Match Preview: Isthmian League South Central Division
Guernsey Vs Basingstoke Town
When: Sunday 23rd January 2022 Kick-off 1pm
Where: Footes Lane Stadium, Footes Lane, St Peter Port, Guernsey. GY1 2UL
Guernsey (Nickname – The Green Lions), Average 2021-22 Home Attendance 738
Admission Prices: Adults £9.00 for seating, Adults £6 for standing
After another disappointing home performance resulting in our third home loss of the season, we head out of the mainland to the tiny island or what is regarded as the State of Guernsey, in what is in late January a very crucial game, to keep that confidence and belief that we can maintain our promotion expectations.
Our Opponents
The Green Lions, formed just eleven years ago back in 2011, are located on the island of Guernsey, which brings many issues and constraints for both their home as well as away games. This has been further acerbated by Covid and therefore presents further problems for Manager Tony Vance and their Chairman a well-known surname in Mark Le Tissier, who not only had to deal with a 595-day delay in returning to football, but also a switch to the South-Central division. Vance has been in charge since the club’s inception and during his playing career was a Manchester Utd trialist in his youth, and played for Wycombe Wanderers & Enfield, before returning to the island to finish his playing career. He has a wealth of Guernsey football achievements in inter-island competitions and FA Representations.
As for the start of the season, which due to covid restrictions on the island, they withdrew from this season’s cup competitions and their league season finally got underway two months later in October, with a 3-1 home victory against Sutton Common Rovers. The hectic late-start to the season, unfortunately mean’t the rearrangement of their first trip to Basingstoke originally scheduled for September, is now set for March.
Due to further more recent covid-related postponements, this leaves them in bottom-place with just 13 games played as their overall record sits at PLD 13 Won 3 Drawn 3 Lost 7 GF 21 GA 29 Pts 13.
Prior to last week’s match at Tooting & Mitcham match they thumped Staines Town 6-2 at home, and stay in many games, but they have lost double the amount of wins, which is partially why they sit bottom of the table.
With just 21 goals on the season, their leading striker Ross Allen heads the way with nine league goals. Allen, is the club’s all-time leading goal-scorer by a country mile, and included 46 goals in their first season (2014), in the old Ryman South division. Allen left Guernsey in December 2017 to live in New Zealand, a country he fell in love with during his previous travels. After another season with Wellington, it was announced that Allen was returning to Guernsey in the summer of 2019, citing the need for a longer competitive season than the 18-game campaign in New Zealand. His power and strength are his assets and he has 261 career goals. Alongside him will likely be Kyle Smith with three goals. Other forwards include Carlos Canha, Portuguese player who joined in 2017, and Robbie Legg, but neither have found the net this season.
In midfield, the brothers Mahon, Kieran & Liam and according to their club stats have added one league goal each. With them is central midfielder Charlton Gauvain, who has two league goals, and was at one point the youngest player to have appeared for the Green Lions. He is a tough tackling player with six yellow cards on the season. Another midfielder with just one goal is club player Matt Loaring with over 300 appearances for the club.
In defence they have recently re-signed Jacob Fallaize who scored on his returned debut his for the club in last week’s 1-1 draw at Tooting & Mitcham. After starring as a junior at the club he recently returned from studies in the USA. With him is central defender Tom Strawbridge who is reportedly strong in the air and has split his career with Guernsey Rovers, another island club. Another defender is young Ben Le Tocq who has been an ever-present this season.
In goal they had an emergency one-game signing of Will Huffer in last week’s match. Huffer has a history with Stalybridge Celtic, and even made one appearance for Leeds Utd in a championship match in 2018-19. The current regular keeper is Josh Addison, who has made 8 appearances this season and only sits behind ex-Stoke keeper Chris Tardiff and Callum Stanton in career appearances for the Green Lions.
They lead the league with the highest average home attendance currently at 738, but in recent matches the attendances have started to drop and it will be interesting to see what crowd will be present this Sunday afternoon.
Your Basingstoke Town Side
With seven days to reflect on what was another disappointing home performance in a 3-1 loss to lowly Northwood, we turn our attentions to the furthest, most awkward, and most expensive away trip of the season at Guernsey.
Following this latest loss we now sit outside the playoff places in seventh place with a record of PLD 19 Won 11 Drawn 4 Lost 4 GF 38 GA 30 Pts 37 knowing that our performances have been markedly better on the road than at home.
Our strike-force behind Conor Lynch & Bradley Wilson rarely troubled what was a larger than life centre-back pairing and giant of a keeper, and apart from a disallowed Wilson goal, only saw a handful of shots, mostly when two goals behind (again), came in the second-half. The introduction of Stefan Brown, did very little as many fans commented and it was only Wilson’s injury-time volley finish that troubled the scoresheet.
Assuming everyone travels to Guernsey, then again more interesting choices of whether we start with two or three of our strikers, but Lynch with his scoring prowess must be one of the starters.
It is difficult to predict who will start in the midfield/winger slots, as neither McKoy Palmer or George Reid were at their best, and we may line-up with a more defensive midfield to start. With Simon Dunn retaining the captain’s armband, and if the Manager chooses to go down the more defensive route then Anton Rodgers starts, but Ben Cook who replaced Jack French, showed that what we had been missing the weeks before, should earn his starting role back. With D’Andre Brown & Lloyd Snell still sidelined through injury, Jack French given a start last Saturday, did little to earn another start certainly in front of Cook or Rodgers and is a likely name on the bench. Understanding that Danny Vickers has taken the decision to retire from football, it allows others to sit on the bench this weekend.
Our defence which again conceded three more goals, and looked wide-open for most of the game needs some corrective surgery, especially the sad news that Scott Armsworth will now miss the rest of the season. Shaun Dallimore, unless things change will still be at Tadley this Saturday, leaving a centre-back pairing to be decided from Nathan Smart, Rob Sheridan and Daryl Wollers. Wollers who had done little wrong until his red-card some time ago, could be back in favour this Saturday, As for the back roles, neither Dan Williamson or James Haworth who took some heavy knocks again last weekend, should remain in the line-up. One proviso might be the number of cards one or two players have now received, which might mean a game suspension here or there. As usual Paul Strudley should be our starting keeper.
Many options and decisions for Dan to make on how we set-up and this one-day fly-in, fly-out match won’t help the pre-match preparations.
Despite some doom and gloom from my preview, this is a game, no matter any Guernsey signings is one we need to win, for us to keep pace with those above us.
Our away record with seven wins, the draw at Hanwell and just one defeat the harsh loss at Bracknell, tends to suggest we play with more freedom on the road, rather than what appears more pressure playing in front of large home crowd expectations.
It will be interesting to see how many of our supporters can afford the time, hassle and money to make this trip, and the three points will be a worthwhile and much-needed outcome as we fly back to ‘Old Blighty’.
So whether you are down the pub having a lunchtime pint or getting ready to have your Sunday roast and watch the Crystal Palace v Liverpool game on sky, turn on whatever goal update site you have at 1pm on your phone, or listen into Nick Wilson (assuming he travels), excellent match commentary on mixlr.
Match Preview by Martin French..
English 
Polish 