Having been unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Cup last weekend, Guernsey have a chance to put together an alternative strong knock campaign as they begin their Vase journey at Newhaven on Saturday afternoon.
One-time semi-finalists GFC only made it to the second round in their return to the competition last year, their first for 13 years.
The prize for the winner is a home tie against Roffey or Hollands & Blair. The latter would be a new opponent for the Sarnians.
The Dockers have had a decent start to the season, following up an opening day draw with a win over Hassocks, before beating Forest Row in the FA Cup. They finished six points off the play-offs last season – although suffered two heavy defeats to Guernsey, 7-1 at Victoria Park and 5-1 at Fort Road on our only previous visit there. Sam Murray’s brace complemented a stunning Ross Allen hat-trick.
Dave Merris is available again after turning out for York City Legends against Leeds United Legends last weekend, but Allen, Matt Loaring and Brandon Wallace are still unavailable or injured. Will Fazakerley is also away. Ben Solway is set to make his 50th appearance for the club, while Murray will go clear in the top 20 list for appearances as he overtakes Marc McGrath onto 145 games.
Saturday’s match kicks off at 2pm. Fans not making the journey to Fort Road in East Sussex can watch the first half live on our YouTube channel or listen to the full 90 minutes on our @GuernseyFC X Space. Supporters back in Guernsey will be able to watch at the Crossbar at Aztech.
