Guernsey       0
Uxbridge        2 (Jackson 21’; Poley 69’)

Another opportunity for Guernsey to move into midtable has slipped away after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Uxbridge on Sunday afternoon.

It might have panned out differently if the Green Lions had been given the lift of a goal on the stroke of half-time that was controversially ruled out, but on the balance of play the visitors could consider their three points deserved, with the hosts struggling to create much going forward, despite the return of Ross Allen. Tony Vance's side are really missing the creativity of the injured Charlton Gauvain.

The opening 20 minutes of dominance from the blue-shirted reds set the tone for most of the match, with GFC struggling to keep the ball or get out of their half.

Less than five minutes in, Alexander Witham picked the ball up in space and let and let fly from distance, an early tester for Josh Addison in the rain, but the ball skidded up off the turf into his grasp. Victor Osubu then tried to sneak one in at the near post from the angle but Addison got down and held it.

Addison was front and centre again to get across out and smother a shot from Joseph Jackson coming onto a ball across goal from Witham, after Jamie Dodd had made an initial brilliant block from another shot.

Guernsey’s first chance came from hesitation in the Uxbridge defence, which was pounced on by Hale, he teed up Fazakerley, but the number nine didn’t get a clean connection on his shot and and it skidded into Tyler Tobin’s grasp. Addison then had to help the ball over as a cross from the right threatened to go straight in.

Witham tried his luck on the volley from distance as the ball dropped but it was comfortably wide of Addison’s goal, and Daniel Williams was denied by his own team-mate as Alan Hedley got in the way of his shot after the ball was moved quickly around the area.

With the GFC defence getting very little rest, the pressure bore fruit as the game ticked past 20 minutes, with Uxbridge deservedly getting their noses in front. Matt Loaring got to the ball first in the area but was unable to clear. Hedley collected and found Jackson to his right, and the number six stroked into the bottom corner.

Williams thought he had doubled the lead six minutes later as his shot from outside the area took a deflection and looked like it was going to creep into the bottom corner, but to the relief of a wrong-footed Addison, it bounced just wide.

Maurice Nugent was next in the queue as he came in at the far post to meet a cross and drilled at goal, but Addison stood strong again.

There was controversy right at the end of the half as Guernsey thought they had levelled in injury time. A wicked cross from the right was headed down and collected by Liam Mahon, who drilled into the bottom corner via a deflection off an Uxbridge leg. Fazakerley had jumped out the way of the shot, but the visitors were furious that he hadn't been deemed to have been in the goalkeeper's eyeline, and surrounded the officials after the assistant referee kept his flag down.

They remonstrated and, after a long discussion, the referee and his assistant changed their minds and chalked the goal off, sparking similar protests from the hosts, with Dodd getting booked in the aftermath.

The flow of the game picked up where it had left off after the restart, with the visitors in control. Addison could only turn behind as Witham tried again from range and the ball bounced off the slick surface in front of him, doing similar to deny Kensley Maloney minutes later.

In between, Fallaize headed a corner towards goal and several Guernsey players swung legs at it but couldn’t get the decisive touch, and Uxbridge scrambled the ball to safety.

It came as no real surprise when Uxbridge doubled the size of Guernsey’s task on 69 minutes. A goalbound Williams shot was diverted behind by a Guernsey block and from the resulting corner, captain Elliott Poley found himself free to head into the corner.

In a rare sight of goal for the hosts on 77 minutes, Fazakerley stretched to meet a corner, but couldn’t rise enough to get over it and the ball looped beyond the crossbar.

Addison clutched the ball into his midriff at the second attempt as Williams drove a shot towards him, and the Uxbridge number nine then dragged into the side netting having evaded the challenge of Dodd in the area.

In a late attempt to salvage something from the game, Tom Dodds lifted a bouncing ball over after it fell in his direction just outside the area, which summed up the afternoon as the Green Lions moved onto five games without a win.

Despite 14th being in their sites before the game, GFC remain 19th with the weekend’s other Isthmian South Central results as follows: Ashford Town 3-2 Merstham, Basingstoke Town 0-1 Northwood, Bedfont Sports 1-4 Southall, Hanworth Villa 1-2 Marlow, Leatherhead 2-3 Chipstead, South Park 3-1 Binfield, Thatcham Town 1-2 Sutton Common Rovers, Totting & Mitcham United 0-2 Westfield, Walton & Hersham 3-2 Chertsey Town.

Guernsey: 1 Josh Addison; 2 Tom Vaudin; 3 Jamie Dodd (c); 4 Thomas Dodds; 5 Jacob Fallaize; 6 Matt Loaring (14 Paris Pereira, 67’ (15 Glenn Le Tissier, 84’)); 7 Danny Hale; 8 Liam Mahon; 9 Will Fazaklerley; 10 Ross Allen (16 Keene Domaille, 82’); 11 Joe Alvarez. Not used: 12 Dave Merris; 13 Jason Martin. 

Booked: Allen, Dodd.

1 Tyler Tobin; 2 Maurice Nugent; 3 Mark Goodman (17 Harry Seabrook, 64’); 4 Elliott Pooley; 5 Andrew O’Brien; 6 Joseph Jackson; 7 Kensley Maloney; 8 Alan Hedley; 9 Daniel Williams (16 Gareth Chendlik, 84’); 10 Victor Osobu (14 Mark Bitmead, 73’); 11 Alexander Witham. Not used: 12 Lonit Talla; 15 Stephane Bombelenga.

Booked: Hedley, Poley.

Attendance: 545.

Highlights will be available on GFCTV soon.