| GUERNSEY | 8 | – | 0 | ROFFEY |
| Fallaize 7′, 41′ Allen 9′, 25′ Murray 28′, 50′, 55′ Patterson 69′ |
Guernsey were singing in the rain as they hammered Roffey to return to winning ways in style at Victoria Park on Saturday.
The Green Lions didn’t let the horrendous weather dampen their spirts as they raced into a 5-0 lead before the break for the second time this season. They had seven before the hour, with one more to round it off with plenty of time to spare in front of a near-500 crowd who were rewarded for braving the driving rain to support the team.
Roffey could have actually nicked the lead in the first minute with what turned out to be their only clear cut chance of the game as Ricardo Fernandes found himself in behind, but hit the outside of the post as he poked the ball past Josh Addison with the outside of his foot.
Jacob Fallaize slammed home from close range after Fin du Port’s curling cross had been knocked down into his path on seven minutes for the lead, and Allen doubled it just two minutes later – meeting Gauvain’s free-kick with his head and guiding it into the corner.
Allen got his second on 25 minutes as Ben Solway nodded down Brandon Wallace’s corner into the crowd. Allen had his back to goal six yards out but steered it towards the corner with the outside of his left foot.
A quick counter made it four before the half-hour mark as Gauvain collected from Addison and played in Sam Murray, who timed his run well, drove in on goal and tucked the ball past substitute goalkeeper Monty Watson-Price.
Watson-Price had replace Claudio Boyake-Sarfo midway through the half after the first-choice Roffey stopper was forced off with what looked like a serious injury after an accidental clash with Murray, who had been chasing an underhit backpass. No blame attached to either player and we wish Boyake-Sarfo a speedy recovery.
Watson-Price clung on to a low zipping drive from range from Gauvain then made a fantastic reaction save to turn Murray’s close-range header onto the crossbar.
But a fifth seemed inevitable and it came five minutes before half-time as Guernsey worked the ball back into the area after a set piece. Fallaize found himself free and finished low into the far corner for his second. The ball bounced out off the inside frame of the goal and Allen tapped in just to be sure, but it was later confirmed that Fallaize’s effort had crossed the line.
The sixth came less than five minutes into the second half as Allen showed quick feet to shift the ball out to Wallace, whose low cross towards the near post picked out the run of Murray to help it in at the near post.
Ten minutes later, Murray had his hat-trick, played in to finish low after the Greens had won the ball back in midfield.
Wallace came close from the edge of the box as his effort was tipped just wide by a sprawling Watson-Price, but substitute Fin Patterson bagged the eighth from six yards with little over 20 minutes to go, picked out by du Port who had come out on top in a tussle with the ball with Ash Mutongerwa and pulled the ball back from the byline.
The hosts came close to adding to their biggest win since September 2014, and the first time they have scored eight since February 2022, but Wallace dragged a sitter wide from close range after intercepting Watson-Price’s ball out, while the Boars stopper denied substitute Frazer Maginnis at his near post in injury time after fellow replacement Will Fazakerley had broken down the right and delivered a low cross.
Guernsey have moved up to eighth in the table with two or three games in hand on all the teams above them. Saturday’s other Southern Combination Premier Division results were as follows: Bexhill United 1-2 Steyning Town, Eastbourne Town 3-0 Peacehaven & Telscombe, Haywards Heath Town 3-0 Little Common, Lancing 1-0 AFC Varndeanians, Midhurst & Easebourne A-A Lingfield, Pagham A-A Crawley Down Gatwick, Shoreham 1-4 Wick.
GUERNSEY: 1 Josh ADDISON; 6 Seb VANCE; 7 Charlton GAUVAIN; 9 Sam MURRAY (19 Will FAZAKERLEY, 59′); 10 Ross ALLEN (c) (22 Fin PATTERSON, 64′); 12 Fin DU PORT; 15 Ben SOLWAY (4 Tom DODDS, 72′); 17 Callum LE LACHEUR (23 Frazer MAGINNIS, 61′); 21 Jacques CAUVIN (18 Dave MERRIS, 70′); 24 Jacob FALLAIZE.
ROFFEY: 1 Claudio BOYAKE-SARFO (Monty WATSON-PRICE, 23′) 2 Jake LEGRANGE; 4 Dan PEARSE ©; 7 James PEARSE (6 Dan PAPPOE, 62′); 9 Lui EDWARDS; 12 Fin BISHOP; 16 Dylan PAUW; 18 Ricardo FERNANDES; 20 Ash MUTONGERWA; 23 Luke HARRISON; 24 Stan BERRY (21 Max MESQUITA, 71). Not used: 22 Freddie BROWN; 5 Jack MUNDAY.
Booked: Legrange.
Attendance: 498.
