GUERNSEY                  2 (Patterson 4’; Allen 86’)
HANWORTH VILLA    1 (Merson 79‘)

Guernsey always seem to find a way to defy the odds when they are up against it most.

Ross Allen couldn’t have picked a better moment for his momentous 300^th goal for the Green Lions as his late winner earned Tony Vance’s side their first home victory since January.

Fin Patterson also marked his full debut with an early goal as the Sarnians dug in with a patched-up side. Sunday’s U21 Muratti, as well as the unavailability of Sam Murray and the suspension of Charlton Gauvain, left Vance seriously short of options. But several players answered the call when they were needed most, despite not being fully match fit. Kieran Mahon was forced to start despite just a couple of minutes of match practice since September, club captain Jamie Dodd and the returning Jacob Fallaize made up the options on the bench despite very little action due to injuries, with 16-year-old Patterson and 18-year-old Alex Ward supporting Allen in attack in what were their first starts of the season.

As if their options weren’t already stretched, Vance was forced into a first-half double change due to a nasty clash of heads between Mahon and Tom Vaudin on the half-hour. Fallaize was one of those thrown into the action, and looked as though he had never been away. He was simply magnificent in the back three, reminding fans of his aerial presence to complement similarly excellent performances from Tom Dodds and Niall Hainsworth in the back line.

Guernsey got off to the best possible start as Simon Arnold took advantage of a lapse on concentration from Olukayode Osu, nipping in ahead of him to reach Allen’s cross from the right. He could have shot himself, but instead squared for Patterson to stroke calmly into the far corner for his maiden GFC goal.

Josh Addison made a strong save to deny Alex Body on 14 minutes after Hanworth Villa forced their way into the box. Sam Mead’s follow-up was deflected wide and George Wells headed over from the resulting corner.

Addison was the man to thank again two minutes later as the Green Lions fell asleep at a quick throw and Finlay Macnab got a shot off from the angle. The Guernsey stopper stuck out a leg to divert it wide. Hainsworth also needed to head vitally from under his own crossbar with an attacker lurking behind him waiting to head into an empty net.

The hosts regained control and were unlucky not to be two up by half-time. Allen was inches away from turning home from close range as Matt Loaring ran onto a pinpoint through ball from Hainsworth and flashed the ball across goal.

Loaring dragged wide across goal after breaking into the area, while a threaded pass from Mahon set Patterson away. His first touch was heavy and the shooting opportunity from the angle was diminished, so he instead pulled back from Ward, who forced a save from Mark Smith at his near post.

Body nearly snuck in a leveller on 41 minutes as his shot was deflected past Addison, but the ball bounced mercifully off the foot of the post and into the arms of the grateful keeper.

Substitute Oscar Leadbeater tried his luck from range seconds before the break as he collected a cleared corner. He struck it well enough but it rolled through to Smith, who gathered.

Allen had two good chances to get his 300^th goal earlier than he did. First, he stretched to poke wide after a lovely first-time ball round the corner from Ward had set Patterson away down the right to drill in a cross. The number 10 also lifted well over from range having cut in from the wing.

Frazer Maginnis was one of those to answer Vance’s call and came on to make his debut with 20 minutes left. He was to have a much more significant impact in the closing stages, but first dragged wide from distance on 77 minutes.

A couple of Villa headers from corners went wayward as they sought a way back into the game, and Addison claimed a couple of loose balls bouncing round the six-yard box, but the visitors got their leveller with just over 10 minutes left. Fallaize’s sliding challenge was deemed a foul by the referee, and Sam Merson – son of former Arsenal star Paul and Guernsey’s chief tormentor with four goals in this fixture last season – curled a lovely free-kick into the top left corner.

Once again it looked like Guernsey had dropped points from a winning position, but the Green Lions didn’t retreat into their shells. On 83 minutes, Matt Loaring’s excellent ball into the right channel found the overlapping run of Hainsworth. He whipped in a brilliant ball along the six yard box for Allen, who should have buried it but sent the ball over the bar from close range.

Luckily, that didn’t prove costly. Maginnis was able to mark his debut with an assist as his pass from the right touchline picked out Allen on the edge of the D. Allen still had plenty of work to do, steering away from two challenging defenders before hitting a low shot across Smith into the far corner. The Garenne Stand rose as one to salute their talisman, who showed his appreciation in return as his team mates flocked to congratulate him on his wonderful milestone.

For once, there were no real late scares and the Green Lions saw off any late rally from Villa, even though they finished the game with 10 men after Loaring sacrificed himself in holding back an opponent trying to break away, earning himself a second yellow card and subsequent red that will rule him out of next week’s trip to Uxbridge.

A late comeback from Leatherhead to deny Ashford Town all three points means GFC move up a place to 20^th and have narrowed the gap to the teams above. Saturday’s other Isthmian South Central results were as follows: Ashford Town 2-2 Leatherhead, Badshot Lea 0-4 Uxbridge, Binfield 0-1 Southall, Harrow Borough 0-1 Farnham Town, Hartley Wintney 0-2 Kingstonian, Hayes & Yeading United 4-0 Horndean, Metropolitan Police 0-1 Ascot United, Moneyfields 2-0 South Park (Reigate), Raynes Park Vale 2-1 Rayners Lane, Westfield 2-1 Sutton Common Rovers.

GUERNSEY: 1 Josh ADDISON; 2 Niall HAINSWORTH; 4 Tom DODDS; 5 Tom VAUDIN (24 Jacob FALLAIZE, 34’); 6 Kieran MAHON (25 Oscar LEADBEATER, 34’); 8 Matt LOARING; 10 Ross ALLEN (c); 14 Simon ARNOLD; 18 Dave MERRIS; 20 Alex WARD (3 Jamie DODD, 64’); 22 Fin PATTERSON (23 Frazer MAGINNIS, 69’).

Booked: Loaring. Sent off: Loaring.

HANWORTH VILLA: 1 Mark SMITH; 2 Olukayode OSU; 3 Christian JOLLEY; 4 Shane DUNNE; 6 George WELLS (c); 7 Theo CRAWFORD (15 Bruno ROBERTSON-TINGLE, 88’); 8 Sam MEAD (12 Rayan DJOUADJ, 57’); 9 Alex BODY (14 Quincy PATTERSON, 57’); 10 Finlay MACNAB; 11 Sam MERSON.

Attendance: 589.

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