Guernsey FC U23s made a brilliant start to their venture into the UK league’s, beating Ringmer 8-0 on Monday night in the first ever away game.
Leon Meakin couldn’t have asked for better, with all his young players getting decent minutes and looking full of ideas in attack, albeit putting a lot of gloss on the scoreline late on against a tiring defence to make the game look a little more one-sided than the result suggests.
The Green Lions showed early intent, with Riley Tyrrell rattling the crossbar with a free-kick before Archie Culyer denied Aston Young after he was teed up by Marc McGrath.
The visitors took the lead inside 20 minutes and it was an old favourite on the scoresheet, with McGrath showing his young mentees how to be clinical with a classic poacher’s finish from close range.
Bertie Beddow came on as an early substitute for the injured Jake Martin and he doubled the lead within moments. Sam Cooley’s pass forward was cleverly left by Aston Young, releasing Beddow down the right, who had the freedom Ringmer’s half to bear down on goal and slot coolly past Culyer.
Ringmer almost pulled one back a few minutes later as a long shot had Penney beaten but cracked off the crossbar before the rebound was nodded wide.
The Greens had survived the scare and got a third just before the break as Alfie Torode whipped an inviting ball across goal and Tyrrell was there to apply the close-range finish.
McGrath almost added a fourth seconds before the half-time whistle as he met Torode’s pullback but his effort bounced away off the bar.
The Greens kept up a familiar pattern after the break and made it four eight minutes into the second half as the they broke forward down the left and the ball was played across for Beddow to bag his second.
Penney made a good save with his feet to deny Ringmer a way back into the game before substitute third-time lucky Charlie Robilliard added a fifth on the rebound after Culyer had denied Le Poidevin then Torode.
Torode got in on the act with 10 minutes to go, drilling home clinically after Gus Mackay’s slide-rule pass released Beddow down the right for a low cross.
Culyer made a good save to beat the ball away as Tyrell smashed it towards goal, but GFC grabbed a seventh with less than five minutes left, with substitute Pearce Le Poidevin rolling the ball calmly into the far corner after Torode had done well to keep the ball alive and tee him up following a block on Robilliard’s initial effort.
A Ringmer attacker sliced wide from close range in the dying minutes to ensure Penney’s clean sheet was preserved, and Robilliard put the icing on the cake, timing his run to collect another good pass by Mackay and slot past Culyer with seconds left on the clock.
GUERNSEY U23s: 1 Regan PENNEY; 2 Oskar CLEAL; 5 Sam COOLEY; 6 Riley TYRRELL; 7 Jake Martin (4 Bertie BEDDOW); 8 Elden ROBERTS; 9 Alfie TORODE; 10 Marc McGRATH (11 Peace LE POIDEVIN); 12 Aston YOUNG (17 Charlie ROBILLIARD); 14 Simon GEALL; 19 Jamie DODD (c). Subs used (rolling): 4 Bertie BEDDOW; 11 Pearce LE POIDEVIN; 17 Charlie ROBILLIARD; 19 Angus MACKAY.
Goals: McGrath, Beddow 2, Tyrell, Robilliard 2, Torode, Le Poidevin.
Booked: Le Poidevin.
