Staines Town 2-8 Guernsey
Tajs 29’; Torbett 33’ – Gauvain 24’; R Allen 28’, 38’; Loaring: 30’, (pen) 69’; Jackson 51’; C Allen (og) 83’; Fazakerley (pen) 88’.
Guernsey turned on the style to earn their joint-biggest win at Step Four as they put eight past Staines Town on Wednesday night.
It was just a shame there were only 121 paying customers there to witness it as the Green Lions scored eight in a match for the first time since beating Three Bridges 8-1 at Footes Lane in September 2014, and their first octo-haul on the road since Knaphill in 2011.
An amazing quarter-hour spell saw the back of the next hit six times in the first half before the floodgates really opened after the break, with seemingly everyone wanting to get on the score sheet.
But it was the old heads of Ross Allen and Matt Loaring who led the way with a brace apiece, the former going joint-third in the all-time appearances list (matching Dom Heaume on 270), and the latter joining Dave Rihoy on 79 goals – equal third in the all-time scorers list.
Tony Vance’s side were at it from the off, determined to put further daylight between themselves and the bottom of the table, and build on Sunday’s well-earned win against Sutton Common Rovers.
Ben Acey slipped Loaring through early on but the latter couldn’t make the most of it, scuffing his shot straight at Tautis Poniskaitis.
Inside four minutes, a break produced a chance for Allen as Charlton Gauvain broke down the right and played it across for Acey. The teenager found Allen round the outside but the number 10 skewed his shot wide of the near post.
Still within 10 minutes, Acey’s clip over the top forced Gauvain forced a little wide as he chased the ball and fired over from the edge of the area.
Guernsey should have got their noses in front with one of two chances midway through the half. Allen made his trademark into the channel run to meet a free-kick, and his dangerous delivery flashed across goal. Despite three team-mates running in to meet it, the ball evaded all of them and whistled wide.
Acey could then only fire straight at Poniskaitis from Gauvain’s delivery, with Allen flagged offside as Jackson tried to keep the chance alive.
With a few wasted chances early on, you could forgive any nerves creeping in that the Green Lions would pay for their profligacy, but the dangerous Gauvain removed any doubt.
Acey switching play across to the right for Gauvain had looked a decent tactic so far, and this time it paid off perfectly as the teenager clipped the ball over the top for the number seven, who strode onto it and stroked it past Poniskaitis for the lead.
It should have been two almost instantly as Acey was teed up by Loaring, but Poniskaitis stuck out a leg to divert it away from the bottom corner.
But this was merely a delay as Allen doubled the lead from the resulting set piece. Gauvain made a hash of the pull-back but Allen collected the loose ball, headed left to find space and lashed the ball into the ceiling of the net from the angle.
But any hopes of a comfortable night were quashed initially as Staines got back in it within a minute, and all from Guernsey’s own undoing. Jacob Fallaize careless to the edge of the area was seized upon by Jesus Mendoza, who teed up Maciej Tajs to tap in from close range.
But this action packed first half was far from done as Guernsey made it 3-1, again instantaneously. Acey was brought down as he burst forward from kick-off, and Kieran Mahon whipped in a fantastic free-kick. Again, there was a bit of a scramble, and this time the ball dropped for Loaring, who couldn’t miss from a yard out.
This topsy-turvy half continued to provide value for money as all of a sudden it was 3-2. Jackson chopped down his man on the corner of the area and Jack Torbett placed his free-kick perfectly into the corner with Hanley left scrambling.
There was brief respite before Mendoza’s trickery on the right took him away from three or four Green Lions. He whipped in a cross but the stretching Tajs headed over at the near post.
Tony Vance’s side did find breathing room again before half-time to cap a pulsating 15 minutes, as Allen dashed into the channel to collect a throw-in and finished from the tightest of angles, firing in via the far post to grab Guernsey’s 800th league goal (not including play-offs).
Unfortunately, it spelled the end of his night as he injured himself in the process, and was replaced by Glenn Le Tissier before the break. He nearly made his mark before the break too, looping a bouncing ball over the goalkeeper only to see it headed away a couple of yards off the line, not long after Hanley had fallen on a low effort from Tajs at the other end.
