Goals: Allen 19’; Gauvain 72’ – Sibley 34’; Robb 90’.

Guernsey let another victory slip away from them late on at Footes Lane on Wednesday night.

It looked as they might just cling onto three points thanks to Charlton Gauvain’s composed finish with less than 20 minutes to play, but poor game management saw them continually surrendering possession in the closing stages, allowing Horndean to build up a head of steam and force a 90^th-minute leveller.

The Green Lions were even left breathing a further sigh of relief that they didn’t throw the game away completely as the visitors hit the foot of the post in the final minute of injury time.

Steve Sharman and Kevin Gilligan would have demanded a reaction to Sunday’s first-half capitulation against Rayners Lane, and they got it for 30 minutes as the hosts were bright going forward. After an early save from Zackary Willett by Josh Addison, GFC were much the better side. Fin du Port nicked the ball back from a half clearance but shot straight at Hugh Scott from outside the box.

Niall Hainsworth then delivered a low cutback from the right for Gauvain, who cracked a rising drive against the underside of the crossbar with Scott beaten.

Adam Payce arrowed a shot just over the bar after a Horndean corner was cleared to the edge of the box, shortly before a Gauvain corner dropped to Jacques Cauvin to have a volley which Scott managed to paw away.

Guernsey’s opener was deserved and clever. Gauvain won a free-kick in the middle of the Horndean half and disguised his intentions well as he looked to clip the ball into the area but instead slotted the ball into the channel for Ross Allen, who had made one of his trademark runs across the box. All he had to do was swivel and divert the ball into the far corner.

Scott misjudged a couple of through balls in the first half and was grateful that a Gauvain lob, from Hainsworth’s clip forward, lacked the power to drop over his outstretched arms in to the corner.

Just before that, there was a long stoppage as Ryan Keates went down after a tackle. Luckily, the injury was to his shoulder rather than a broken leg or knee ligament injury and Keates was applauded by the supporters as he was escorted off the pitch.

That stoppage seemed to kill the hosts’ momentum and the man who replaced Keates, Daniel Sibley, equalised within a few minutes of coming on. He was the beneficiary of a big deflection that diverted the ball past Addison into the corner after Sam Ashton had teed him up. Sibley brought another diving save from Addison just before the end of the half.

The second half started with a bang as Guernsey worked one of their kick-off routines. The ball was worked to Gauvain who drove into the box before being shrugged off the ball, his appeals for a penalty ignored. Willett’s fancy footwork on the counter attack earned him space for a shot which flashed just wide. Ashton had similar luck when cutting in from the left after Cauvin had misjudged his clearance.

Tom Vaudin almost put his side in front without knowing much about it as a clearance off the line hit him and bounced back towards goal, but Scott was able to claim.

The Green Lions had decided that route one was the best option on the attack, with Addison regularly opting for long kicks over the back of the Horndean defence rather than the Sarnians’ usual build-up through the thirds. This worked to perfection on 72 minutes as Jay Williams misjudged his header, allowing Gauvain to bring down out the sky, run through and slot past Scott.

But this didn’t prove a springboard to victory as GFC struggled to keep the ball on the attack. Horndean smelled blood and got what they were looking for as the game reached the 90^th minute. Willetts was his side’s biggest threat all night and his skill earned him space to deliver the ball to the edge of the area. The Guernsey defence failed to clear their lines as the ball bounced around and it eventually fell for captain Ethan Robb to hit a low volley from the edge of the D that zipped past Addison’s dive into the corner.

It was suddenly panic stations and it looked like the visitors would turn it around from another free-kick into the box. The ball fell kindly for Willetts in the middle of the area and the rooted Addison could only stand and watch as the ball headed for the bottom corner, but it mercifully bounced off the foot of the post and Guernsey cleared.

There was time for one more Addison save from Billy Allcock’s rising drive and the final whistle saw rather unnecessary handbags between the two sides in a bad-tempered finish.

One point from six at home to two teams is a less-than-ideal return, especially with the tough fixtures the Green Lions have on the horizon. Buckle in for a relegation dogfight.

The other Isthmian midweek results were as follows: Badshot Lea 1-1 Metropolitan Police, Hartley Wintney 0-2 Binfield, Kingstonian 0-4 Farnham Town, Raynes Park Vale 4-1 Southall.

HORNDEAN: 1 Hugh SCOTT: 2 Horatio FOWLER (12 Billy ALLCOCK, 75’); 3 Cade DYER; 4 Liam WEBBER; 5 Jay WILLIAMS; 6 Ethan ROBB (C); 7 Casey BARTLETT-SCOTT; 8 Ryan KEATES (14 Daniel SIBLEY, 30’) 9 Sam ASHTON; 10 Adam PAYCE; 11 Zackary WILLETT.

Booked: Robb.