Goals: Allen (pen) 27′, 55′, 90+1′ – Hippolyte 22′; Taylor 30′; Yala 62′.

Ross Allen rolled back the years with a brilliant hat-trick to snatch a valuable point for Guernsey against another play-off hopeful in Chertsey Town.

It was his first treble since he bagged three against Shoreham in November 2017 and demonstrated all the traits that make him so deadly – cool from the spot, capable of the spectacular and being in the right place at the right time for the scruffier finishes.

Each was an equaliser as the Green Lions showed great resilience to come from behind three times. They refused to be beaten with Allen’s clincher coming in second-half injury time.

They were especially needed as the Green Lions’ makeshift backline – missing first-choice centre-backs Jacob Fallaize and Jamie Dodd to injury – struggled to cope with the pace of the rapid Jonathan Hippolyte. The Curfews were left rueing their wastefulness in front of goal.

GFC started brightly though, with Allen’s low shot blocked after another of his classic corner runs, with Tom Vaudin heading wide after Keanu Marsh had done brilliantly to recycle the ball on the right, beat his man and cross.

Josh Addison then reacted brilliantly to deny Hippolyte on the turn in the middle of the area, with Glenn Yala ballooning the rebound.

The Curfews were showing why they were in contention for promotion and led midway through the first half as the ball was dinked forward by Alexander Paine. It was inch perfect, just out of reach of Tom Dodds’ attempted header, and Hippolyte ran clear and kept his cool to tuck past Addison.

The Sarnians weren’t behind for long, though. Chertsey went to sleep as the referee restarted play with a drop ball, with Liam Mahon collecting it on the left of the area and finding Allen. The forward went down under a challenge and the referee decided there was enough contact from his marker and pointed to the spot.

The visitors tried all the tricks to put Allen off and delay the kick, protesting with the referee, getting in Allen’s face and scuffing up the penalty spot, an act for which Kieran Murphy picked up a deserved yellow card. Allen remained unfazed. When he was eventually able to take the kick, he drilled it confidently low to Nicholas Jupp’s left to level it up.

Guernsey were breathing a sigh of relief shortly afterwards when William Montague’s point-blank header shook the crossbar and bounced on the line.

But that luck ran out straight away as Bryan Taylor worked space on the edge of the area and guided the ball back across goal into the bottom corner.

Addison thrice denied Chertsey’s danger man as Hippolyte continued to get in behind Guernsey’s defence, and the hosts were probably glad of a chance to regroup at half-time.

Allen’s second to level for a second time 10 minutes into the second half was the best of the lot, and will go up there with his most memorable. Merris’ high hopeful ball from halfway should have been dealt with comfortably by the Chertsey defence, but Murphy committed the cardinal sin of letting it bounce, and it sat up nicely for Allen to let fly with a left-footed volley that looped over Jupp. You could only sit back and applaud the finish.

Taylor nearly volleyed his side back in front as Hippolyte hooked the ball in his direction, but it flew just over Addison’s crossbar.

The Green Lions defence fell asleep as Chertsey went in front for a third time just after the hour. Manolis Gogonas picked out the run of Yala, who was left free to slot past Addison’s outstretched leg.

Montague should have wrapped the points up after Marsh was a little too casual in central defence, but blazed over after cutting back onto his right foot. At the other end, Allen evaded close attention from several defenders but lifted the ball beyond the far post.

The Curfews probably had every right to be aggrieved when they found the back of the net for a fourth time only to see it chalked off. Samuel Murphy’s low ball across the six-yard box was turned in by Taylor, but the offside flag culled the celebrations, with it unclear who the  guilty man actually was.

Guernsey, however, will argue that they were due some luck of that nature after some of the questionable decisions that have gone against them this season. They have also rediscovered their resilience since the turn of the year, and that was manifested again as Allen completed his hat-trick, also his 250^th league goal for the club, as the game ticked into stoppage time.

Alverez slung a throw-in towards the six-yard box and Murray rose to flick it on. Allen had ghosted into the six-yard box and helped it on past Jupp into the far corner. Chertsey asked for an offside flag but Scott Day was playing Allen on and the Green Lions were level again. The reaction was wild, with all 11 players piling in to celebrate with the fans behind the goal.

There was a even a chance to nick all three points with the last kick of the game after Allen was felled by Ronny Mfinda. Allen’s free-kick bounced wide and the final whistle was sounded immediately afterwards.

No uber-dramatic end then, but the point proved a very useful one as it got another promotion hopeful out the way without being dragged back by the bottom four, all of whom failed to win. It also kept them out of the relegation play-off spots.

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

Chertsey Town: 1 Nicholas Jupp; 2 Manolis Gogonas; 3 Mason Welch-Turner; 4 Alexander Paine (17 Ronny Mfinda, 60′); 5 Kieran Murphy; 6 Quincey Rowe; 7 Samuel Murphy; 8 Glenn Yala (15 Reece Price Placid, 82′); 9 Jonathan Hippolyte (12 Scott Day, 86′); 11 Bryan Taylor. Not used: 14 Darryl Harrison; 16 Rowan Smith.

Booked: Paine, Murphy, Yala, Montague.