Goals: Fazakerley 13’; Loaring 17’, 57’ – Duah-Kessie 27’, 66’, 79‘; Young 32‘; Clark 74‘.

More than 500 fans at Footes Lane witnessed great entertainment in an eight-goal thriller on Saturday – unfortunately, Guernsey were on the wrong end of the scoreline.

It was a feast of attacking football, and if the Green Lions had manged to take just one or two more of the openings they created at crucial times, the outcome of this topsy-turvy clash could have been quite different.

Normally, conceding five goals sees the finger pointed squarely at the defence, but for the most part you simply had to credit the quality of the finishing from Phoenix Sports – although Matt Loaring’s scorching volley was by far the best of the lot.

Despite facing a team they had never beaten, and one with ambitions to finish in the top spots in Bostik South East, Tony Vance’s side took the game to their opponents and were fluid in their advances.

Frank Tobin drove forward and fired well over inside seven minutes, but the majority of the Sarnians’ joy would come down the right, mainly from the again-excellent Charlton Gauvain.

The teenager teed up Tom De La Mare two minutes later, but De Le Mare sliced the shot with his weaker foot, which saw it swerve away from goal with Will Fazakerley unable to connect and turn it in despite stretching for it.

The first sign of danger from the visitors came just inside 10 minutes as Alfie Aldridge found himself free close to goal. Fortunately, he was facing the wrong way and his flicked header looped harmlessly over.

The Lions were in hungry mood, though, and got their noses in front on 13 minutes with a superb team goal. A good move from the back involving Craig Young, Gauvain and De La Mare saw the latter find Carlos Canha on the right. Impressing on his first start, the Portuguese playmaker scooped the ball over the defence for Gauvain to run on too. It look as though the ball had bounced just too far and would reach goalkeeper Steve Phillps, but Gauvain slid in to get there first and send it across goal, where Fazakerley was waiting to tap it in at the far post.

The Green Lions were in buoyant mood and even Thomas Dodds came close to getting in on the act, firing in from distance and seeing the ball bounce into towards Phillips, who held.

Fazakerley should have made it two within two minutes of his opener as De La Mare whipped in a deliciously curling cross from the right. The forward stooped to meet the ball with a diving header but sent the ball wide.

Luckily, it wouldn’t matter too much as Guernsey doubled their lead on 17 minutes. Tobin collected the ball from De La Mare at the back and set off on one of his trademark runs down the right, driving past three men and supplying a wicked delivery. Canha failed to make contact at the near post but Loaring was poised behind him to bury it from close range.

Brave blocking and defenders throwing their bodies on the line kept Phoenix out when Alfie Aldridge thought he had got through.

Liam Mahon’s distance effort flashed wide on 24 minutes, but the Green Lions’ advantage was soon to be halved.

Aldridge slid an inch-perfect pass in behind De La Mare, with Conrad Lee able to get on the end of it and slide it across goal for Jeff Duah-Kessing, who finished smartly from six yards. His size and physicality proved a real handful all game and he would go on to net a decisive hat-trick.

GFC spurned a promising effort to restore the deficit straight away as the referee played a good advantage as Gauvain was fouled but the ball still found Canha, who connected well just outside the area but Phillips got behind it to save.

Defending set pieces has often proved problematic for Guernsey, and it was to be so again as the visitors levelled from a corner. Ashley Probets’ high delivery to the fair post saw Daniel Young rise highest to bury a bullet header past Stanton into the far corner.

Having been on top for the opening half-hour, being pegged back to level terms rocked the Green Lions. Phoenix sensed there was another goal in it for them before half-time and came close three times before the interval, with Aldridge flicking on Lee’s cross only for Stanton to push it away. Kweku Ansah then latched on to Craig Young’s poor pass, drove forward and shot low but Stanton gathered comfortably. The Guernsey stopper was beaten by Ansah’s next effort, but luckily it flew narrowly high and wide.

