Chipstead 3-0 Guernsey
Goals: Kabuikusomo 28’; Collins 45’ (pen), 62’.
Guernsey’s first away trip since February 2020 ended in defeat to Chipstead.
Perhaps pushed through by adrenaline on their return to Footes Lane last weekend, the lack of preparation for the season, and the number of games each side has played so far, showed as the Chips were understandably sharper at High Road.
The Green Lions looked bright early on but the home side grew into the game. Just a few moments after Matt Loaring had come close to turning in Charlton Gauvain’s low cross from close range – his marker just for a toe in first – the Surrey side took the lead just before the half-hour as Kofu Anokye-Boadi clipped in a cross for Andy Kabuiksomo to finish from close range.
Green Lions keeper James Walker was involved in a collision in coming for a cross that required lengthy treatment and a head bandage. He would eventually have to come off at half-time to be replaced by Jordan Kelly.
But not before he had slid out and brought down Karn Miller-Neave as the left-back burst into the area. Golden boot contender Tom Collins tucked away the resulting penalty to Walker’s to put Chipstead well in command moments before the break.
Charlton Gauvain had a couple of good efforts in the second half, including one where he drove at the defence and hit the post, and Kieran Mahon couldn’t quite stretch far enough to poke home from a yard out after Matt Kerbey had spilled Loaring’s shot from the angle.
But the game was done just after the hour as Collins smashed the ball into the roof of the net at Kelly’s near post from the angle, possibly via a very slight deflection.
Kelly gave a good account of himself in his second-half cameo, putting him into double figures for GFC appearances. A strong double save saw him beat away a shot from substitute Warren Colman before he stood tall to turn away the rebound from Ollie Allen, who drove at goal from outside the box.
As a result of Staines second victory of the season, Guernsey return to the foot of the Isthmian South Central table, but their season is only just getting going and Tony Vance’s side have plenty of games to make up the ground.
The rest of the weekend’s results were as follows: Binfield 3-0 Westfield, Chalfont St Peter 0-2 Staines Town, Marlow 3-0 Ashford Town, Northwood 2-3 Sutton Common Rovers, Thatcham Town 1-3 Hanwell Town, Tooting & Mitcham United 0-1 Bracknell Town.
Chipstead: 1 Matt Kerbey; 2 Simeon Dennis; 3 Karn Miller-Neave; 4 Chris Boulter; 5 Oliver Creed; 6 Jensen Grant; 7 Daniel Moody (15 Tom Annetts, 79′); 8 Ollie Allen; 9 Tom Collins (16 Warren Coleman, 70′); 10 Kofi Anokye-Boadi (14 Kieran Lavery 61′); 11 Andy Kabuikusomo. Not used: 12 Marco Correia; 17 David Wilkinson.
Guernsey: 1 James Walker (13 Jordan Kelly, HT); 2 Frank Tobin; 3 Ben Le Tocq; 4 Thomas Dodds; 5 Tom Strawbridge; 6 Kieran Mahon; 7 Charlton Gauvain; 8 Liam Mahon (12 Louis Graham, 79′), 9 Tom Martin; 10 Ross Allen (c) (15 Ben Acey, 69′); 11 Matt Loaring.
Booked: K Mahon.
Attendance: 92.
Highlights are available to view now on GFCTV.
