LISTEN: Vance’s networking comes up trumps with Huffer

Manager Tony Vance says he ‘just got lucky’ when, after hours of phone calls, he stumbled upon the availability of Will Huffer for a one-off game with the Green Lions following the injury sustained by Callum Stanton last week in training.

LISTEN TO THE LATEST GUERNSEY PRESS FOOTBALL SHOW:

On Friday morning, whether he knew it or not, Dave Rihoy was facing the prospect of donning the gloves away to Tooting & Mitcham United due to the lack of alternatives at that stage, but over his years in the game Vance has built up an extensive network of contacts and eventually he came up trumps thanks to ‘a guy I know from Eastbourne United’.

‘It was a good find,’ said the GFC manager with a big degree of understatement about a former England age-group goalkeeper who, while still a teenager, played a game for Leeds in the Championship in 2018 and kept a clean sheet against Bristol City.

‘Will is signing for Burgess Hill Town this week having moved back down to London, where he is starting a career in the City, and he was free for the weekend.’

Although his first deed as GFC keeper was to pick the ball out of the back of the net after Mark Waters converted a second-minute spot kick, Huffer showed his class over the 90 minutes.

‘He only had one real save to make, but it was outstanding,’ Vance said of a brilliant reaction by the 6ft 4in. Huffer diving to his right.

‘But everything else about him – his communication, his leadership, everything – was excellent.

‘As an ex-pro with the CV he has, you’d think there might be an ego, but not at all. He was a really good lad and he actually said he would have loved to stay with us in different circumstances.’

Despite the early setback of conceding in the second minute, Vance felt GFC were ‘definitely on top’ in the first half and fully merited their equaliser scored by Jacob Fallaize on 29min.

The second half became more attritional, but the Green Lions worked hard to ensure they got some reward from the game.

‘Apart from the first five minutes when we obviously took one on the chin and hit the canvas, the response was excellent and on a difficult surface we played some excellent football.

‘Considering the composition of the group and the fact that we were missing some on-field leaders like Jamie Dodd, Charlton Gauvain and Ben Acey, who I include because despite his young age he is always someone who wants the ball, our ball retention was really good in the first half and created two really good chances for Matt Loaring and Ross Allen – both of whom I think got a bobble as they shot – before we got the goal we deserved.

‘The second half was a little different and we had to battle. It became a bit of a basketball game and we did not do enough ourselves to warrant looking after the football, but in all a draw was probably fair.

‘It was important we got a result and one that, if I am honest, I would never have dreamt of at 4pm on Friday, but getting Will raised my expectations.’

Vance added that while Fallaize and Tom Jackson impressed on their return to the side, he thought that ‘everyone gave strong performances’.

However, despite the positive display and result, the Green Lions actually slipped to the bottom of Isthmian South-Central, albeit with at least half-a-dozen games in hand on those clubs within 10 points of them.

‘It is a false picture isn’t it?’ said Vance of the table.

‘What we have to focus on now is Basingstoke Town on Sunday.

‘It is a game we have to focus on getting three points from and Saturday’s performance gives us confidence.’