Goals: Skillen 14’, 16’ (pen); Tobin 24’ – Miller 7’.

Guernsey celebrated their 300th game in league competition by leapfrogging opponents Faversham Town with a 3-1 win at Footes Lane at Wednesday night.

A sloppy start required a visiting opener to kick start the Green Lions into gear, but they played some excellent free-flowing stuff in the first half to race into a 3-1 lead.

Tony Vance admitted afterwards that he was disappointed with a second half that gave the Lilywhites hope of getting back into it, but the Sarnians recovered and finished strongly to confirm an eighth consecutive game without defeat and a third straight win at home to move up to 19th in Bostik South. There was also another first as Harry Tobin bagged his first in a green shirt.

It gives Guernsey a chance of leapfrogging Ramsgate and moving up another place if they beat the third visitors to Footes lane in a week on Sunday.

You wouldn’t have predicted it in the first seven minutes, though, as a poor start with sloppy passing led to Faversham taking the lead.

GFC claim there was a foul in the build-up, but play went on and the defence let Ashley Miller run onto a throughball and slot past Callum Stanton.

That finally shook some life into the hosts and Paris Pereira’s shot that rose well over the bar after good work from Harry Tobin on nine minutes hinted at better things to come.

And they did come, on 14 minutes. Liam Mahon’s low cross led to  a spell of penalty-area pinball, Matt Loaring and Dave Rihoy both had efforts blocked, with the ball again falling for Loaring. This time, he shuffled and slotted the ball to his left, where Seb Skillen was waiting to stroke across goal into the far corner via the post.

Within two minutes, Guernsey – and Skillen in particular – turned the game on its head with a second. Rihoy sent Keanu Marsh into the right side of the box, and his turn drew a trip from Renford Tenyue. Skillen assumed responsibility and placed the ball neatly to Simon Overland’s left for his second.

The Green Lions were now oozing confidence and made it three just after the halfway point in the half. In a good passing move, the ball travelled all the way from the left wing to the right, where Rihoy was able to tee up Pereira. The number nine showed good footwork to dig out a cross, which was met by Tobin. His initial effort hit the foot of the post but the left-back reacted quickest to stab home the rebound and bring clear daylight to the scoreline.

Tobin could even have doubled his GFC career tally four minutes later but fired straight into the midriff of Overland after a neat one-two with Skillen.

Stanton got down well to his left to hold a dipping free-kick from Danny Walder just before the half-hour to remind the Green Lions that their opponents were still a threat, with Skillen curling well over the bar from the corner of the area at the other end a few minutes later.

Mahon tried his luck on 36 minutes when a corner was pulled back to him. He struck it on the volley after it bounced up but sent it flying wide of Overland’s left-hand post.

A break down the left in stoppage-time threatened to halve the deficit but Harry Stannard was off-balance and under pressure as he hit it and sent it well wide.

Guernsey were very slow to get going again in the second half and the first 20 minutes belonged to Faversham, with Ollie Lee (wide), Stannard (just over) Williams (twice wide) and Ben Chapman (wide), all narrowly missing the target in that time.

Ryan-Zico Black’s introduction from the bench finally steadied the ship and he came close to making it four moments after coming on as he sprinted forward to finish off a move involving Skillen, substitute Dominic Heaume and Loaring. He reached it on the edge of the box but the ball stuck under his feet, allowing the Lilywhites defence to snuff out the shot.

Luke Griffiths cleared the bar with a shot for the visitors on 71 minutes and Tobin slid in to make an important block to deny the winger, but GFC were getting a grip back on the game now.

Mahon had a shot deflected wide when Heaume was better placed, and Charlton Gauvain almost put the icing on the cake in stoppage-time after a flowing move but lifted the ball just over the top as he stretched for it just inside the area.

But the Green Lions had to settle for just three, but another important win keeps their run going.

The other midweek result saw Thamesmead Town beat Shoreham 4-1.

Faversham Town: Simon Overland, Chris Barnard (Daniel Carrington 68’), Renford Tenyue, Danny Walder ©, Ryan Cheek, Ollie Lee, Ben Chapman, George Monger, Ashley Miller, Harry Stannard, Luke Griffiths. Not used: Thomas Benham.

Booked: Monger.