Airmen down Greens

And while such a display might do against the Ridunians, they will surely have to be much better if they contest the final come May.

Ben Coulter led out a Guernsey XI that included two men – Craig Young and River Marsh – who had played 90 minutes of largely backs-to-the-wall football for the Green Lions two nights earlier.

Playing a fluid 4-1-3-1 Chris Tardif’s selection saw Marsh start in central midfield with the captain just ahead, while Dom Heaume returned up front.

On his 32nd birthday, Sam Cochrane partnered Tom Strawbridge in central defence, a reprise to the early GFC days.

There was an early scare for the home side when Young was caught late by Tom Claisse. It looked a bad one, but after prolonged treatment, this most unyielding of performers hobbled back into the action before conceding defeat and limping off 10 minutes later to be replaced by Kyle Smith.

Coulter’s wayward header on a Sam Hall ‘free’ was the first decent chance of the game but a couple of minutes later it was Coulter who was rightly adjudged to have impeded an RAF man in the box and striker Dave Webb tucked away the spot-kick for a 14th minute lead.

Cochrane then kicked off the line as the RAF impressed as an attacking force with good pace right across their front line. In comparison, the home attack looked more like Shackletons to the visitors' Spitfires.

The tackles, one or two 18-rated, were flying in from both sides, keeping ref James Falla on high alert, and in an opening half of few chances Smith’s deflected effort was arguably the clearest before on the brink of half-time, RAF’s impressive left back, Lewis Brownhill, made the Greens pay for a poor attempted clearance with a fine finish.

Brownhill almost added a third early in the second, while at the other end Matt Loaring wasted a decent chance, shooting weakly.

Brownhill saw a late penalty saved by Leroi Riley who then spilled a corner over his own line. With the last kick of the game Woodhouse drove home a fourth.