| NEWHAVEN | 1 | – | 5 | GUERNSEY |
| Blunt 53′ | Allen 15′, 32′, 65′ Murray 36′, 59′ |
Guernsey made light work of a potentially tough trip to Newhaven on Saturday, running rampant with another five goals to tighten their grip on a play-off place
A lively attacking display saw the Green Lions race into a 3-0 half-time lead, with two more to put the game to bed in the second half after the Dockers had pulled one back.
Ross Allen rolled back the years with as good a hat-trick as you could get, with three finishes of the highest quality. Murray by contrast was the typical number nine poacher – both contributions to his his brace coming from virtually on the goal-line with a collective distance of about a yard out.
Like in the 7-1 thrashing at Victoria Park in the reverse fixture, Tony Vance sent his team out to go for the jugular and catch their hosts cold. Fin Patterson and Frazer Maginnis were absolute menaces on the flanks.
GFC had the ball in the net as early as the seventh minutes as Murray flicked on Josh Addison’s high ball upfield and Allen dinked the ball past Roman Chiosa, but he was flagged offside.
A lovely switch of play from Allen set Patterson away in the right channel but the angle was always against him and he could only find the outside of the post as he tried to wrap his foot around the ball for a shot or cross.
Charlton Gauvain flicked on a long throw for Ben Solway to head down but Chiosa scooped it up, then the Lions took a deserved lead on the quarter-hour.
Murray hooked the ball on for Patterson, who knocked it inside for Allen. The captain took one touch to control with his chest and as the ball bounced up, leathered the ball on the volley from the corner of the box to sent it flying past Choisa.
Murray nearly capitalised on a ricochet off the back of a defender in the box, but as he cut back inside and tried to sneak the ball into the far corner, it rolled just wide. That came just after he nearly poked home as Patterson’s pull-back caused a bit of penalty-area pinball, but Chiosa grabbed the ball in the nick of time.
Gauvain then flicked on a long ball for Murray, who pulled the ball back from the byline for Allen, but the number 10’s low shot was kept out by the legs of Chiosa.
Addison beat away from Ezra Roeg at his near post then dealt with a shot straight at him from Billy Oliver in a couple of rare openings for the hosts. They came either side of another belter from Allen that doubled the visitors’ lead just after the half-hour.
Patterson’s fast feet in the box dragged a few defenders his way so when the ball fell to Fin du Port, he was able to tee up Allen to bend a lovely shot into the far corner with his left foot.
Allen nearly had a quickfire treble as he stole in right in front of goal to meet Maginnis’ teasing cross but Chiosa somehow diverted it wide.
But Newhaven couldn’t keep out the third for long and this time it came from Murray, tapping home from virtually on the goal-line after Maginnis burst into the box from Allen’s slid pass and drove the ball towards goal from the angle.
Noah Hoffman lifted over when trying to pick up the top corner from range while Tom Howard-Bold sent a free-kick harmlessly over, but the Green Lions had been relatively untroubled despite their aggressive high line, with teenager Gil Hunter having another great game at the back.
Newhaven did grab a goal early in the second half to give themselves a sniff, despite the Greens creating two openings in the opening minute. The goal came from Ryan Blunt from close range as he met Lee Robinson’s flick-on from Harry Hammond’s cross.
But any hopes of a comeback lasted only six minutes as Murray got his second and Guernsey’s fourth, again tapping in from a yard out after brilliant build-up play from Allen and half-time substitute Brandon Wallace allowed the latter to deliver an inviting ball across the box.
Six minutes later, the game was well and truly safe. Allen’s hat-trick goal was a mirror image of his second, picking out the far corner with a lovely curler with his right foot.
Addison made a routing save from another Howard-Bold free-kick and the Sarnians were able to get minutes in the legs of a few returning players, with Niall Hainsworth, Tom Vaudin and Simon Arnold all getting a run-out after injury.
It was an important win to strength GFC’s play-off Southern League Premier Division credentials, especially with all the other teams around them winning.
There is now a six-point gap, with games in hand, on Newhaven in sixth. Saturday’s other results were as follows: AFC Varndeanians 1-2 Steying Town, Bexhill United 6-0 Lancing, Forest Row 0-2 Peaceheaven & Telscombe, Lingfield 1-2 Horsham YM, Little Common 1-1 Wick.
An even tougher test awaits next weekend as second-placed Steyning Town visit Victoria Park.
NEWHAVEN: 1 Roman CHIOSA; 2 Arthur RAWLINGSON; 3 Billy BARKER (14 Ash WADHAMS, 14′ (12 Harry HAMMOND, 46′); 4 Tom HOWARD-BOLD; 5 Richmond OSEI; 6 Elliott BRESCIANI; 7 Billy OLIVER (15 Corey SMART, 70′); 8 Noah HOFFMAN (16 Shay TOBIN, 65′); 9 Lee ROBINSON (c); 10 Ryan BLUNT; 11 Ezra ROEG (17 Teddy WOOD 75′).
Sinbinned: Hoffman.
GUERNSEY: 1 Josh ADDISON; 7 Charlton GAUVAIN; 9 Sam MURRAY; 10 Ross ALLEN (c); 12 Fin DU PORT; 15 Ben SOLWAY (5 Tom VAUDIN, 60′); 16 Gil HUNTER; 18 Dave MERRIS (2 Niall HAINSWORTH, 83′); 21 Jacques CAUVIN (14 Simon ARNOLD, 75′); 22 Fin PATTERSON (17 Callum LE LACHEUR, 73′); 23 Frazer MAGINNIS (11 Brandon WALLACE, HT).
Booked: Cauvin, Solway, Allen, Vaudin.
Attendance: 138.
