Battling Bexhill United gave Guernsey a fright before they suffered a 3-2 defeat on the Channel Islands.
The away trip to Guernsey had been eagerly anticipated by United fans since the fixtures for the current season were first announced.
It would be the first “overseas” fixture for the club in its long history and around 50 Pirates had grabbed the opportunity to be part of the experience and made their way across the Channel by boat and plane to be in St Peter’s Port in time for kick off.
The players and management flew in and out on the day and it meant an early start at Gatwick for the hop across in the turbo prop plane.
It made a big change from the usual car-pooling across Sussex. A few years back if you had told someone you were flying to a county league game they would have thought you had lost your marbles.
Come the day the sun was shining on the immaculate facilities at Guernsey’s Victoria Park stadium.
This is a club with ambition, resources and the set-up to progress up the pyramid. The ground wouldn’t look out of place in the National League never mind step 5.
Regardless, the warmth of the welcome to their visitors from Sussex was kind and generous and so it was just down to the Pirates lads to deliver on the field.
Guernsey are on a rich run of form, particularly at their home fortress, and although they may have left it too late to challenge Haywards Heath and Steyning for the title they are firmly in the mix for the play-offs.
They had also comprehensively turned Bexhill over earlier in the season, once in a Vase game played early season at Hastings’ Pilot Field and a few weeks back in the League at the Polegrove.
Pirates boss Jay Skinner-Swain was well aware of the physical threat presented by the hosts and picked a side to try and counter that with Dan Rogers returning at the back and Kyle Holden expecting a busy afternoon alongside Charlie Playford in central midfield.
Their role would be crucial. Harry Marchant was back at left-back allowing Ryan Moir to push up the field in his favoured position. Dale Penn was in at right-back.
Bexhill’s first challenge was to try and prevent an early goal. Guernsey have a track record of blitzing sides in the early minutes, leaving their opponents shell-shocked and with a mountain to climb.
As expected, Guernsey started like a train and that early goal did come on four minutes. The dangerous Fazakerly found Loaring whose shot was well saved by Finn Holter but Fazekerly picked up the rebound and crossed for Murray to head home.
Bexhill picked themselves up and started getting the ball forwards through Moir, Shonk and Saunders as they went in search of an equaliser but on 12 minutes it was the hosts who doubled their lead.
A ball into the near post wasn’t dealt with and it was Fazakerly who got in first to steer it home from a tight angle.
The Pirates have recovered from early setbacks before but they now faced the stiffest of tests from the rampant Green Lions. The Bexhill lads dug deep. Other teams would fold in these circumstances but, in front of their vocal travelling support, Bexhill started to make inroads.
The Guernsey defence are a well-drilled unit who will chew up long balls into the box all day long but if they have a vulnerability, it’s being hit at pace, on the deck, with moves that look to exploit the high-line they play. Bexhill wised up to this.
On 25 minutes Shonk picked up a ball on the left and drove towards the Guernsey box and launched a looping cross deep towards the far post.
Will Saunders had done well to make up the ground and arrived on the button to knock it home. Guernsey looked forlornly at the lino for a foul but he rightly told them to get on with it.
Now Bexhill were in the ascendant and could smell a second goal. The dynamics of the game had been turned on their head.
On 33 minutes Shonk game within an ace of levelling it up. With the keeper exposed his shot attacking from the right rattled the stanchion of the goal. It was another sign of things to come.
On the stroke of half-time Shonk wasn’t going to be denied. Out on the left he spotted the keeper off his line and a precision, trademark 40-yard lob was sent over his head and into an empty net. Cue wild scenes amongst the travelling Pirates.
The visitors didn’t want the half-time whistle to blow as they were bang on top now.
Lining up for the second half it was well and truly game on. On 50 minutes the home side were back in the lead when Fazakerly won a header in the box and nodded down for Le Lacheur to slot it home. It was another early blow for Bexhill but still the Pirates kept coming.
On 63 minutes Saunders picked up the ball on the edge of the box and moved forwards to line up a perfectly placed shot which somehow Addison managed to tip round the post with an extraordinary save. It was a pivotal moment in the game.
Guernsey were still testing the Bexhill defence but Holden was frustrating them in the middle, breaking down the play and keeping the Pirates in the match.
That frustration spilt over on 78 minutes when Merris received his second yellow of the game, reducing Guernsey to ten men. From the resulting free-kick, Shonk unleashed but again Addison pushed it round the post keeping his side in front.
In the remaining minutes Bexhill had the home side pinned back but they just couldn’t find the goal that would have given them the point their performance and fighting spirit so richly deserved.
When the whistle went for full time players and fans came together to celebrate a great day for the football club and a battling display that gave Guernsey the fright of their lives, their relief when the ref blew for full time was palpable.
The home side players and fans lavished praise on Bexhill. The Pirates had came and seen but hadn’t conquered but it was an awayday for the club that will live long in the memory
