October start for GFC
A FIRST-EVER trip to Sutton Common Rovers has become the new starting point of Guernsey FC’s season.
The Green Lions announced on Thursday evening that The Pitching In Isthmian Football League have agreed to postpone their September fixtures and rearrange them later in the season.
It is hoped that this will allow for time for States of Guernsey restrictions to ease sufficiently enough to enable the club to welcome fellow Isthmian South Central teams to Guernsey.
‘Saturday 2 October away – that, in theory, is now our first game of the season,’ said GFC manager Tony Vance, who has so far prepared for a campaign starting in August and then one in September due to the ongoing Covid-related travel issues.
‘While it is obviously frustrating from a training point of view in terms of the momentum we keep trying to build up and now we have to try and keep going for a few extra weeks for the third time, it is also a relief because the alternative would be not having a season at all.
‘We are doing everything we can and the league are doing everything they can to hold this opportunity open for us.
‘We are hoping that the border situation will change to enable us to play and then the challenge will be to play catch-up because the other teams will be full-on by then with their fitness levels and game-craft.’
Vance estimates that GFC’s South Central rivals will have played up to a dozen competitive fixtures on top of what pre-season matches they arranged by the time his team begin their campaign.
‘In essence, we will be starting from 20 months behind,’ he said. ‘So we have to keep the group firing, we have to keep them challenged and motivated.
‘I’m guessing a few players will dip into Priaulx League football over the next few weeks, which is fine because it means competitive matches, but it is also important for us to keep the group together as best we can.
‘What we want to try and do is create some fixtures, albeit they will be inter-club or games against a few local teams to hopefully benefit us. Any game is good preparation and that’s all we can do.’
After the trip to Sutton Common Rovers, GFC are then scheduled to visit Chipstead on Saturday 16 October before, hopefully, the first home game of the season on Saturday 23 October when Northwood visit Footes Lane.
