| GUERNSEY FC | 4 | – | 0 | LANCING |
| Allen 7, pen 48′ Fazakerley 40′ Murray 45+2′ |
Guernsey FC strolled to three points at Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon, having the game wrapped up before half-time.
The only disappointment of the afternoon was that the Green Lions didn’t score more, hitting the woodwork on numerous occasions and creating a host of chances, especially before the break with Dylan Graham at his electric best. The numerous players Lancing put up against him just couldn’t handle his trickery.
Guernsey should have been in front inside a minute, with Graham instantly causing havoc down the line. Having been manhandled off the ball after one powerful run, he received the ball again from a pass down the line and whipped in a cross that neither Sam Murray nor Will Fazakerley were able to get a head to, but it dropped at the far post where Brandon Wallace blazed it over the bar.
Murray also shot early on the spin when meeting a ball over the top but dragged it wide from the angle.
GFC were awarded for their fast start just as the clock ticked past seven minutes. Graham’s trickery had drawn a foul to the right of the box, and it was a simple as you like as Fin du Port pulled it back for Allen to place it through a crowd of bodies from the middle of the area.
Fazakerley nearly made it two less than four minutes later as his rasping rising effort cracked the crossbar.
Wallace was also unlucky not to score when he closed down a risky ball across the Lancing penalty area, but Eliott Dailly made a good block. The Greens then hit the woodwork again as the resulting corner was headed towards goal by Archie Drillot and Murray tried to help it in but hit the bar. Graham also drew a save from a sprawling Dailly with a cushioned volley at the far post and Solway skewed high and wide from the angle. Ross Allen also curled a free-kick narrowly over the top.
After a brief lull in the aftermath of a head clash, the Sarnians got their inevitable second on 40 minutes after a raking crossfield pass from Cauvin to pick out Graham on the right. He beat his man again and drove in a low cross that was turned home at the back post by Fazakerley.
When Guernsey grabbed a third in first-half injury time, it was no less than they deserved. The Lancing defence just could not handle Graham and fouled him again on the corner of the area and Corey Brouard swung in a free-kick to the far post, that was headed against the upright by Archie Drillot and Murray was there to stab it home from right on the line.
The second half was barely a minute old when livewire Graham caused more trouble, driving a shot that was beaten at the near post. As he tried to get to the rebound, he hit the deck by the byline and the referee blew for a penalty which Allen duly dispatched into the bottom right corner for number four.
It took nearly an hour for Lancing to have their first effort at goal, with Ryan Plummer curling a free-kick over the top. Murray’s dipping volley just cleared the cross bar a few minutes later and substitute Niall Hainsworth headed wide.
Murray should have made it six on 77 minutes as he tried to head in a cross from Allen from close range, but directed his effort onto the bar.
Seb Sheppard had a rare save to make on 84 minutes as he turned behind an effort from Antoine Sharpe on route to his fifth clean sheet for the club in his 20th appearance.
Substitute Fin Patterson drove a low shot towards the near post as Guernsey sought a fifth but Dailly got down to hold it and the Green Lions would have to settle for four.
The win moves Guernsey up to 6th in the Southern Combination Premier Division with teams about them dropping points, setting up a mouthwatering clash with fellow promotion hunters East Grinstead Town at Victoria Park next week.
Saturday’s other results were as follows: AFC Varndeanians 3-0 Horsham YM, Bexhill United 3-0 Billingshurst, Crawley Down Gatwick 3-2 Newhaven, Lingfield 0-1 Hassocks, Little Common 0-1 Roffey, Wick 2-5 Eastbourne United, East Grinstead Town 2-3 Haywards Heath Town, Seaford Town 3-2 Pagham, Wick 2-5 Eastbourne United.
GUERNSEY: 13 Seb SHEPPARD; 5 Fin DU PORT; 9 Sam MURRAY; 10 Ross ALLEN (c); 11 Brandon WALLACE (20 George GOUBERT, 80′); 15 Ben SOLWAY (2 Niall HAINSWORTH, 55′); 16 Corey BROUARD (14 Simon ARNOLD, 83′); 19 Will FAZAKERLEY; 21 Jacques CAUVIN (4 Tom DODDS, 80′); 23 Archie DRILLOT; 25 Dylan GRAHAM (22 Fin PATTERSON, 67′).
Booked: Allen, Drillot.
LANCING: 1 Eliott DAILLY; 2 Isaac BROWN (12 Kai BIRCHLEY, 31′); 3 Alek AMISSAH; 5 Ryan PLUMMER; 6 Dylan HURST; 7 Jay DOPHAM; 8 William McKAY; 9 Kaiden HUMMERSON (14 Antoine SHARPE, HT); 10 Gabriel ROBINSON (16 Archie McGONIGLE, 67′); 11 Adrian JIMINEZ NSUE-SHA (15 Dylan WALTER, 9′); 20 Robert DEDA (c) (17 Mohamed KHEDIDJI, HT).
Booked: McKay, Hummerson, Robinson. Sinbinned: Robinson, McKay.
Attendance: 462.
