ASHFORD TOWN     4 (Ridgley pen 14'; Goulter 50'; Dougan 66'; Johnson 86')
GUERNSEY                    2 (Domaille 53'; Marsh 90+3')

Guernsey endured a frustrating afternoon at Ashford Town on Saturday.

Having started the game well, and being on top for most of the first half, the Green Lions couldn't make the most of the chances the created and were undone by yet another questionable decision against them. To their credit Ashord took their chances at important times and killed guernsey off in the second half.

The hosts were certainly there for the taking, with GFC having three efforts cleared off the line in the first half. The first of those came just five minutes in as Jacob Fallaize was denied as he met Dave Merris’ corner.

Ross Allen got under his shot on the edge of the area after being teed up by Matt Loaring, before Tomasz Siemienczuk skewed a volley wide at the other end.

A neat lob from Allen as he ran in behind was quickly ruled out by the offside flag, then came the first setback of the game for the Green Lions. Lindell Stewart received the ball on the left and  Dave Rihoy came across to close him down. As Rihoy turned his body away, the two bumped into each other and Stewart made the absolute most of the contact as he went down. Rihoy was incensed when the referee gave what was a very soft penalty. Liam Ridgley spotted the ball and hit it confidently into the bottom left corner for a 14^th-minute lead.

Midway through the first half, another Merris corner was flicked on towards the far post. Danny Hale met it but the ball was somehow kept out on the line twice, first by keeper Fred Chapman, who then spilled it, and as Joe Alvarez tried to stab it back towards goal a defender hacked it away before it rolled in.

Josh Addison denied Siemienczuk twice in the space of a few minutes, before GFC were denied a free-kick right on the edge of the Ashford box for what looked suspiciously like a handball.

As the half-time whistle went, the Green Lions had every reason to feel hard done by but also full of belief that they could turn it around. Colin Fallaize, in charge for the day, made a double change at the break, sending on Liam Mahon and Keene Domaille on for Hale and the injured Fallaize to force the issue.

However, that hope took a severe knock just five minutes into the second half as Chad Goulter met Ridgley’s free-kick at the far post and looped his header back across goal into the far corner.

A setback for sure, but there was another twist just three minutes later as half-time substitute Keene Domaille halved the deficit. Loaring was bundled to the ground 25 yards out, Allen’s free-kick hit the wall but the ball ricocheted kindly for Domaille to help it past Chapman.

Addison spread himself to make a vital block to deny Stewart after his one-two with Javin Dougan set him in behind the Guernsey defence.

However, Ashford restored their two-goal cushion midway through the half. Domaille didn’t get enough on his headed clearance and Dougan caught it perfectly to arrow a volley into the top corner – a fine strike.

Dougan should have had another as he burst through the visiting defence but found Addison in his way.

With just a few minutes left on the clock, Guernsey should have set up a grandstand finish as Tom Vaudin turned his man after challenging for Addison’s free-kick. Vaudin centred for Allen at the near post, but he somehow failed to find the target.

Ashford’s clincher with less than five minutes to go came on the counter as Guernsey threw men forward. Ricky Johnson was played in behind and clipped the ball past Addison.

There was time for one last rally deep into stoppage time as substitute Keanu Marsh’s downward header bounced into the net to earn him a rare goal. It was too late for it to be anything more than consolation, and there was only time for Addison to catch an audacious attempt straight from kick-off.

The Green Lions were left rueing a nine-point deficit instead of the three they were hoping for and dropped a place after Sutton Common Rovers’ surprise win over South Park, with the bottom of the table tightening further with wins for bottom two sides Merstham and Tooting & Mitcham United.

Saturday’s other Isthmian Sound Central results were as follows: Chertsey Town 0-2 Marlow, Chipstead 2-4 Basingstoke Town, Leatherhead 0-0 Uxbridge, Merstham 1-0 Northwood, Sutton Common Rovers 4-0 South Park, Thatcham Town 1-0 Southall, Tooting & Mitcham United 2-0 Binfield, Walton & Hersham 4-1 Bedfont Sports, Westfield 0-2 Hanworth Villa.

Ashford Town: 1 Fred Chapman; 2 Matthew Kellett-Smith; 3 Isy Nzelo; 4 Chad Goulter; 5 Dale Burnham; 6 Ben Peden; 7 Lindell Stewart; 8 Wayne Ridgley; 9 Ricky Johnson; 10 Tomasz Siemienczuk; 11 Nathaniel Mensah (12 Javin Dougan, HT). Not used: 14 Yannick Monga-Ebwa; 16 Clyde Ikpo Ondo; 18 Prince Mbengui.

Booked: Kellett-Smith, Ridgley.

Guernsey: 1 Josh Addison; 2 Dave Rihoy; 3 Joe Alvarez (15 Keanu Marsh, 59’); 4 Tom Dodds; 5 Jacob Fallaize (14 Liam Mahon, HT); 6 Tom Vaudin; 7 Dave Merris; 8 Danny Halle (12 Keene Domaille, HT); 9 Sam Murray, 10 Ross Allen, 11 Matt Loaring. Not used: 16 Brandon Wallace; 17 Jamie Dodd.

Booked: Rihoy, Alvarez, Merris, Murray.

Attendance: 108.

Highlights are available now on GFCTV.