GUERNSEY 4 (Wallbridge 3’; Loaring 26’; Gauvain 44’; Allen 87’)
MONEYFIELDS 5 (De Sousa 15’; Mahhammedkier 60’, 82’; Franklyn 90+7’)
Guernsey blew another golden opportunity for three points at Footes Lane on Saturday, ending up on the wrong side of a nine-goal thriller in a frenzied finish.
The Green Lions had a commanding 3-1 lead at the break and even led 4-3 with just over a minute of the 90 to play. They had opportunities to put the game to bed earlier too, and also missed the chance to extend their lead with an unthinkable two penalties missed by Ross Allen, as well as hitting the post twice.
But it was the same old story as the Sarnians looked exciting going forward but frail under pressure at the back, gifting their opponents a sniff of the game as they pulled it back to 3-2 on the hour to set up the most grandstand of final half-hours.
It was also an opportunity to pull a team back into the mix and move closer to safety – instead Moneyfield have snuck further away. Any more openings like this passed up and GFC will be leaving it too late work their way to survival.
It all started so well as Owen Wallbridge drove in the opener after just two minutes. Sam Murray looked to have an opening for a shot as he drove down the left, but he took two many touches and the chance was gone, with his eventual pullback blocked. However, the Moneyfields defence dallied in getting the ball away and Wallbridge latched onto it to stroke home his third goal in four games.
Charlton Gauvain was unplayable throughout the 90 minutes. His first effort came on six minutes but was held by Moneys keeper Dylan Kramer down to his left after the playmaker had driven towards the box.
Wallbridge had two chances inside a minute to bag a second. Gauvain overlapped for Niall Hainsworth and cut the ball back, but Wallbridge’s first effort was blocked and looped up in the air. He then picked up a loose ball on the edge but this one was deflected off target.
Josh Addison was out quickly to smother Marco De Sousa’s effort after he had broken in behind, but the equaliser came just a minute later as the hosts gave it away trying to play out the back and De Souza curled in via the far post.
Guernsey deservedly retook the lead on 26 minutes. Allen collected Gauvain’s clip over the top and teed up Hainsworth for the shot. His effort was deflected and, with everyone seemingly expecting the ball to roll bhind, Matt Loaring slid in at the far post to turn it in.
Murray volleyed wide from the edge of the box, then cracked a shot off the foot of the near post having been slid in by a lovely Gauvain pass.
Gauvain was the architect of Guernsey’s next big opportunity as he refused to give up on a ball over the top, beating Kramer to it and drawing the foul just inside the box. Unfortunately, Kramer made up for the error in beating away Allen’s spotkick, with Jacob Fallaize ballooning the rebound over.
Luckily the miss didn’t prove too costly as Gauvain got his deserved goal, robbing the ball off Joel Brown in midfield and driving forward before curling into the bottom right corner from the edge of the box to give GFC a two-goal cushion at the break.
Tony Vance’s side had two good chances to extend their lead before the hour, the first as Kramer blocked from Gauvain, who had taken advantage of the Moneys defence switching off as they were only focused on Wallbridge being offside from Fallaize’s header forward. Wallbridge then broke clear into the area but blazed over with options in the middle.
As has happened so many times, the visitors’ route back into the game was a gift as substitute Jafer Mahhammedkier charged down Addison as he looked to clear from Dave Merris’ backpass, sending the ball spinning across goal into the far corner.
The second penalty came midway through the second half, and was a carbon copy of the first as Gauvain was sent tumbling on the edge of the area having nipped in ahead of Kramer. 4-2 might well have killed off Moneyfields’ momentum, but this time Allen’s standing foot slipped and he sent the ball over.
Gauvain almost got a second after good work by Simon Arnold and Murray. Gauvain shifted well into a shooting position, but his low effort hit the foot of the near post and bounced to safety. He also turned and fired wide from the edge of the D with 10 minutes left.
Jacob Fallaize had been forced off with a dead leg and it would prove to hurt the Green Lions as all Moneyfields’ remaining goals came from deliveries into the box that his height and heading ability would have been useful to deal with. For the equaliser on 82 minutes, a cross came in from the left and although Addison made a good save to keep out the initial effort at the far post, the ball was kept in play and eventually turned in by Mahhammedkier for his second after a scramble.
The Green Lions were still looking good going forward. Substitute Fin Patterson could have scored with his first touch but couldn’t connect with Gauvain’s pass. The teenager also scuffed wide from the edge of the area as GFC kept the pressure on. Allen also peeled off on a classic corner routine but his shot was blocked in the crowd.
Allen did make up for his earlier misses with what GFC thought might finally be a winner on 87 minutes. A free-kick came into the box which he flicked on with his head, and the ball found its way into the far corner.
But the hosts could only hold this lead for two minutes as Moneyfields came back again. Another high ball into the box led to some penalty-area pinball, and the ball dropped kindly for Tom Cain to lash home.
Guernsey went forward desperately to rectify the situation and Loaring dragged wide from distance, but it was to get even worse as Moneyfields got a winner in the seventh minute of injury time. It was another scramble and Guernsey didn’t clear their lines, with James Franklyn turning in at the far post to spark delirium among the visitors, who couldn’t believe they had snatched a win after the situation at half-time, with Guernsey’s usual failings coming back to haunt them again.
Ashford Town’s stalemate at Horndean means the Green Lions drop back down to 21st, losing ground on some teams above them and allowing Badshot Lea to claim some ground at the bottom with their first win of the season. The full set of Isthmian South Central results were as follows: Ascot United 3-1 Rayners Lane, Badshot Lea 2-1 Westfield, Binfield 4-3 Harrow Borough, Farnham Town 0-1 Hanworth Villa, Hayes & Yeading United 4-1 Raynes Park Vale, Horndean 0-0 Ashford Town, Kingstonian 0-1 South Park, Metropolitan Police 0-2 Leatherhead, Sutton Common Rovers 0-5 Southall, Uxbridge 0-4 Hartley Wintney.
GUERNSEY: 1 Josh ADDISON; 2 Niall HAINSWORTH (21 Jacques CAUVIN, 57’); 4 Tom DODDS; 7 Charlton GAUVAIN (20 Alex WARD, 88’); 8 Matt LOARING; 9 Sam MURRAY; 10 Ross ALLEN (c); 11 Owen WALLBRIDGE (22 Fin PATTERSON, 80’); 14 Simon ARNOLD (17 Brandon WALLACE, 90’); 18 Dave MERRIS; 24 Jacob FALLAIZE (12 Fin DU PORT, 67’).
Booked: Wallbridge.
MONEYFIELDS: 1 Dylan KRAMER; 2 Harry BIRMINGHAM (14 George BAKER, 69’); 3 Ciaran MARTIN; 4 Joel BROWN (12 Harry SARGEANT, HT); 5 Tom JEFFES; 6 Tom CAIN; 7 Steve RAMSEY (16 Lawrence COOPER, 77’); 8 Marco DE SOUSA (15 Isaac KAMIN, 76’); 9 Scott HILLS (17 Jafer MAHHAMMEDKIER, HT); 10 Callum LAYLOCK (c); 11 James FRANKLYN.
Booked: Mahhammedkier.
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