The attendance is set to be well in excess of 1,000 as Guernsey FC take on league rivals Westfield, with all seats having sold out and many tickets for the covered terraces having been purchased too.
‘The crowd are now right on the pitch, they’re very close, so the atmosphere should be fantastic. They’re going to really make some noise,’ Guernsey FC manager Tony Vance said.
‘I’ve been to loads of grounds in England and nothing like this. This is sort of National League level. We’re very, very lucky and indebted to to the project team who’ve put this together.
‘It’s just an incredible venue, incredible facilities, and we’ve now got to go and embrace it.’
But while there is a buzz around the opening of Guernsey’s new home of football, the Green Lions have been reminded not to lose sight of the short-term goal – three Isthmian South Central points in their battle for survival.
‘We’ve got a game to win and we need to win it more than ever,’ said Vance.
‘We’ve never been in this situation before where it’s been out of our hands, so for once we’re having to fight and hope that other teams have a little bit of a mix up.
‘But we’ve got seven games to go, 21 points. We’re not going to win all those, there’s no doubt about that, but we’ve got to try. We’ve certainly got a game to win here and that’s the most important thing for me.
‘There’s going to be a bit razzmatazz – you know, first game, it’s history – but we’ve got to focus on the game.’
With a predominantly youthful squad, Vance hopes they are able to handle the occasion as they face a Westfield side sitting slap-bang in mid-table who have won three, drawn one and lost one of their games this month.
‘I know there’ll be a couple of senior players who’ll relish it, some of the youngsters will relish it as well, so we’ve got to make sure that everyone’s on it because we’ve got a game to win.
‘Westfield will be coming here, for sure, wanting to be the party poopers. There’s no doubt about that. I’ve been in that situation before.
‘So it’s going to be a huge crowd and we hopefully do the game justice – at the end of the day, it’s going to be a proper game.’
GFC against Westfield kicks off at 2pm with tickets available on the gate.
Getting to the ground
Victoria Avenue will be closed to public traffic from 11am to 4.30pm on Saturday, with access permitted only for Blue Badge holders and other permit holders.
Guernsey FC are working closely with the States to explore both short-term and long-term solutions to facilitate stadium access on match days – with updates to follow.
Supporters are encouraged to make use of sustainable travel options such as buses (No 11, 12, 13, 21, 91, 92 stop at Victoria Avenue), cycling and walking.
