Allen is saviour again in opening 1-1 draw
THE odds on Ross Allen coming to Guernsey's rescue when they need him are pretty short nowadays such are the number of times he has done so.
He added another occasion to his collection yesterday in Dalhem as the defending Island Games men's football champions crucially avoided defeat in their Gotland 2017 opener despite having trailed Aland going into the final 10 minutes of an often tetchy contest, not helped by several questionable refereeing decisions that increased the frustration among both sets of players throughout the match.
The Scandinavians had taken an 18th-minute lead in the first half through Fredrik Appel's fluke – a left-wing cross that, on a particularly windy day on a pristine but exposed pitch, flew over a helpless Leroi Riley and into the far top corner.
Guernsey then dominated possession in the second period, without creating many clear-cut chances, but it does not have to be clear-cut for Allen to grab it with both hands.
The opportunity arose after Jacob Fallaize, who had started as one of Guernsey's three centre-backs before being thrust forward late in the game as the search for an equaliser was starting to get desperate, helped on left-back Harry Tobin's diagonal ball to the edge of the box.
But there was still plenty for Allen to do when the ball fell to him surrounded by defenders.
Strength and skill, though, saw him shrug off their close attentions before he fired a left-foot volley past Aland No. 1 Dan Sjoblom.
