Guernsey FC’s own Isthmian South Central fate is out of their hands, but the manager insisted yesterday that his squad will keep striving for survival.
‘They have not given up. It is stacked against us, but we are going to keep going – that is the mentality of this group and it is fantastic,’ Vance said.
‘This group will always be commended by me because of their attitude, even when their backs are against the wall.’
GFC picked up a point on the road at play-off chasing Raynes Park Vale on Tuesday, when Ross Allen gave the visitors the lead before they were pegged back by Trevan Robinson’s equaliser.
That one game, in a nutshell, is what GFC are continually up against, according to Vance.
‘That’s a play-off contending team who have signed 19 players in the last month, including three from step three, and we more than matched them,’ he said.
‘Our tactics allowed for that [Vale’s ambition], we looked to defend with focus and hit them on the counter. We did that very well, but we also recognised that we could press them and get on the front foot ourselves.
‘We got a good point out of it, and it could have been three. You would not have known which team has a significant budget and is chasing the play-offs and which one is currently in the relegation zone.’
Vance did not want to single out any players for individual praise, calling it a ‘proper team performance’.
However, he added that Badshot Lea will provide GFC with a totally different proposition to Raynes Park Vale.
Their relegation was confirmed a fortnight ago and they are rooted to the bottom of the table having won just three games all season, though one of those wins came this month away to Harrow Borough.
When the two sides met at Footes Lane in January, Charlton Gauvain scored both GFC goals in a 2-2 draw, with the Badshot Lea equaliser being scored in the 100th minute.
Vance admitted that he has no idea what to expect from the hosts this afternoon.
‘It’s always really difficult when you have got a team with nothing to fight for, but pride will kick in and they are also making a big day of it in terms of putting things on for sponsors, so they are sure to be competitive,’ he said.
‘We have a squad of 16 travelling for this match, which is much needed because we need to use the five subs, which we don’t often get the chance to do away from home.
‘We know the situation we are in and we have to keep fighting. Coming out of Tuesday’s game, that’s the standard of performance we need to deliver on Saturday.’
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