Goals: Brown 38’ - Wallbridge 85’.

Owen Wallbridge snatched a late point for a battling and threadbare Guernsey at South Park Reigate on New Year’s Day.

With rookie Jacques Cauvin the only option off the bench, the Green Lions fought to stay in the game after going behind towards the end of the first half.

Some resolute defending and heroics from Josh Addison secured an unlikely point and made it three games unbeaten for Tony Vance side.

GFC weren’t going to just sit back for 90 minutes though and did have a few chances of their own, the first inside 10 minutes as Sam Murrary headed over Dave Merris’ cross from deep.

Addison made a sharp save low to his left to deny Deondre Date just before the quarter-hour, while Seb Vance found space in midfield midway through the first half but lifted high and wide.

Brandon Wallace was keen to make a good impression on his first start since November and he threatened to open the scoring on 25 minutes as he beat a couple of players but his effort curled wide of the far post. Murray also closed down his man on the edge of the area and played it inside for Gauvain but the midfielder scuffed his shot and it was blocked.

The hosts’ opener came on 38 minutes as Sam Tutt played a one-two with Jamarie Brissett to reach the left byline. His low cross was turned in at the near post by Aiden Brown.

Dodds blocked well to deny Brissett early in the second half as the Sparks looked to build on their advantage. The same player then rattled Addison’s near post, although the Guernsey stopper looks to have had it covered if it had been on target.

Matt Loaring shrugged of his man and fired wide with just over 20 minutes to go, while Wallbridge nearly capitalised on a careless backpass but a covering defender was there to block his shot.

Guernsey were starting to take more chances to rescue something from the game and got their reward with five minutes left on the clock. Merris hit a high ball into the box and Wallbridge peeled off from his man to meet the cross, knocking it across goal where it crept in the far corner, sparking a near full-team pile on in celebration.

There was still work to do to secure the point but the Sarnians could have nicked all three points themselves as Charlton Gauvain was played in one-on-one but Danny Bracken was out quickly to block the effort.

Addison was the hero for Guernsey at the death, stopping a certain goal as the ball was drilled across the six-yard box and Tutt tried to force it home from almost on the line. Addison somehow got down quick enough to spoon it onto the post and the ball was hacked to safety.

Addison and his defence remain composed in stoppage time to hold on to their precious point, and the hosts fuming at letting slip away what they were expecting to be an easy three points.

The point was enough to take Guernsey up a place to 18^th in the table. The day’s other results were as follows: Ascot United 3-1 Badshot Lea, Corinthian-Casuals 0-1 Chipstead, Hanworth Villa 0-1 Metropolitan Police, Hartley Wintney 1-3 Chertsey Town, Thatcham Town 4-1 Uxbridge, Westfield 3-0 Leatherhead.

SOUTH PARK REIGATE: 1 Danny BRACKEN; James McELLIGOTT; 3 Sam TUTT; 4 Ryan HEALY; 5 Ethan KAISER; 6 William GRIEVESON; 7 Jamarie BRISSETT; 8 Craig McGEE: 9 Aiden BROWN (16 Brendan MURPHY-McVEY, 78’); 10 Sam KING (17 Ollie TWUM, 60’); 11 Deondre DATE (12 Courtney SWABY, 61’). Not used: 14 Tom SMITH; 15 Daniel PAPPOE.