Guernsey made a low-key but useful start to their 2022-23 Isthmian South Central campaign, sharing the points with Thatcham Town on Saturday afternoon.

After a bright first half from the visitors, the second half wilted into a stalemate the blazing sunshine as the players huffed and puffed in 33 degree-plus heat.

The Green Lions didn’t have the best preparation either. Their coach driver initially got the wrong hotel at Gatwick Airport, then traffic on motorway meant a two-and-a-half-hour journey to Waterside Park. Kick off had to be delayed by 15 minutes.

Tony Vance handed competitive debuts to two players in his starting 11, with Muratti and St Martin’s goalkeeper Jason Martin and Northerners prolific forward Sam Murray lining up on a scorched pitch, taking the Sarnians to a milestone of 100 different players representing the club.

They were joined by Joe Alvarez and Danny Hale, both of whom have not pulled on a GFC for several years. Further debuts would await from the bench.

Murray was always a useful target when getting the ball forward and the pace of Hale gave the Thatcham defence something to think about.

GFC made a bright start, but almost shot themselves in the foot just inside nine minutes after Alvarez tried an ill-advised backheel in his own box. Javin Dougan was in the way to take possession, but his shot was helped behind by the outstretched hand of Martin, his most testing moment of an afternoon that saw him earn a debut clean sheet.

Murray had already seen a half-chance blocked, and came close to opening his GFC account on 13 minutes as he got his head to Hale’s wicked free-kick, but the ball whistled narrowly over the top.

Martin claimed under his crossbar under pressure as Anton Miller hooked towards goal, while Jacob Fallaize timed his header wrong and sent Kieran Mahon’s high corner well over.

Jack Hopwood didn’t know much about it midway through the half as he somehow kept out Fallaize’s back post header, which might also have been diverted towards goal via Murray. It was another wicked delivery from Hale, whose pace had drawn two fouls from Kingfishers skipper Josh Edwards in the opening 22 minutes, the second of which earned him a deserved yellow card.

The ‘newbies’ almost combined for an opener on the half-hour mark as Alvarez’s raking crossfield ball was controlled by Hale at the far post. Murray stuck out a leg but the angle was against him and the ball rolled across goal to safety. Hopwood then blocked Allen’s angled shot after another raking ball forward.

A rare effort from the hosts gave Martin cause from concern as Miller collected Liam Mahon’s loose pass and struck early, but a deflection sent it just wide. Lewis Francis pulled his chance wide from the resulting corner. Weeks then provided another scare as his looping header dropped on top of the net, with Fallaize repeating the same trick in first-half stoppage time.

Five minutes into the second half, Javin Dougan skipped past the challenges of Dodd and Liam Mahon but Martin was equal to the effort across goal, palming it away.

Substitute Ashley Howell almost made an instant impact for the Kingfishers as he worked a yard of space on his left foot in the area but the scrambling Martin saw it roll just wide.

Kieran Mahon drove forward into space in the closing stages but Rob Gerrard got in the way of the shot to divert it wide.

Domaille rattled a shot into the net in the last minute of normal time but the referee had already blown up for a head ‘injury’ to Gerrard, who had clash with Murray, who felt that the Thatcham man had made the most of it to get his team out of trouble.

Both sides were content with a point in the circumstances, and the Green Lions move onto Sutton Common Rovers on Wednesday.

Saturday’s other results were as follows: Ashford Town 0-1 Binfield, Basingstoke Town 0-0 Bedfont Sports, Chertsey Town 4-0 South Park, Chipstead 3-4 Sutton Common Rovers, Leatherhead 0-4 Westfield, Marlow 4-3 Walton & Hersham, Merstham 1-2 Southall, Northwood 3-2 Tooting & Mitcham United, Uxbridge 1-1 Hanworth Villa.

Thatcham Town: 1 Jack Hopwood; 2 Nathan Bovell; 3 Lewis Francis; 4 Nathan Jones; 5 Josh Edwards (c); 6 Rob Gerrard; 7 Anton Miller; 8 Justin Davis (17 Ashley Howell, 62’); 9 Simeon Weeks; 10 Javin Dougan; 11 Cory Hathaway. Not used: 12 Oliver Bourne; 14 Harry Gardner; 15 Jamal Branker; 16 Alexander Miller.

Booked: Edwards, Weeks.