Guernsey 2-0 Northwood
Gauvain 39′; Allen 61′.
Guernsey claimed a second straight home win and earned their first clean sheet of the season in the process as they saw off Northwood at Footes Lane.
A delicious curled effort from Charlton Gauvain and a routine finish from Ross Allen, each either side of half-time, ensured a successful afternoon that saw GFC leapfrog their opponents and move up to 16th in Isthmian South Central in the process, only a draw for Staines Town keeping Vance’s side from 15th.
There could have been an even bigger scoreline on the cards had the Green Lions been more clinical with their early chances. Two minutes in, Smith got on the end of a raking ball forward from Josh Addison and pulled it back from the byline but Matt Loaring scuffed his shot from 10 yards and Dan Purdue was able to make a comfortable block.
Just a minute later, a flick on to Tom Strawbridge’s long pass fell perfectly into the path of Loaring, who drove forward and squared to the near post. Kieran Mahon met it but his low shot was sent onto the base of the upright via the foot of Purdue.
Addison couldn’t have hoped for a more straightforward return to the side for the first time in nearly two years. His first call to action was to field a poorly struck shot from Leo Decabo in the sixth minute, after Thomas Dodds had been closed down in the area.
Kieran Mahon saw another shot deflected wide, this time from outside the area, before a great reflex stop from Purdue denied Loaring from close range after Gauvain hooked the ball back from the byline.
Giovanni Palmer dragged wide across Addison’s goal at the other end, with the ball just too far in front of Shakeel Morris to tap in, while Allen narrowly cleared the crossbar with a rising drive just after the midway point of the half as the visitors failed to clear their lines.
Addison’s biggest contribution came shortly before the half-hour as he made a smart save to his left to deny Declan Nche.
Strawbridge will feel he should have headed in his fourth goal for the club 10 minutes before half-time as he found himself completely free in the six-yard box to meet Ben Le Tocq’s cross, but nodded it straight at Purdue.
Luckily, none of those missed chances were of detriment to Guernsey as they took the lead three minutes later. Loaring clipped a ball forward and a deflection sent it looping into the air. Gauvain read it perfectly, controlled it with the outside of his right boot and curled in a beauty from outside the box that looped over the stranded Purdue to rival Kyle Smith’s opening-day volley for goal of the month.
Liam Mahon should have doubled the advantage within moments of the restart as Gauvain picked him out, but he blazed over the top. In the end, it took until just after the hour for the Green Lions to make the game more comfortable, at a key time with the visitors gaining momentum with a couple more chances.
Man-of-the-match Gauvain broke free down the left and muscled his way past Ryan Avery, squaring for Allen six yards out to guide the ball into the roof of the net at the near post. The visitors were adamant that Gauvain had pulled Avery back in his desire to get to the ball, but the referee was unmoved by the protests, booking the defender and his manager in the process, and Guernsey’s number 10 had his third of the season.
The final 25 minutes or so were relatively trouble-free for the Sarnians, but Addison remained solid, helped on one occasion by Le Tocq heading out from under his own crossbar.
There were chances for the substitutes as the final whistle loomed, but Purdue denied Tom Martin with his legs after a backheel from Gauvain, while the returning Robbie Legg dragged wide at the near post rather than tee up a team-mate, and the Green Lions would have to settle for two.
It was an ideal start to a run of four home games that Vance hopes his side can use to build momentum as we await news on all our rearranged fixtures.
Saturday’s other results were as follows: Ashford Town 2-3 Basingstoke Town, Bedfont Sports 2-1 Binfield, Bracknell Town 5-0 Chipstead, Hanwell Town 3-3 South Park, Staines Town 1-1 Marlow, Sutton Common Rovers 1-0 Thatcham Town, Uxbridge 3-2 Tooting & Mitcham United, Westfield 1-1 Chalfont St Peter.
Guernsey: 1 Josh Addison; 2 Frank Tobin; 3 Ben Le Tocq; 4 Thomas Dodds; 5 Tom Strawbridge; 6 Kieran Mahon; 7 Charlton Gauvain; 8 Liam Mahon (15 Ben Acey, 67’) ; 9 Kyle Smith (14 Robbie Legg, 77’); 10 Ross Allen (c), 11 Matt Loaring (16 Tom Martin, 72’). Not used: 12 Keanu Marsh; 13 Jordan Kelly.
Booked: Gauvain.
Northwood: 1 Dan Purdue; 2 Adam Cash; 3 Juan Pablo Gonzalez Velasco; 4 Declan Nche; 5 James Gurteen; 6 Ryan Avery; 7 Shakeel Morris; 8 Matteo Esposito; 9 Melos Ajvazi; 10 Leo Decabo (17 Abz Sahnoun 85’); 11 Giovanni Palmer (14 Joakim Ehui 79’). Not used: 12 Sam Coles; 15 Matt Surmon; 16 Arnold Linturn.
Booked: Avery.
Attendance: 734.
Highlights are available now on GFCTV.
