left. After build-up on the right including Tom Vaudin, Will Fazakerley was sent into the area by a precise Gauvain pass but opted to square the ball rather than shoot. Niall Hainsworth collected on the other side of the area and his delivery ricocheted to Allen. The captain’s low shot was parried by Wyatt and Le Lacheur was on hand to finish the rebound for his second goal in two games – GFC’s 100th goal of the season.
Josh Goddard headed a free-kick wide for the visits on 73 minutes but with the breathing space restored, the remaining 20 minutes or so became about how many more the Greens could add to their tally.
Gauvain almost picked out the bottom corner but Wyatt got down to keep it out, while the Shoreham stopper also spread himself and block with an outstretched leg to deny Murray one on one.
Gauvain finally got the goal he had been sniffing around for as he drove home left footed from the middle of the area on 76 minutes after the hosts had kept up the pressure and sent the ball back into the box. He then nearly turned provide again as he burst past his marker down the left and square for Murray to flick towards goal, but it was cleared off the line.
There was a late dampener on the afternoon as Fin du Port received the ball and with no one anywhere near him, went down in severe pain after landing awkwardly on his ankle. He had to be helped off and needed an icepack, leaving the ground on crutches. There are fears around damaged ankle ligaments, but fingers are crossed that the injury is not as bad as first feared.
Another outstretched leg from Wyatt denied Patterson a second after some lovely football set up a Hainsworth pullback. Some brief respite came for the visitors as Lindsey tried his luck from distance and just cleared the top right corner.
Fazakerly had the final say, tapping in from a couple of yards out after Gauvain was played into the area and unselfishly squared. The final whistle went moments later.
Guernsey moved five points behind an FA Vase-distracted Haywards Heath Town, albeit having played two games more, and Steyning Town’s thrashing of Wick saw them leapfrog to the top of the table.
Saturday’s other Southern Combination Premier Division Results were as follows: AFC Varndeanians 1-0 Forest Row, Bexhill United 1-2 Newhaven, Crawley Down Gatwick 1-2 Seaford Town, Lingfield 1-4 Eastbourne United, Pagham 1-5 Horsham YM, Peacehaven & Telscombe 2-1 Little Common, Roffey 0-4 Midhurst & Easebourne, Steyning Town 8-0 Wick.
Two huge games follow for the Green Lions as they go to fellow promotion chasers Horsham YM next week with revenge on their mind, followed by a home game against favourites Haywards Heath.
GUERNSEY: 13 Seb SHEPPARD; 3 Jamie DODD (2 Niall HAINSWORTH, 64′); 7 Charlton GAUVAIN; 9 Sam MURRAY; 10 Ross ALLEN (c) (14 Simon ARNOLD, 80′); 11 Brandon WALLACE (19 Will FAZAKERLEY, 68′); 12 Fin DU PORT; 18 Dave MERRIS (17 Callum LE LACHEUR, 68′); 21 Jacques CAUVIN (5 Tom VAUDIN, 59′); 22 Fin PATTERSON; 24 Jacob FALLAIZE.
Booked: Cauvin, Murray.
SHOREHAM: 1 Jack WYATT; 2 Josh WHITE; 3 Kai BIRCHLEY; 4 Ben THOMSETT (c); 5 Josh GODDARD; 6 Wilf JENKINS; 7 Jed WARNER; 8 Lewis CASH; 9 Aiden ECKWORTH-JONES; 10 Fletcher FANE; 11 Jake LINDSEY. Subs used: 12 Luca SLANEY; 14 Abir CHOWDHURY; 15 Louie DAY; 16 Wilbur GRIFFITHS; 17 Blaze BROWN.
Booked: Warner. Sent off: Thomsett.
Attendance: 1,017.
