Guernsey                  4          Allen 9, 24, 54, Rihoy 42   

Erith & Belvedere   0                     

FA Vase 3rd round, 9 December 2012

 

Continuing the series counting down the 100 most memorable games in our history.  Today, the daddy of all away trips, when the Deres went to Europe (kind of).

 

Since 2011, when Guernsey FC was admitted to the Combined Counties League, a trip to the Channel Islands has been a regular fixture for their league opponents.  But for the Deres, not being in the same league, an away FA Vase draw was an immense buzz.  Enough supporters signed up for the trip to half-fill the plane alongside the team, and others took different flights. 

 

The team and the main body of supporters assembled at PVR at 6.30am on a Sunday to take a coach to Gatwick, many of them following Twitter where good-luck messages were coming in from other clubs – Deal, Lordswood, Eltham, Welling – and from 5 Live’s Non League Show.  We’d had overseas trips to France and the Netherlands in decades past, but this was the first time the Deres had ever flown to a competitive away game!

 

In St Peter Port the team and accompanying fans stopped off for breakfast in a hotel which helpfully had GFC TV, so Micky Collins was able to point out aspects of Guernsey’s previous matches to the Deres team on the big screen.  The team made their way to the ground while supporters had the chance to explore St Peter Port.  Then off to Footes Lane, and it all went a bit wrong.  Here’s how the Guernsey fanzine “Ormering” saw the game:

 

R and A too good for E & B

A Ross Allen hat trick alongside a single strike from the very impressive Dave Rihoy helped Guernsey to a 4-0 victory over a battling Erith & Belvedere side with the Green Lions progressing to the Fourth Round of the FA Vase.  Rihoy has played well throughout the season but this was easily his best game as he terrorised the Erith back four and in particular full back Allan Matthews whilst Allen was quite simply, Ross Allen – goal scorer.

The pre-match hype had quite correctly highlighted the goal scoring prowess of the Erith number nine, Andy Constable - but on this occasion the burly front runner was put well and truly in the shade by the prolific Allen.

GFC yet again got off to a nervy start and as has been the recent pattern were immediately under the cosh and almost conceded after only 30 seconds. On this occasion the opposition failed to find the back of the net and very quickly the Lions were in full flow and in truth their play was a delight to see. The pace that Dave Rihoy and Glyn Dyer provided down the flanks, regularly supported by overlapping full backs in the shape of Jacques Isabelle and Ollie McKenzie kept the Erith rear guard on the back foot throughout the first half as Guernsey arguably produced their best football seen at Footes Lane this season.

The pitch was bumpy and cutting up in a number of places following a rugby match less than twenty-four hours earlier but this did not handicap a rampant Lions attacking force and it only took 9 minutes for GFC to take the lead. Rihoy managed to keep the ball in play on the Garenne touchline and his subsequent run and cross was met by Allen inside the six yard box who neatly chested the ball past Scott Chalmer-Stevens in true predator style.

Time and time again Rihoy was beating a high Erith back line and it was clear from the off that Matthews would experience a torrid time. The attacking prompting was not the exclusive province of Rihoy for on the quarter hour Allen won the ball on the corner of the penalty area and jinking in and out produced a shot that flew just a couple of feet wide of the far post.

Allen’s hunger and tenacity for the ball was seen again in the 21st minute as he cleverly kept the ball away from his marker to supply a threatening cross into the six yard box only for the ball to be cleared by an Erith defender. Seconds later it was the turn of Rihoy to threaten the opposition goal but the Lions winger, having created and worked some space blasted the ball wide.

Guernsey by this time were constantly provided some attractive, flowing football that had the home fans on the edge of their seats and soon most of those in the official attendance of 1,005 were off their seats as Allen, receiving the ball from Isabelle in the penalty box and with his back to goal, found some space to turn and fire home to put the Lions 2-0 up.

Almost immediately from the re-start Erith’s Constable found space and met a high, swinging cross but he failed to get a decent, solid connection to the ball with his head. This appeared to be the main thrust of the visitors attacking tactic, perhaps perceiving an absence of height in the middle of the Guernsey back four that they could exploit. Skipper Sam Cochrane is not the tallest centre half in the game but he does have one prodigious leap and he was outstanding throughout the game.

