Guernsey FC pay the price for ‘awful defending’

GUERNSEY FC snatched a damaging defeat from the jaws of a much-needed victory as Moneyfields left Footes Lane jubilant on Saturday.

Moneyfields goal-scorer James Franklyn wheels away after scoring their dramatic 97th-minute winner at Footes Lane while the Guernsey FC players are left disconsolate having seen all three points slip from their grasp from a game they should have won comfortably. (Picture by Andrew Le Poidevin, 33831767)

In an extraordinary match, the Green Lions scored four, hit the woodwork twice and missed two penalties before, almost inevitably, succumbing to James Franklyn’s 97th minute strike that put the visitors ahead for the first time and ultimately sealed a 5-4 win in an encounter high on incident, low on quality.

While Tony Vance had gone into the game wanting a performance to warm his heart, instead he was left fuming by his side’s deficiencies.

‘I just can’t believe it. I’ve just witnessed an incredible game, an incredible situation,’ said the GFC manager.

‘I don’t know how many times they should have been out of sight. Ultimately, the chances that we had to put the game out of sight were incredible, absolutely incredible today... then throw in some awful defending.’

GFC had led 3-1 at half-time thanks to goals from Owen Wallbridge, Matt Loaring and Charlton Gauvain.

A freak goal from Jafer Mahhammedkier brought ‘Moneys’ back within one on the hour before Ross Allen missed the second of his two spot kicks and Mahhammedkier scrambled an equaliser as the game entered the final 10 minutes.

Allen put his side ahead once more when he headed home in the 87th minute, but there were more twists to come, largely caused by GFC’s inability to clear their lines, with the final two goals scored by Tom Cain and Franklyn both forced home in packed penalty areas.

Jubilant Moneyfields celebrate their late winning goal at Footes Lane. (Picture by Andrew Le Poidevin, 33831768)

‘We need to learn or need to be able to have the ability to clear the ball in emergency, under pressure, and we don’t. We just we seem to set them up,’ said an exasperated Vance.

‘It’s not something you can train for, it’s not something you can practise. Literally, the opposition, when they clear it, it goes – ours is like three or four efforts and the ball doesn’t even get out of the 18-yard box and we just put ourselves under pressure.

‘But the game should have been well and truly gone. So, I hope they’ll take accountability and responsibility from it, because they need to.’

The result, combined with Ashford Town’s goalless draw away at Horndean, saw the Green Lions slip to second from bottom in the table.

‘We’ve got a massive game now next week. We’re away to Ashford, who have gone above us today,’ said Vance.

‘We now need to win. I’m going to shove some pressure on the team now. Yeah, the confidence might have been knocked a bit, but time for them to step up.

‘We shouldn’t be where we are, we’re better than what we are, but the stats prove we’re not. So we need to get over the line somehow.’

• Match report in Monday's Guernsey Press.