Goals: Loaring (pen) 45’, 90+5’; Murray 50’, 61’ – Pepple 22’, 39’, 82’.

Guernsey finally got to enjoy an injury-time goal going their way as Matt Loaring snatched a winner at the death in a seven-goal New Year’s Day thriller at Footes Lane.

It was a topsy-turvy affair in torrential weather, with a strong wind adding to the downpour in the first half, and the surface water caused by relentless rain caused chaos in the second as the Green Lions overturned a 2-0 deficit against Sutton Common Rovers, were pegged back again, then nicked all three points in the fifth minute of injury time – non-league football at its finest.

After a wobbly start and a lifeline gifted to them just before the break, the Sarnians were brilliant to a man in the second half. Every player carried out their job superbly – the substitutes all made a positive impact on the game and the old heads led by example, coming up with the goods when it really mattered. Matt Loaring put in a captain’s performance and was rewarded with another two goals for his rapidly increasing tally, while 40-plus veteran Dave Merris had perhaps his best game in a green shirt.

And that second half came with Guernsey having lost their two most creative players in the first half to injury, with Ben Acey and Charlton Gauvain both forced to withdraw.

The kick-off was delayed by nearly an hour due to flight delays from Gatwick but it eventually got underway with GFC playing into a strong wind that was blowing rain back in their faces. In a tentative opening, the hosts nearly got through a couple of times but lacked that bit of quality in the key moments. Gauvain whipped in a cross that just evaded the run of Sam Murray (with Acey’s shot blocked on the follow up), while the number nine was later denied by a last-ditch tackle on the goal line while trying to make something out of Fin Patterson’s miss-hit shot after the Greens had forced an error in midfield.

That missed opportunity came back to haunt them less than five minutes later as Sutton Common took the lead. Darnell Bromfield let fly from range but his shot shook the crossbar. The ball may have crossed the line already as it bounced down, but Daniel Pepple was on hand to make sure, nodding into an empty net from close range.

The same player doubled Rovers’ advantage on 39 minutes, collecting from Ezra Agyiri and lashing in at the near post. His cupped ear celebration to the Garenne Stand proved to be a tad premature. The goal came as Guernsey were down to 10 men, with Acey opting to leave the field himself with injury rather than go down for treatment and give a substitute time to warm up.

Guernsey began building up a head of steam from the break to try and get back into the contest. Gauvain’s dipping free-kick forced Prince Adegoke to punch over his own bar, and the resulting corner led to the hosts’ lifeline just before the break. Gauvain was central again as he chased a loose ball and drew a clumsy challenge from his marker near the byline. Loaring planted his penalty top left to bring his side back into the game.

GFC’s injury woes went from bad to worse as Gauvain was withdrawn at half-time having required treatment towards the end of the first period. Still, there was a renewed determination about the Sarnians as they came out for the second half. Oluwatamilore Ogunnowo’s dipping effort aside, that was straight down the throat of Addison, they were a much-improved side and were level within five minutes of the restart.

The ball sat up nicely for Jacques Cauvin to have a crack from distance, and his effort was too hot for Adegoke to handle. The Rovers stopper could only parry out to the edge of the six-yard box where Murray slid in ahead of his marker to finish off the rebound.

An hour had just gone when Murray completed the turnaround in somewhat scruffy fashion. Simon Arnold’s determination not to give up on a loose ball saw him nick the ball past Emmanuel Kwatchey on the right wing. His pullback found Loaring who saw a shot blocked before collecting the loose ball and forcing a save from Adegoke at his near post (the ball may even have hit the upright). Neither Arnold nor Patterson could finish off their attempts in the scramble but the ball eventually fell for Murray to force it over the line – a second brace in three games that takes him level with Craig Young on 29 goals for the club, joint sixth in the all-time list.

The condition at this point were horrendous, with surface water from the heavy rain playing it’s part in holding up passes and halting players in their tracks as they tried to dribble with the ball – the sort of conditions where anything can happen, and it made for quite a spectable.

A combination of substitute Brandon Wallace, Simon Arnold and Jacques Cauvain were also causing real problems on the flanks as the hosts remained positive to try and put the game to bed. Murray could only find the side netting from the angle after good work from Patterson to set him up, and Loaring fired a free-kick into the wall after Cauvain had been brought down on the edge of the box. Simon Arnold also cut in onto his right foot for a curler that was deflected wide.  

But the visitors showed spirit to dig in and restored the balance in the final 10 minutes of normal time. A cross was only cleared as far as the edge of the box and Pepple completed his hat-trick with an exquisite effort into the top-left corner.

With previous experience of late turnarounds perhaps creeping into their minds, it looked like a point would turn out to be a good one given they had been 2-0 down, but there was still time for drama.

An overhit cross from Merris almost caught out Adegoke, who initially dropped the ball but just about clung onto it with Alex Ward battling to force it in.

A last-ditch sliding clearance at the back post deep into injury time looked like it might have denied Guernsey three points, but it led to a corner that provided Guernsey’s dramatic winner in the fifth minute of injury time. Instead of a hit and hope into the area, Ward teed up Merris to swing in high ball that hung in the air. Captain Loaring was most alert and rose highest on the edge of the six-yard box to get his head to it, nodding in via the near post to spark bedlam at Footes Lane as he slid to his knees in the wet near the halfway line to lead a full-team pile on as the visiting bench were spitting feathers.

The referee called a halt to proceedings mere seconds after the restart and it was to be an afternoon to savour, the scenes at the end remind us exactly why we love football – for moments like that.

Guernsey remain 21^st in Isthmian South Central but are now within four points of safety with games in hand on all the teams above them. The other Isthmian South Central games panned out as follows: Ascot United 1-0 Binfield, Ashford Town 2-2 Hanworth Villa, Farnham Town P-P Moneyfields, Hayes & Yeading United 2-1 Southall, Horndean P-P Badshot Lea, Leatherhead P-P Westfield, Metropolitan Police P-P South Park (Reigate), Rayners Lane 3-0 Hartley Wintney, Raynes Park Vale P-P Kingstonian, Uxbridge 1-1 Harrow Borough.

SUTTON COMMON ROVERS: 1 Prince ADEGOKE; 2 Luke IGE; 3 Emmanuel KWATCHEY; 4 Darnell BROMFIELD; 5 Bertie LLOYD (c); 6 Evangelos EMPOCHONTSIF; 7 Francis SEY (15, Cam DOBELL, 65’); 8 Bayan AMAN (14 Folarin AWOLEKE, 77’); 9 Christian ADUGYAMFI; 10 Daniel PEPPLE (12 Michael SAMSON, 84’); 11 Ezra AGYIRI (16 Oluwatamilore OGUNNOWO, HT). Not used: 20 Kacper ORLOWSKI.

Booked: Kwatchey, Agyiri.