Green Lions getting better by the week

NOW approaching its business end, this Ryman South season keeps on getting better for the brilliant Green Lions.

Each week, a performance and result seems to come along to usurp Guernsey FC's previous one and here, despite facing their biggest obstacle so far, that same theory was applied.

Leatherhead came to Footes Lane in rampant winning form, second in the league and still firmly in the title battle, but they were no match for Tony Vance's own in-form men over these 90 minutes.

The Lions were excellent across the park as they again produced their best performance of the campaign, possibly in their history, as one second-half period aside, they dominated proceedings.

Had their shooting boots been on in a superb opening 45 minutes, the scoreline would have reflected their dominance, but even that Achilles heel was overcome after the break.

Two more Ross Allen goals secured the three points in the second half, although this effort was about far more than GFC's No. 10, who is now on 44 goals for the season.

From back to front, the Lions were exemplary and played some lovely football, equalling their longest unbeaten home league run of 16 games in the process.

A play-off spot is now looking an odds-on bet, especially with every one of their rivals dropping points, and any successful promotion push certainly has the defensive base on which to flourish.

As was the case a week earlier in the win at Hastings United, the centre-back pairing of Angus Mackay and Jamie Dodd were magnificent.

They helped to achieve GFC's first back-to-back clean sheets of the season and Dodd, particularly, barely allowed Leatherhead's new higher-level signing Theo Fairweather-Johnson a kick.

In front of them, Kieran Mahon kept up his recent excellence, among a midfield three with Ryan-Zico Black and Matt Loaring that hustled, bustled, closed down space and generally made things tick.

And with the vast attacking options at their disposal, including another promising Glyn Dyer display at left-back, that is very nearly always a platform for success with any of Vance's teams.

Similar to the reverse fixture in November, the approach of Leatherhead was clearly to allow GFC to have most of the ball and to sit deep.

Whereas that had worked in the UK against a below-par GFC, it never looked like doing so here. As early as the fifth minute the chances were flowing.

Mackay and Dave Rihoy provided the build-up work for right-back Nigel Hutton's excellent deep cross that picked Dom Heaume out perfectly at the back post, but his unmarked header was straight at Deren Ibrahim.

Rihoy was involved again moments later when he found Allen on the left. After cutting inside the defence into the area, it looked likely Allen would do his usual and find the bottom corner.

By his high standards, though, this was a poor finish as he slid straight at visiting keeper Ibrahim from the one-on-one situation.

There was never much respite for Leatherhead, as every time the ball went forward – usually in direct fashion – Dodd or Mackay was there first to nip any attack in the bud.

It meant the energetic hosts never stopped looking for openings and Ryan-Zico Black's lovely forward ball asked questions, but Heaume fluffed his lines on the edge of the area.

Dyer's surging run from deep provided the next excitement and, although his initial through ball was cut out, Rihoy picked up the loose ball and dragged just wide of the far post.

Already, you started to sense that GFC might end up regretting not taking one of their chances, but, in truth, a disappointing Leatherhead did not look like punishing them.

Rihoy had another glorious chance from a similar position to his previous effort, this time one-on-one after Mahon put him through, but he dragged horribly wide.

The same man blazed over the crossbar from the corner routine that, although still regularly bamboozling opposition defences, has not seen a goal arise from it in nearly four years.

The Lions had certainly delivered a first-half display to please the sizeable crowd of 1,204, but knew they needed that opening goal.

Things were a bit slower to get going after the restart, Rihoy's blocked shot the exception, before they finally got their rewards, with 54min. gone.

A move that started at the back from goalkeeper Chris Tardif advanced quickly through first Rihoy and then Mahon, who drove forward and found the lurking Allen with a diagonal pass.

One touch to get the ball out of his feet meant the second had an inevitable conclusion and the league's top scorer emphatically found the top corner of Ibrahim's net.

The magnitude of his celebrations signified the strike's importance and, crucially, it went a long way to alleviating nerves that might have been starting to creep in.

Mahon could have made it even more comfortable just moments later, but he shot over the bar from a decent position after Heaume's head-down and Rihoy's lay-off.

It was Allen's turn to do the same after manoeuvring an opening for himself from Black's free-kick, before Leatherhead finally began to show they might present a threat in the game.

More than an hour had gone by the time they started to make a contest of it and that is when GFC's defensive unit really came to the party.

Despite some spells of sustained pressure, Tardif was still largely an untroubled bystander and it made his decent tip-over from Matt Smart's powerful effort that bit more impressive.

Saying that, it seems a near-certainty these days that Tardif will make at least one stunning, match-changing intervention per game and this time it came from Daniel Johnson's header.

The corner from Smart was straightforward and found the unmarked Johnson on the far side. His looping header was destined for the far corner until Tardif clawed it away.

Dyer nearly scored an unfortunate own goal when he miskicked a clearance, hitting the foot of the post and that provided GFC with a further spur.

Knowing they needed to double their lead to be sure of the win, they did exactly that with a well-worked goal on 86min.

Dyer's whipped cross deserved somebody to attack it, but it still found its way to Heaume on the far side, who kept it in and passed to Loaring, whose instant one-two put Heaume away.

From the byline he pulled back to Allen, whose first-time sweeping effort found the far bottom corner for the strike that the hundreds present knew had sealed this most crucial of three points for GFC.

It will be no surprise whatsoever if the Lions still have to overcome Leatherhead – and Hastings come to that – once more apiece if they are to secure a historic third straight promotion.

But after their faultless last 10 days, they will relish that challenge as another successful springtime is now looking ominously on the cards.

TEAMS

Guernsey FC: Tardif, Hutton, Mackay, Dodd, Dyer, Mahon (Geall 86), Black (de la Mare 69), Loaring, Heaume, Rihoy (McGrath 78), Allen.

Leatherhead: Ibrahim, Mahal, Coyle, Nnamani, Johnson, Semakula (Cooper 64), Smart, Smith (Parkinson 58), Terry, Fairweather-Johnson, Draycott.

Referee: I. Fissenden.