Hanley stretched to pluck Tajs’ looping header out of the air before it dropped in and Gauvain drove a low shot just wide before Le Tissier lobbed Poniskaitis against but saw his shot bounce over via the crossbar. We then finally had some time to breathe as the interval arrived.
It is rare for second half to follow the same pattern of a first-half goalfest, but on this occasion the travelling supporters got as much bang for their buck after the break as they did before it.
Mahon’s dragged low shot from range straight from the restart suggested we were in for more of the same in the second half. Acey also had a shot blocked by a defender in the opening moments.
But we were soon getting more of the same as the Sarians gave themselves a three-goal cushion for the first time. Acey was the architect again, shooting across goal only to see his effort bounce off the foot of the post. Luckily, Jackson reacted quickest to finish the rebound from the angle.
Acey couldn’t believe he hadn’t found the net so far, and was denied again after collecting a pass from Le Tissier and shooting for the bottom corner, only for Poniskaitis to push it wide. The resulting corner was helped on to Gauvain, who almost hooked in a volley across goal but saw it bounce just wide.
Acey then danced into the box from the left and found Gauvain, who then teed up Jackson on the edge of the box, but he dragged his shot wide. Mahon then burst into the box and played it across for Le Tissier, but he couldn’t sort his feet out and his attempt to get on the scoresheet was blocked.
Dave Rihoy then broke forward from left-back with a deft piece of skill and played in Loaring, but his poke towards goal was blocked by the leg of Poniskaitis with Le Tissier lurking.
Despite seeing all the chances at the other end, Hanley couldn’t relax and was called upon midway through the half to block from substitute Leonardo De Carvalho Pedro.
GFC were presented with a perfect opportunity to match their efforts from the reverse fixture at Footes Lane as Loaring broke forward and found Acey, who in turn slipped in Gauvain, who was chopped down in the box by Luis Fernandes. With Allen off the pitch, it was left to Loaring to tuck the spotkick into the bottom corner for a brace of his own, tripling his tally for the season.
Captain Jamie Dodd came to the rescue of keeper Lucas Hanley, heading off the line after a loose pass left him stranded and Ernest Murmylo tried to lob into the empty net from outside the area.
Le Tissier then broke down the left and almost picked out Gauvain to his right. The ball was only half cleared and substitute Seb Skillen burst onto it and teed up Le Tissier, but the he spooned the ball over from a good position.
Hanley held Connor McShane’s drive as Staines stuck at it, and Fallaize didn’t know much about it as he tumbled in his own six-yard box but conveniently fell in the right place to block as De Carvalho Pedro tried to find the net from close range.
Six became seven on 83 minutes as Rihoy overlapped to the byline and pulled the ball back looking for Will Fazakerley, but Chris Allen turned it into his own net as the stretched to try and block.
Fazakerley rounded off a riotous evening from the spot, taking the kick himself after being felled by Mendoza for his first goal since returning from a long-term shoulder injury.
Having won consecutive games for the first time this season, Guernsey are hopefully now looking up rather than down. Their next target is Tooting & Mitcham United, four points in front but having played six more games.
Staines Town: 1 Tautis Poniskaitis; 2 Sernad Hoxha; 3 Luís Fernandes; 4 Mathieu Racine (15 Eleftherios Metso, 58’); 5 Chris Allen; 6 Elliot King; 7 Jesus Mendoza; 8 Connor McShane; 9 Maciej Tajs; 10 Ernest Murmylo (16 Daniel Kratschmar, ‘); 11 Jack Torbett (12 Leonardo De Carvalho Pedro, 63’). Not used: 13 Matty Bonnett; 14 Derek Feyi.
Guernsey: 1 Lucas Hanley; 2 Keanu Marsh; 3 Jamie Dodd (c); 4 Tom Jackson; 5 Jacob Fallaize; 6 Kieran Mahon; 7 Charlton Gauvain (14 Will Fazakerley, ‘); 8 Ben Acey; 9 Matt Loaring (16 Seb Skillen, ‘); 10 Ross Allen (15 Glenn Le Tissier, 41’); 11 Dave Rihoy. Not used: 12 Ben Le Tocq; 17 Kyle Smith.
Booked: Allen, Jackson, Gauvain.
Attendance: 121.
Highlights are available on GFCTV.