Vance sensed his side needing geeing up again at the break, and they came out back in hungry mood. Jamie Dodd narrowly failed to get his head on the end of Gauvain’s right-wing free-kick, and saw his low shot blocked from the resulting corner. Loaring then dinked a lovely pass into the path of Canha, with Phillips out of his goal quickly to smother the shot and a defender getting a crucial block on Fazakerley’s rebound from the angle.

Dodd and Dodds combined well to prevent Duah-Kessie getting a clear shot on goal as he drove dangerously into the area, eventually forced off balance by the Guernsey defence and skewed off-target.

10 minutes into the second half, a promising counter-attack involving Gauvain and Fazakerley was only half dealt with, with Mahon picking up the loose ball and finding Canha. He slotted an inch perfect ball across to Loaring, who rolled the ball past Phillips only to see the assistant referee’s flag go up for offside.

But it didn’t matter as just a minute later, Loaring got his reward with the stand-out moment of the match. He had already chipped forward to send Canha through, with the Portuguese forced to check. Loaring continued his run into space, with Canha’s supplying the perfect chip into his path. Showing great technique, Loaring watched the ball over his shoulder before thrashing a volley past the helpless Phillips into the top corner – an outstanding goal.

Guernsey had the chance to regain a two-goal advantage as De La Mare sent in another delivery from the right that was deflected towards Fazakerley. The ball arrived at him quickly and he scooped over from a good possession.

That would prove to come back to haunt the Green Lions as Phoenix got level again. There was an element of luck as a loose ball broke to Duah-Kessie following a scramble, but there was no doubting the quality of the finish as he worked himself some space on the edge of the area and arrowing the ball into the corner out of Stanton’s reach for his second.

The prolific striker, who had already netted five braces prior to Saturday, received some boos from the Garenne Stand, who felt he shouldn’t have been on the pitch having wiped out Stanton as he claimed the ball in the air, then went forehead-to-forehead with Jamie Dodd in the aftermath. The punishment was just a yellow, and Duah-Kessie remained on the pitch to make the difference.

Fazakerley was presented with another good chance after he had flicked on Young’s pass into the path of Loaring. The latter returned the favour by pulling the ball back but in his effort to keep the ball down, the big striker scuffed the ball tamely straight at Phillips.

What would prove to be a key moment in the game saw Canha forced off with a knock. He had been causing such problems for the Phoenix defence and so the Green Lions lost much of their attacking threat, and no further chances were forthcoming.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said about the action at the other end as the South Londoners got in front for the first time on 74 minutes. In a quick counter-attack, Lewis Clark exchanged passes neatly with Aldridge, with the return ball putting him clear to slot the ball under Stanton from close range.

Substitute Qendrim Murselaj almost scored with his first touch as he pinched the ball off a dallying Craig Young and fired at goal but missed the left upright of Stanton’s goal.

It wasn’t much longer, though, before the visitors established a two-goal lead of their own to put the game out of sight. Daniel Young beat his marker to a corner at the far post, nodding down for Duah-Kessie to applying the finishing touch from almost on the goal-line.

The stuffing had been knocked out of Guernsey, who were unable to fashion any more chances without the influential Canha, and were left empty-handed when all had looked so promising.  But it had been a great afternoon’s entertainment.

The defeat saw GFC drop to 17th, with the rest of the weekend’s Bostik South East results as follows: Faversham Town 1-2 Whistable Town, Sevenoaks Town 2-0 Hythe Town, Sittingbourne 0-1 Ramsgate, Three Bridges 0-2 East Grinstead Town, VCD Athletic 1-2 Cray Wanderers.

Phoenix Sports: Steven Phillips (c), Ryan Andrews, Ashey Probets, Zak Byron, Daniel Young, Lewis Clark, Tony Robinson, Conrad Lee (Qendrim Murselaj 76’), Jeff Duah-Kessie (Kyren Mundle-Smith 89’), Kweku Ansah, Alfie Aldridge (Lee Bird 83’). Not used: Kehinde Aileru, Tariq Ibrahim.

Booked: Duah-Kessie.