Goals: Tobin 21’ – Paxman 57’, 60’; Gray 67’; Geall (OG) 85’.

Guernsey’s fantastic unbeaten run was brought to an abrupt end at Footes Lane on Sunday afternoon, with a poor second half allowing Ramsgate to power their way to a 4-1 victory.

In the first half, the Green Lions had looked every bit as good as their recent form has suggested, and they deservedly led through Harry Tobin’s second in two games.

But that side simply did not turn up in the second half, not aided by the visitors coming out all guns blazing in the second half, and missed their chance to move above their opponents in the table as the Rams turned the game on its head in three minutes and then went on to win handsomely.

Ryan-Zico Black struck first after a quiet opening 10. The midfield hounded down their opponents and Paris Pereira released Matt Loaring down the right. Black met the cutback on the edge of the area, but his low shot was blocked. A Samuel Lawford charge-down presented a chance from the angle for Alfie Paxman on 17 minutes, but Stanton reacted excellently to beat away at his near post to deny Ramsgate’s top scorer.

A speculative chipped effort from 40 yards towards an open goal from Loaring drifted high and wide after pressure from Pereira had forced a slip from Luke Watkins outside his area.

But momentum was building and Tony Vance’s side were playing some neat football, deservedly taking the lead on 21 minutes as Black opted for a short corner to Charlton Gauvain. Tobin met the teenager’s low drilled cross on the edge of the six-yard box and sent it into the net at the near post to double his GFC tally.

Ramsgate were almost level completely out of the blue five minutes later when Luke Wheatley fizzed in a low shot from all of 30 yards that evaded the stretching dive of Stanton and struck the foot of the post before rolling dangerously along the line and, luckily, away to safety.

That warning rejuvenated the Green Lions and Rihoy’s dipper from long-range whizzed just over Wheatley’s crossbar and Seb Skillen slammed a rising shot into the side netting from the angle after Pereira’s had burst into the box and teed him up.

Stanton made another strong stop on 37 minutes when Tijan Jadama won the ball off Black and sent Paxman into the area. The wideman’s rising drive was arrowed towards the top corner if not for Stanton beating it wide.

Loaring slipped on the edge of the area after Gauvain’s dangerous cross was only cleared as far as him, and Oliver Gray saw his speculative effort from distance deflected wide after a scramble in midfield.

So far, so good as the halftime whistle went. But the Guernsey team that re-emerged from the second half was a shadow of the one that had domainated in the previous 45. Ramsgate squeezed their defence up the pitch, pressed high and upped the temp – and the Green Lions couldn’t live with it.

Early warning signs came as Paxman cleared the crossbar within a minute of the restart and Stanton beat away another rising drive from Gray.

Aaron Millbank was then guilty of blowing a glorious chance 10 minutes in as he hooked over the bar from point-black range after a dangerous free-kick delivery was not dealt with properly and allowed to bounce in the area.

Two minutes later, the leveller arrived. Stanton could consider himself unlucky after he got down quickly to block a low shot across goal from Jadama, who had got in behind the GFC backline. But he could only push it to his right, where Paxman stole in first unmarked to tap into an empty net.

Within three minutes, they completed the turnaround, but not before Millbank narrowly missed the far post with a curler from the left corner of the area.

The second goal again came down Ramsgate’s right, with Jake McKenzie whipping in a brilliant cross that was drilled in at the far post by Paxman for his brace on the hour mark.

Guernsey never looked like recovering from their slump in performance after that, although it could have been different had Black’s free-kick curled just inside Watkins’ right-hand post rather than just outside it two minute later.

The defence were suddenly all at sea and the Rams looked like they would score every time they attacked. It should have been three on 62 minutes when Paxman cut the ball across for Millbank. Stanton somehow reacted brilliantly to throw out an arm and turn away the shot – his best save of the lot.

Skillen headed wide under pressure at the far post in another fleeting moment for Guernsey, but that was only brief respite as Ramsgate made it 3-1 midway through the half as another free-kick was not dealt with and Gray lased the ball into the roof of the Guernsey net from close range.

Confusion in midfield allowed Jadama to bring another low block out of Stanton, while Gauvain cleared the cross bar at the other end after beating Gray to the ball in midfield. Jadama also headed a high cross wide on the stretch on 77 minutes.

The game was well and truly over as a contest, and it was the Guernsey defence’s own undoing that put the result beyond any doubt with five minutes remaining. Alex Le Prevost missed his header and Stanton made his way towards the bouncing ball. But it seems as though he didn’t make his intentions clear to captain Simon Geall, who was expecting a routine header back to his keeper but instead looped it over him comically into his own net.

There was still time for Loaring to fire wide across goal form the corner of the area, and Millbank to bring one final routine save out of Stanton as he met a diagonal cross on the volley. The final whistle was almost relief for the home faithful, whose side had had a second half to forget as they remain 20th in Bostik South.

It is important the Green Lions put in a strong showing against table proppers Shoreham on Tuesday and bounce back quickly to ensure this is just a small blip rather than the end of their recent momentum.

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

Ramsgate: Luke Watkins, Jake McKenzie, Jack Penny, Luke Wheatley, George Crimmen (c), Oliver Gray, Samuel Lawford (Jake Munday HT), Jacob Mensah, Aaron Millbank, Tijan Jadama (Billy Munday 87’), Alfie Paxman (Kyron Lightfoot 89’). Not used: Liam Dickson, Jordan Bartlett.

Booked: McKenzie, Mensah.