| GUERNSEY | 2 | – | 2 | MIDHURST & EASEBOURNE |
| Gauvain 38′ Solway 79′ |
Pitman 67′ Kimber 68′ |
All photos courtesy of Fran Torode
Guernsey got a point out of a tough encounter with Midhurst & Easebourne at a blowy Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon.
Charlton Gauvain’s opportunist but excellent opener had the Green Lions in a good position but a one-minute turnaround midway through the second half saw them staring at a defeat before Ben Solway’s header earned a share of the spoils.
The conditions made it difficult for either side to play flowing football but there were chances a-plenty. Seb Sheppard was thrown into the side due to Josh Addison’s broken finger and made some important saves and claimed crosses under pressure in the strong wind.
It was a bit of a slow start from the hosts and they had a few scares in the first 20 minutes. A carless pass gifted ball back to Midhurst on the left and a low cross was whipped into the front post for Danny Burroughs, whose effort was deflected just wide. A volley from the resulting corner was goalbound but eventually dived on by Sheppard.
Burrough’s lashed another corner at goal but thankfully it was deflected onto the crossbar before Sheppard collected a low deflected effort from former professional and Jerseyman Brett Pitman
The Green Lions’ first chance was out the blue as they won the ball back high up the pitch and Callum Le Lachuer lashes the ball at goal from distance, but his rasping, rising drive was tipped over by the finger tips of a full-stretch Ellis Grant.
Will Fazakerley glanced a header wide, while Le Lacheur lobbed over from Solway’s flick-on. Fin Patterson executed another high press to play in Gauvain but the angle was against him as she fired wide across goal.
Guernsey’s number seven made full use of the wind to nick the opener for an improving home side. He collected the ball in the centre circle and barely needed to look up before executing a perfect lob over an unsuspecting Grant, who stretched but couldn’t get a touch as the long ranger dropped into the net.
There was an almost instant reply but Pitman’s volley at the back post whistled just wide, while the Caesarean’s 30 yard volley flew over a couple of minutes later.
Gauvain came close to making it two after a capitalised on a poor header back from Charlie Wassmer, but Grant spread himself to turn the ball wide.
Fazakerley’s return delivery from a corner caused a scramble that nearly saw the Greens score again. First Solway’s header was blocked, Seb Vance’s shot was blocked by his own team-mate before the ball was put back towards goal again but scrambled off the line.
Niall Hainsworth swung an excellent ball into the box to find Gauvain at far post in great position, but the captain but steered it wide.
Pitman sent a free-kick narrowly over in injury-time, while Sheppard was called upon to smother the ball as Miles Everitt got onto a flick on and tried to lob just moments after the restart.
Another good block from Sheppard denied Burrough’s as he drove into the area and shot powerfully from the angle, but the shock turnaround came midway through the half.
The equaliser came out of nowhere from a cross in from left, with the wind helping it curl towards goal. Jerseyman Pitman got the slightest of touches to help it in for 1-1.
All of a sudden the game was in their favour. Substitute Callum Kimber was played into the area and managed to touch the ball on past an on-rushing Sheppard – the final touch might have been Solway stretching to tackle, but we’ll give it to the Stags player.
Before that madness, the Lions had been starting to get control of the game, but now they were chasing it. Sheppard held a low free-kick from George Nunn, but luckily it wasn’t too long before Tony Vance’s side were back on level terms.
It came from a set-piece as substitute Brandon Wallace took a quick corner and received the ball back from Patterson before whipping in an inswinging cross, that was headed home from close range by Solway at the far post.
Another corner nearly led to another turnaround. This time it was Solway’s centre-back partner Archie Drillot who headed for goal, but Grant got a cross to claw it away.
Another block from Sheppard stopped Lweis Olajide nicking a winner, while Wallace and the returning Ross Allen exchanged passes neatly on the left before the nippy winger sliced high and wide as he went into the box.
A point was probably fair result that leaves Guernsey as one of just three teams who remain unbeaten in the Southern Combination Premier Division ahead of a trip to Lingfield on Wednesday.
The weekend’s other results were as follows: Bexhill United 2-2 Roffey, Billingham 2-0 Little Common, Crawley Down Gatwick 0-1 AFC Varndeanians, East Grinstead Town 4-4 Hassocks, Forest Row 0-4 Pagham, Haywards Heath Town 1-0 Lingfield, Newhaven 1-0 Horsham YM, Lancing 1-3 Eastbourne United, Seaford Town 5-1 Wick.
GUERNSEY: 13 Seb SHEPPARD; 2 Niall HAINSWORTH (3 Jamie DODD 79′); 6 Seb VANCE; 7 Charlton GAUVAIN (c) (10 Ross ALLEN, 58′); 15 Ben SOLWAY; 17 Callum LE LACHEUR (11 Brandon WALLACE, 51′); 18 Dave MERRIS; 19 Will FAZAKERLEY (5 Fin DU PORT, 73′); 21 Jacques CAUVIN; 22 Fin PATTERSON (16 Corey BROUARD, 79′); 23 Archie DRILLOT.
Booked: Sheppard, Gauvain.
MIDHURST & EASEBOURNE: 1 Ellis GRANT; 2 Owen PELHAM (12 Kieran ALCOCK, 54′); 3 Daniel WISHART; 4 Liam KIMBER (c); 6 Charlie WASSMER; 7 William WEBB (17 Lewis OLAJIDE, 54′); 8 Brett PITMAN; 9 Danny BURROUGHS; 10 Miles EVERITT; 11 Rocco GAMBLIN (16 George NUNN, 60′); 15 Henry SEARLE (14 Callum KIMBER, 54′). Not used: 18 Brandon MILLER.
Attendance: 407.
