Ten-man GFC well beaten by the Curfews
GUERNSEY FC fell to a 4-0 defeat on Saturday afternoon as a ruthless Chertsey Town took advantage of the 10-man Green Lions.
Forward Jake Baxter proved to be too hot to handle once again as he scored his second brace against GFC in a matter of months to add to Will Montague’s earlier double.
Colin Fallaize and Steve Sharman were in the dugout for the away fixture and would have been encouraged by Guernsey’s early efforts, but in the 13th minute the hosts took a lead thanks to a Montague penalty.
Jacob Fallaize was the man guilty of conceding the spot-kick, as his challenge on dangerous wide-man Trevan Robinson was deemed to be too rough for the referee’s liking.
Matthew Ball, who was the man in the middle for the fixture, had another big decision to make midway through the first period with Tom Martin mistiming a big tackle on Robinson that led to him being shown a straight card on the half-hour mark.
Baxter, who was Chertsey’s top scorer last season, squandered numerous opportunities from close range throughout the opening 45 to keep Guernsey FC in with a shout and Will Fazakerley nearly made his opposite number pay by forcing a smart stop out of Nicholas Jupp with the last kick of the half.
Guernsey also had a penalty shout of their own during the first period, although this time referee Ball waved away the protests despite what looked like a handball in the area from Chertsey’s Quincy Rowe.
The one-man advantage really started to pay dividends for the Curfews following the restart and Montague doubled his side’s lead and his tally for the day in the 54th minute with a smart finish.
Baxter joined in on the action in the 67th minute, finally getting a well-deserved goal by chipping Guernsey keeper Jason Martin from inside the box to put the game out of sight for the Green Lions.
Chertsey’s centre-forward, whose relentless movement and intensity caused the GFC backline problems all afternoon, would then grab his second of the afternoon with 15 minutes left to play, as his emphatic strike from just inside the area gave Martin no chance.
Guernsey also had a late injury scare that could have left them with just nine men for the final 10 minutes, as goalkeeper Martin was involved in a collision with a Chertsey Town forward that left him in obvious discomfort, but he was able to see out the 90.
Defeat for GFC means they drop to 19th in the Isthmian South Central division table, as manager-less Chertsey climb to fourth due to Saturday’s triumph.
Guernsey sit on just five points after their first six league games, with a home game against Ashford Town looming at the weekend.
Tony Vance’s side will be back on the road just two days after the Footes Lane fixture, making the trip to bottom-of-the-league Merstham on Monday 10 October.
