Goals: Allen 30′, 38′, 87; O’Hagan (OG) 40′; Dodd 79′ – Goals: Whitehead 67′; Laing 68′.

Guernsey were not at their best but still put five past Bostik South table-proppers Shoreham at Footes Lane on Saturday.

Ross Allen’s first hat-trick since December 2015, and the 20th time he has ended a match with a three-goal haul, proved to be the difference as Tony Vance’s side continued their encouraging run of results that now amounts to six wins in their last 10 matches.

The visitors has a real go and the Green Lions were below par at times but survived a few scares and three goals in an 11-minute spell saw them go into the break with a commanding lead, with the south coast side punished for not taking their early opportunities.

Flashbacks to the Whyteleafe collapse in the previous home game came flooding back as their carelessness allows the visitors to score twice in a minute midway through the second half. But any fears were allayed by two more strikes from the Sarnians in the closing stages.

The signs were encouraging early on as Allen hooked over from an acute angle when a corner dropped to him at the far post inside two minutes, but it was to prove a false dawn for the opening half hour as Guernsey regularly gifted the ball back to the West Sussex side.

Will Dennis was forced to make two strong stops in the first two 11 minutes, first producing a great reaction block as Alex Laing was sent through and poked at goal from point-blank range, than parrying and claiming the loose ball after an unmarked George Gaskin had planted in a header at the far post.

Those chances sandwiched another close call after Keanu Marsh had given the ball away and Laing fired in low shot from 25 yards that had Dennis scrambling to his right as the ball bobbled wide.

Frank Tobin was to be the next hero in defence as he made a near goal-line block from Laing, whom a loose clearance had dropped to in the area.

It took until the quarter-hour mark for the Green Lions to make any further headway, with a quick free-kick over the top from Craig Young sending Dave Rihoy clear. Rihoy rounded Shoreham goalkeeper James Broadbent but his shot from a wide angle bounced off the post. A minute later, Keanu Marsh drove forward down the right but blazed over.

GFC took the lead on the half-hour, but it’s fair to say it was against the run of play. Allen’s initial cross evaded everyone but Young collected the ball on the right and sent it back into the area. Allen got across his man to poke the ball in at the near post.

That suddenly got Guernsey’s tails up as they won the ball virtually straight back from kick-off and a good move involving Rihoy, Allen, Thomas Dodds and Marsh eventually saw Allen pick the ball up again. He twisted and turned in the area then curled a lovely effort with his left foot that seemed to hang in the air for an age before it cracked the crossbar. Five minutes later, Allen flicked a ball round the corner to send Rihoy through, but hit his effort straight at Broadbent, who parried.

Their sudden improvement soon led to a Sarnian second on 38 minutes as Rihoy helped Dodds’ pass on to Allen, who advanced into the area and stroked the ball past Broadbent.

Two minutes later, it was three as Jamie Dodd’s monster through played in Allen down the left. Rihoy was poised to meet the low cross but in his desperation to get there first to make the clearance, Niall O’Hagan diverted the ball past Broadbent for an unfortunate own-goal.

Shoreham skipper Scott Packer had the last say of the half as he headed a corner wide at the far post.

A lovely move early in the second half almost brought Guernsey a fourth as Young dinked a lovely ball over the top to return possession to the overlapping Marsh. A last-ditch clearance in the middle just prevented Rihoy from getting on the end of the low cross. Seven minutes into the half, Harry Tobin put Allen in on goal but the striker dragged wide with his left foot.

Laing kept Dennis in the action with a low shot from 20 yards that rolled into the Bournemouth loanee’s possession.

Paris Pereira had been introduced for Marsh early in the second half and he had two good chances to add to the scoreline. But he drilled the first effort wide just before the hour after Dodds had won the ball back and Young had teed the forward up, and skewed wide the second after Harry Tobin had flicked the ball on for Allen three minutes later.

The older Tobin brother had to be alert at the other end in between those chances, heading away almost under his own crossbar after a free-kick from near the left byline was headed towards the net.

Shoreham were starting to rediscover the form they had shown in the opening half-hour and Harry Tobin was required again to block Laing’s shot in the six yard box after right-back Sean Roddy had forced his way to the edge of the area.

That was a warning sign as the Musselmen pulled one back midway through the half. Roddy’s diagonal ball from the right flicked off the head of Frank Tobin and found Matthew Whitehead unmarked at the far post, with the number three arrowing his shot into the net despite the efforts of Simon Geall on the line.

Rather than refocus the Green Lions, that led to further sloppiness as Shoreham got a second within a minute. Like their opponents earlier, it was all Guernsey’s own undoing as Geall dallied on a pass back from Frank Tobin. Laing stole it off him, went round Dennis and rolled the ball in.

That set the nerves on edge for the Footes Lane crowd and Shoreham sensed a comeback was on the cards. They came close again on 74 minutes when Laing had a pop from distance and saw the chance deflected narrowly wide.

Luckily, the Green Lions got their act together and started to cause problems at the other end. Allen scooped well over from the corner of the area a minute before Harry Tobin forced Broadbent to stretched and tip wide his arrowed effort from 30 yards after a corner had been half-cleared.

Young delivered the resulting corner from the left and Dodd was there to meet it with his head on the edge of the six box, planting it into the bottom corner to restore daylight between the two sides on 79 minutes.

That cushion freed Guernsey’s shackles as they sought to put further gloss on the scoreline. Young latched on to a loose ball but he caught the ball on the way back up from his bounced and lifted it over the top.

The Sarnians made the game completely safe with three minutes remaining as Allen completed his hat-trick. Dodd burst into the area and pulled the ball back to the number 10 with an exquisite backheel. Allen’s initial poked effort across goal was blocked by Broadbent and the ball looped high into the air, bouncing off the top of the crossbar on its way back down. Allen reacted quickest as he brought the ball under his control, turned and fired into the roof of the net to put gloss on the scoreline.

There could have been even further goals to flatter the scoreline as Robbie Legg as he was put through in the last minute by fellow substitute Seb Skillen, moments after the teenager had come on for Allen, but he hit his shot straight against the legs of Broadbent when one-on-one.

Young let fly in stoppage time after good football involving Skillen, Rihoy and Legg – with Broadbent flinging himself to his left to push it wide. Dodd headed just past the upright from the resulting corner.

The last action of the game involved another excellent stop from Dennis, as he blocked with his legs to deny Laing from the corner of the six yard area as he hit a dropping ball first time.

So despite a somewhat flattering scoreline, the Green Lions could reflect on three more important points that sent them up to 15th in the table.

The rest of the weekend’s Bostik South results were as follows: Chipstead 1-1 Faversham Town, Corinthian-Casuals 3-0 Ashford United, East Grinstead Town 0-7 Cray Wanderers, Greenwich Borough 0-2 Horsham, Hastings United 2-1 VCD Athletic, Herne Bay 0-0 Molesey, Hythe Town 0-4 Carshalton Athletic, Lewes 2-2 Thamesmead Town, Phoenix Sports 0-3 Walton Casuals, Ramsgate 4-0 Whyteleafe, Sittingbourne 0-3 South Park.

Shoreham: James Broadbent, Sean Roddy, Matthew Whitehead, Jack Whitmore, Niall O’Hagan (Ross Myers HT), Alex Gathern, Scott Packer (c), Lee Carey, George Gaskin, Alex Laing, Stephen Herbert (Mitchell Hand HT). Not used: Peter Bullivant, Nicholas Collier, Alfie Gritt.