Guernsey 0-1 Chertsey Town
Taylor 63’.
Guernsey once again gave a good account of themselves against high-flying opposition but ultimately came up short against Chertsey Town at a blustery Footes Lane on Saturday.
The Green Lions, who had been disrupted by late changes to the squad with goalkeeper Josh Addison self isolating and defender Frank Tobin unable to fly back from the UK because of flight cancellations, were a match for their unbeaten opponents and while lacking a little edge in attack, a point would have been well deserved.
Jordan Kelly stepped in admirably in goal, while club captain Jamie Dodd also came in for his first appearance of the season and looked as if he’d never been away.
With Storm Arwen causing chaos, local officials Derek Gilman, Tony Sarre and Luke Pattimore also stepped in at late notice with the original refereeing team also unable to travel over from the UK.
Lucky for the visitors, they had flown over the night before. They were made to work hard for their victory and in the end were gifted their winning goal midway through the second half.
GFC were against the strong wind in the first half, making getting the ball out of defence more difficult, and they were thwarted as early as the third minute when Ross Allen charged down a defensive clearance, with the ball looping towards goal. It may have floated in rather then dropping so kindly for goalkeeper Nicholas Jupp had it not been for the gale slowing its trajectory.
Bryan Taylor fired well over the top from range before Kelly was called into action for the first time, sticking out a foot to deny Jake Baxter as the prolific forward ran onto a precise pass from Magnus Abisogun and tried to poke past the Sarnian stopper from close range.
Samuel Murphy’s dangerous whipped cross in from the left caused concern as Dodd and Kelly missed it their interceptions at the near post, but they breathed a sigh of relief when the delivery bouncing just behind Baxter, who was trying to flick it in from two yards out.
Allen linked up with Carlos Canha on 18 minutes, but saw his first-time shot cannon off the legs of Andrew Crossley. Charlton Gauvain was nudged to the floor as the hosts tried to recycle, with Dodd’s header from the resulting free-kick floating just off target.
Abisogun eluded several defenders with his tricky footwork on 21 minutes, but there no-one could get a touch to turn the ball in as he fired across the box.
Kelly’s wall block a free-kick a minute later, before and important block by GFC man-of-the match Thomas Dodds diverted a goalbound effort behind for a corner.
Murphy sent Abisogun into the area down the left with 10 minutes left of the half. The number seven evaded both Gauvain and Tom Strawbridge on the byline and stuck the outside of the near post from the angle. Dodd hooked the ball away only for Manolis Gogonas to seize on the loose ball and hit a lot shot and Kelly blocked with his knee. The loose ball cannoned off Crossley, then Baxter, with Kelly eventually claiming as it looped into the air.
Tony Vance’s side nearly snuck an opener before half-time as Canha collected a crossfield ball and quared for Allen to drive into the area. His shot form the angle was parried by Jupp, with the loose ball falling kindly for the defence to clear their lines.
Five minutes into the second half, Abisogun hit the deck in the area with several defenders around him. The referee waved it away, eventually booking the number seven in the aftermath, possibly for diving or for his tussle with Dodd that followed.
Gogonas dragged wide after a neat move by the hosts to send him into the area, while Allen nearly capitalised on a lack of concentration at the other end just before the hour, as he snuck in behind the defence to reach a throw-in that they were leaving to drift through to their goalkeeper. Allen lifted the bouncing ball over Jupp, but put too much on it as it looped over.
Chertsey’s winner came on 63 minutes, Taylor making no mistake in running clear and slotting past Kelly after Tyler McKane misplaced his pass back towards Dodd, instead playing it behind the skipper for the Curfews midfielder to seize onto.
GFC upped their game again in search of an equaliser, with ben Acey driving over the top from distance and Allen’s on-target free-kick headed away by a defender. Chertsey countered from this and perhaps should have down better as they outnumber they home defence, but Ben Le Tocq and Gauvain defended brilliantly to prevent them getting a shot on goal.
Kelly made a big save to keep his side in it with 10 minutes to go. Baxter actually shaped to shoot from outside the area but miskicked and got the good fortune of the ball instead bobbling forward for Abisogun. He dashed into the area and tried to dink it past Kelly, who stood his ground to make the block.
Guernsey’s counter-attack led to a scramble in the opposite penalty area, with substitute Tom Martin initially denied after being picked out from the right by fellow replacement Loaring, who himself got to the rebound but his rising drive was too close to Jupp, who held at the second attempt.
Allen tried to catch out Jupp from range three minutes later but the shot drifted wide.
The visitors ended the game with 10 men as Abisogun was given his marching orders in the dying minutes of the game after being pulled to the ground by Le Tocq, who himself was rightly booked for the challenge, with Gilman becoming fed up with the wideman’s backchat and issuing a second yellow.
But there wasn’t enough time for Guernsey to take advantage and were left with a third straight defeat ahead of another tough trip to Marlow, just outside the play-offs with games in hand, on Tuesday.
Guernsey remain 16th in Isthmian South Central, with Saturday’s other results as follows: Bedfont Sports 1-4 Basingstoke Town, Chalfont St Peter 0-2 Bracknell Town, Northwood 0-3 Ashford Town, Staines Town 0-2 Sutton Common Rovers, Thatcham Town 1-1 Chipstead.
Guernsey: 1 Jordan Kelly; 2 Tyler McKane (14 Matt Loaring, 72’); 3 Jamie Dodd (c); 4 Thomas Dodds; 5 Tom Strawbridge; 6 Ben Le Tocq; 7 Charlton Gauvain; 8 Liam Mahon (15 Seb Skillen, 81’); 9 Carlos Canha (16 Tom Martin, 61’); 10 Ross Allen; 11 Ben Acey.
Booked: Mahon, Gauvain, Le Tocq.
Chertsey Town : 1 Nicholas Jupp; 2 Manolis Gogonas; 3 Mason Welch-Turner; 4 Ashley Lodge; 5 Darryl Harrison; 6 Jay Gasson; 7 Magnus Abigosun; 8 Andrew Crossley; 9 Jake Baxter (15 Scott Day, 90’); 10 Samuel Murphy; 11 Bryan Taylor. Not used: 12 Lewis Jackson; 13 Lewis Gallifent; 14 Quincy Rowe.
Booked: Crossley, Abisogun. Sent off: Abisogun.
Attendance: 548.
Highlights are available to view now on GFCTV.
