More home comforts as GFC beat Hanworth Villa

Back-to-back 3-1 home wins have taken Guernsey FC seven points clear of the bottom two in Isthmian South Central and there is a sense that momentum is building for the Green Lions with attendances rising to go with it.

While entry was free for last night’s rearranged game with Hanworth Villa following December’s abandonment of the original fixture, GFC were up against a certain much-anticipated Premier League fixture on the TV, yet over 700 turned up to support their local side and were rewarded with another victory.

Matt Loaring got the hosts off to the ideal start with a goal inside two minutes after good work down the left by Ross Allen after he had been released by Tom Vaudin, who enjoyed a fine game in the place of injured skipper Jamie Dodd.

Little of note happened over next half-an-hour, but the game burst into life in the final 15 minutes of the first half.

Jacob Fallaize doubled the lead as he rose to head home Dave Rihoy’s corner and three minutes later Sam Murray’s powerful drive put the Green Lions three up.

Goal of the game, though, belonged to Tom Bender whose terrific volley pulled one back for the visitors on 39min. and Hanworth then hit the woodwork twice before the interval.

However, after the turnaround Josh Addison was untroubled between the sticks as GFC defended their lead with few alarms.

‘I’m happy with the three points. The performance was not good, technically we were really poor tonight and I think we were lucky that we were playing a team who weren’t on their game and maybe were missing a few, but obviously we have that quite regularly,’ said GFC manager Tony Vance.

‘The best thing was that we scored three goals and got three points.

‘I suppose it shows where we’ve come and the players have got to be really commended because here I am frustrated that we didn’t play well but we’ve won. I would have bitten your hand off for that about two months ago, but in the last five or six games we’ve competed, we’ve been believing and expecting and the performances have given us that belief and expectation.

‘But the other thing, when you look at it, is that we’ve had to move the backline around again from Saturday, so a different backline and while Hanworth might think it a bit unjust that they’ve got a few players missing, so did we, even at home.

‘It’s credit to the players that they dug in and got themselves over the line.’