GFC fail to land the KO punch
ONE point was enough for Guernsey FC to move up to sixth in Isthmian South East on Saturday evening – but it probably should have been more.
The Green Lions were superb in the opening 45 minutes against fifth-placed Whyteleafe at Footes Lane, but just could not find the breakthrough in that dominant first half.
It was more even after half-time, but somehow it remained goalless and Tony Vance was left to reflect on an opportunity missed.
‘I thought it was an excellent 0-0 game. I thought we deserved to win, we did enough to win,’ said the GFC manager.
‘In the first half we were relentless, just couldn’t get that final end product. At times we just ripped them to pieces. Even their manager remarked to me as we came off [at half-time] “how you’re not ahead I don’t know”.
‘They were hanging on for dear life, pleading for the whistle to go.
‘We had them on the ropes, we kept jabbing and jabbing, we just couldn’t get that knock-out punch.’
In more general terms, Vance is delighted how far his side have come in the space of a year.
‘Not many moons ago, people were coming here rubbing their hands thinking they were going to get three points and the tide’s turned.
‘That was a great performance. Whyteleafe were always a threat and it became a bit of a game of chess at the end, but I’m as pleased as I can be with a 0-0 draw at home.’
It was the fourth game in a row where GFC have failed to score – three of those goalless draws – but their manager is not fretting about the current barren spell in front of goal.
‘If we’re not creating chances then that’s when you will be concerned, but we’re getting in the box, in the final third, but you’ve just got to keep knocking on the door,’ Vance said.
‘We knocked on the door but couldn’t quite get in today.’
Match report in Monday's Guernsey Press.