Throughout the 90 minutes the GFC players were quick to close down their opposite numbers, were strong in the tackle and constantly threatening to punish a surprisingly lacklustre Erith & Belvedere team who never really got their game going until a period late in the second half.

But it was Constable who on 35 minutes created the game’s next noteworthy action. The ball fell to the normally prolific striker but his long range effort was constantly rising and easily cleared the bar and the way he dispatched the chance reflected not only the dearth of clear cut chances his midfield was creating but also his increasing frustration. That said he did look a constant threat, had some neat touches for a big man and is clearly comfortable on the ball. Today in truth was not his day.

A couple of minutes before half time the deserving Rihoy hit the decisive third goal as the ball broke kindly to the Lions player, who subsequently broke free of a chasing defender, rounded the keeper with ease to slot the ball home and deservedly head into the break with a three goal advantage.

Micky Collins used the 15 minute interval to rally his troops, introducing Adam Birchall for Lewis Wood and his team did start the second period brightly with Kieron McCann taking on Isabelle and testing Chris Tardif, but the former Oxford United keeper gathered the half blocked shot with ease.  Two minutes later the action switched to the other end as Allen neatly controlled the ball with a deft flick that left the Guernsey striker clear on goal, only to blaze the ball well over the bar.

However in the very next attacking move Allen did complete his hat-trick. Maybe a tad fortuitously the ball, following an impressive passing move between Rihoy and Isabelle, broke kindly to the goal poacher supreme who with the ease that has become his hallmark deftly put the ball away to put the Lions four up.

GFC coach Tony Vance subsequently rang the changes and Loaring, Alvarez and Hutton all had some game time with Dyer, Rihoy and McKenzie each in turn being warmly applauded for their efforts by the home faithful.

Given their four goal advantage it was no surprise that Guernsey took their foot off the pedal and this did allow Erith & Belvedere to see more of the ball and provide a threat to Chris Tardif’s goal. Second half replacement Richmond Kissi certainly looked hungry, with a decent touch and he injected some pace to the visitors attack but the Lions back four stood strong. Though Tardif was tested a number of times, notably on 76 minutes when he pulled out a sharp save from a Constable close range effort and the ball had to be scrambled off the line on two separate occasions by a GFC defender the team from the Kent League failed to find the back of the net.

Guernsey: Tardif, Isabelle, Cochrane, McKenzie, Dodd, Le Prevost, Mahon, Rihoy, Dyer, Heaume and Allen. substitutes: De Garis, Alvarez, Hutton and Loaring

Deres: Scott Chalmers-Stevens; Allan Matthews, Richie Davies, Paul Springett, Drew Crush, George Benner (Richmond Kissi 53), Kieron McCann (Simon Hasler 69), Jamie Wood (c), Andy Constable, Lewis Wood (Adam Burchell ht), Orlando Smith.

 

 

Micky Collins, looking back on the season, commented: “I thought I got Guernsey wrong to be honest, I take full responsibility for that one. I got the preparation wrong, [Ben Dryland and I] came over the week before and obviously we were in relaxed mode going to watch a game so I probably looked at it and thought we could cope with this and travel there on the matchday. Shouldn’t have done that, we should have travelled the day before the game. Got the preparations wrong, totally my fault that one, and on the day team selection was probably wrong as well and we just didn’t show up, after twenty minutes we were out, game over.  But listen, if you make one mistake in a season and that’s the one then it wasn’t against a bad side, they went on to the semi finals, so to be knocked out by one of the last four in the Vase isn’t the end of the world.”

 

The consolations were many.  We’d had the daddy of all away trips, the directors had got to chat with Guernsey FC’s President Matt Le Tissier.  And (in reference to Guernsey’s opponents in a previous round) our Twitter correspondent reported: “Just been told by a home supporter that at least we tried to play football, not like those 'hackers' of Erith Town!”