Goals: Loaring (pen) 45+1’; Canha 46’ – Miller 4’; Freiter 76’.

A point was probably more preferable for the visitors in this relegation six-pointer at Footes Lane as Guernsey’s wait for a win, and even longer for one at home, goes on.

The Green Lions played plenty of neat football and showed more ambition to win the game but didn’t quite have enough cutting edge at the right times to outgun their resilient visitors.

It leaves the situation at the bottom pretty much as-you-were, with the Sarnians unable to leapfrog their opponents on goal-difference, but they do have a game in hand. With the next two games against promotion-chasing Ashford United and a strong Whyteleafe side, the home game with Greenwich Borough in mid-April looks more important than ever.

With vital three points a realistic target on Saturday, things got off to the worst-possible start for Tony Vance’s side as Ashley Miller waltzed through several players unchallenged and tucked the ball under Callum Stanton inside four minutes.

Before that, Carlos Canha had been unable to bring the ball down after a good move down the right saw Charlton Gauvain work the ball out to Tom De La Mare for a cross, but it took until past the quarter-hour mark for the hosts to register a shot on goal as De La Mare lifted over the top from 20 yards, taking advantage of the Lilywhites wanting the game stopped for a foul. A minute later, a corner was pulled back to Gauvain, who saw his low shot towards the near post saved by William Godmon.

Michael Freiter sent a long-distance half-volley comfortably wide of Stanton’s left-hand post, while Gauvain sent a low shot into the side netting after cutting into the box from the left channel.

Gauvain looked to be Guernsey’s best hope of a revival, next hitting a rising drive straight at Godmon after Frank Tobin had burst forward to work an opening.

 Stanton’s first proper save was a comfortable one just before the half-hour as Donvieve Jones tried to curl one over him from the edge of the box. He was worked harder two minutes later, beating away as Miller cut in from the left and unleashed a powerful shot.

Canha was denied by Godmon from the angle after Liam Mahon slipped him into the area and Gauvain fired a free-kick straight at the wall shortly before the break.

Matt Loaring kept his nerve to level from the spot before half-time, but he should have equalised moments before that as a throw-in was flicked on to Canha, who scuffed the ball towards the back post. Loaring was just a couple of yards out to turn the ball in but was unable to force it past the defender on the line, who had stuck out a leg to make a block.

His chance to reprieve himself came shortly before the half-time whistle was due to go as he ran onto a diagonal ball and went to ground under pressure from Danny Divine. The referee judged it to be a foul, with Loaring holding his nerve to send Godmon the wrong way with what proved to be the last kick of the half.

The Green Lions turned it around just 30 seconds into the restart with a lovely team move. Canha cushioned a deft flick round the corner for Loaring, who danced past his man and returned the favour by delivering a pinpoint low cross to the near post for the Portuguese to turn home for his fifth goal of the season and ensuring he had netted in successive home games.

Now they were behind, Faversham finally decided to come out to play, with Carl Rook leaping to head over Jones’ cross and Stanton saving well as Jamie Maxted headed at goal.

Gauvain’s dug-out cross from the left was slightly too high for Loaring, who could only glance the ball well wide off the top of his head just after the hour. Gauvain then came close again as Liam Mahon recycled a blocked Canha cross and teed him up on the edge, with the low shot whistling just past the post to Godmon’s right.

David Cook’s hooked effort on the turn on 72 minutes was seen wide by Stanton, while Kieran Mahon skewed well over from 25 yards with Loaring a better option to his left.

Faversham had been slowly edging their way back into the contest and levelled with just under a quarter of an hour to go. Guernsey had just about scrambled the ball off the line from the initial attack but the loose ball rolled to the edge of the area, where Freiter pounced on it to fire in low through a crowd of bodies.

The Green Lions set about getting back in front straight away and were denied by the heroics of Godman with a double save. The referee had played a good advantage after Canha had been cynically brought down but De La Mare was released down the right and send in an inch-perfect low cross. Gauvain had bust a gut to get in the box to meet it and hit it first time only to find the Lilywhites stopper blocking his path. Rihoy picked up the loose ball on the edge of the area in a similar fashion to Freitas minutes earlier, but Godmon was straight back up to make a second block.

Maxted scooped well over the top from the edge of the area with two minutes left, and in the last minute of normal time, Liam Mahon fizzed in a low cross, which substitute Will Fazakerley threw himself at for the diving header but was just an inch or two away from making contact. If he had, it would have been a certain goal.

The final effort of the game was nervy for Guernsey as they gave away a foul right on the edge of their own box but Freiter hit it well over the top. The Faversham number 10 was then dismissed in injury time as his trip to stop Gauvain breaking on the counter-attack earned him a second yellow card.

The nerves will continue for a few weeks, but the way they approached this game shows the Green Lions are up for the fight.

The rest of Saturday’s Bostik South East results were as follows: Cray Wanderers 2-2 Faversham Town, Horsham 0-0 Ashford United, Ramsgate 0-0 Phoenix Sports, Sevenoaks Town 2-1 Greenwich Borough, Sittingbourne 0-3 Hythe Town, Three Bridges 1-3 Hastings United, VCD Athletic 2-0 Herne Bay, Whyteleafe 1-1 Whitstable Town.

Faversham Town: William Godmon, Danny Divine, Jamie Maxted, David Cook, Matthew Bourne (c), Ryan Huckle, Donvieve Jones, George Monger, Carl Rook (Jack Sellens 90’), Michael Freiter, Ashley Miller. Not used: Luke Griffiths, Rolandu Onu, Daniel Carrington, Harry Day.

Booked: Freiter, Maxted, Rook, Jones, Bourne. Sent off: Freiter.