| BEXHILL UNITED | 0 | – | 4 | GUERNSEY |
| Murray 10′, 16′ Le Lacheur 87′ Wallace 90+3′ |
Guernsey came out of an away clash with Bexhill with four goals for the second time this season after an eventful Wednesday night at The Polegrove.
The scoreline makes it look like a stroll for the Green Lions and it looked like another rout was on the way after two early goals from Sam Murray, but the Pirates did make Guernsey work hard for it in the end and their two clinching goals didn’t come until very late on.
The result means Guernsey have come through a very tricky three-game period with maximum points and have cut the gap to Steyning Town in second to five points with a game still in hand. A sixth victory in a row also marked GFC’s longest winning streak since August-September 2013.
The purple-donned Greens flew at Bexhill in their customary fast start. Just a couple of minutes in, Brandon Wallace was played in by Murray, swung the ball in from the left for Will Fazakerley, who saw his header crash off the top of the left post, with Murray’s follow-up bicycle kick bouncing just wide.
Fazakerley then ran onto a through ball and played it across the six-yard box but an awkward bounce did for Callum Le Lacheur’s shot from the angle. Jacques Cauvin then drove onto a loose ball and clipped the ball in but Charlton Gauvain volleyed over.
The early pressure paid off inside 10 minutes as Murray continued his fantastic season. Gauvain kept in Jacob Fallaize’s ball, cutting it back for a Fin Patterson cross that set up the big number nine for a simple header inside the six-yard box.
The second came just a few minutes later as a clever free-kick saw Gauvain feint to shoot but instead tee up the overlapping Wallace. His low delivery was not dealt with and Murray followed it in to tap home from virtually on the goal line for his brace.
A high hit by Wallace from the angle was claimed by Toby Whitehouse at his near post as the Sarnians kept up the pressure, while Gauvain picked up a loose ball 25 yards out and sent a shot fizzing just wide.
Bexhill became more composed towards the end of the half but Josh Addison was never really troubled, his only scare coming from a miss-kick but the hosts failed to punish as Charlie Scarles rushed his shot and skewed well wide.
The second half was more scrappy and even but there was plenty of action at both ends. Gauvain sent a free-kick over, while Patterson ran onto a Murray flick and was denied by the legs of Whitehouse, with his follow-up going over.
Addison had another scare that must have given him flashbacks to Saturday when, well out of his goal, tripped an onrushing attacker. The referee took his time before halting play and consulting his assistant and eventually the correct decision was made that there were plenty of covering defenders and the incident was well away from goal, so a yellow card was sufficient punishment. The anxiety wasn’t over yet though as Jack Shonk rattled Addison’s crossbar from the resulting free-kick.
Substitute Simon Arnold teed up Murray with a low cross but the number nine didn’t connect properly as he slid in to hook towards goal and the ball bounced just wide.
Gauvain drove through midfield and found Arnold with a ball over the top. The early shot from Arnold was parried by Whitehouse. Patterson picked it up and pulled it back for Wallace who sliced well wide with his weaker right foot.
Whitehouse had to hook over his own bar as Patterson sent a half-cleared delivery back towards goal. The resulting corner was only half cleared and Wallace returned ball into middle with high cross but Jacob Fallaize nodded wide of the near post.
Le Lacheur shuffled onto his right foot and drove high at goal but Whitehouse pushed it over, while Murray’s flick-on from Gauvain’s corner drifted just off target.
The game was far from over and Bexhill came the closest they will come all night as Richie Welch headed a corner against the post. Shonk then put the ball in at near post but the offside flag had long been up against the man that cross the ball from the right.
It was in the final five minutes that Tony Vance’s side finally made the game safe. A flick freed up Wallace on the left and he cut back towards Murray, who managed to nick the ball off his marker’s toe and turn. His shot was spilled and Le Lacheur nipped in to tap in from close range to seal the points.
Shonk couldn’t manage a consolation for the Pirates as he latched onto a bouncing ball, sending his lob bouncing wide.
The Greens added some gloss to the result in injury time. With his back to goal, Murray flicked the ball through to Le Lacheur. A stumble meant he missed his own chance to shoot but he was able to cut it back for Wallace to run onto it and place it into the top corner and notch his fourth of the season.
All the other midweek games in the Southern Combination Premier Division were postponed.
1 Toby WHITEHOUSE; 2 Andy CORRIGAN (12 Mardy OVENDEN, 87′); 3 Dale PENN (16 Harry MARCHANT, 87′); 4 Callum BRAND; 5 Richie WELCH; 6 Kyle HOLDEN; 7 Charlie SCARLES (15 Ash LETUSKE, HT); 8 Max HOLLOBONE (14 Will SAUNDERS); 9 Jack SHONK; 10 Charlie PLAYFORD; 11 Ryan MOIR (17 Charlie CURRAN, 90′).
Booked: Latuske.
1 Josh ADDISON; 2 Niall HAINSWORTH (20 George GOUBERT, 83′); 3 Jamie DODD; 7 Charlton GAUVAIN (c); 9 Sam MURRAY; 11 Brandon WALLACE; 17 Callum LE LACHEUR; 19 Will FAZAKERLEY (14 Simon ARNOLD, HT); 21 Jacques CAUVIN; 22 Fin PATTERSON (25 Tyrese Kelly, 90′); 24 Jacob FALLAIZE. Not used: 10 Ross ALLEN.
Booked: Fallaize, Addison.
Attendance: 195.
