Guernsey Football League vs Amateur Football Combination

National League System Cup - Quarter Final - Match Report edited from "This is Guernsey"

Guernsey Football League 2 (Leighton Chainey, Dave Rihoy).

Amateur Football Combination 2 (Peter Eguae 2).

Amateur Football Combination won 10-9 on penalties.

played at The Track, Guernsey on Saturday 19th January 2008

The visiting Amateur Football Combination were good opposition, but the home side had their chances to claim a semi-final place only to waste them and suffer the consequences in a dreaded penalty shoot-out. ‘Player for player, we were probably better, but they are a strong side and worked hard,’ claimed Guernsey manager Ogier. ‘I fancied our chances when I had seen them last week and our quality showed through at times, but we did not put the ball in the net.’

A healthy crowd were treated to entertaining fayre at the Track, which was in decent nick considering the recent rain, but the majority left disappointed. To a man the home side could not be faulted for effort and commitment, yet the goals they conceded were poor ones from their point of view and they could have had more themselves. They certainly should have made their first-half pressure count when they had the wind at their backs. Jon Veron went close with a well-struck volley from Joby Bourgaize’s long diagonal pass while Darren Martin could not believe no one was on hand to turn in his brilliant cross from the right after a neat move involving Dom Heaume and Chris Chamberlain. The latter was pressed into action after his clubmate Chris Mauger pulled out of the squad on Friday night with an injury. ‘I thought we would get 50-60 minutes out of him [Chamberlain]. We felt he could do a job out on the right and he looked comfortable on the ball,’ said Ogier. Dave Rihoy soon brought the first save out of James Holdsworth with a rasping volley and the visiting keeper was also called into action by Chamberlain and Heaume. The AFC posed a threat on the counter-attack and Leighton Chainey made an excellent covering tackle on Peter Eguae late on in the half.

It was an even second period with Nathan Pattimore having to make his first stop from Steve Watson’s free kick early on while at the other end substitute Marc McGrath’s snap shot was straight at Holdsworth. Rihoy was praised for staying on his feet in the box after he was tapped by Matt O’Sullivan when going around the defender and a few minutes later the Guernsey winger fired a shot from the edge of the area just wide. Just as everyone was preparing for extra time, the visitors broke the deadlock with seven minutes remaining. Joby Bourgaize, who otherwise had a fine outing at left back, misplaced his pass on halfway and John Butler released Eguae on the break. The striker clipped the ball over the retreating Chainey before lobbing the out-rushing Pattimore for a fine individual goal. Ten minutes later, with the 90 minutes long since up, the island side finally got the goal they deserved. McGrath’s effort on the break took a deflection and Rihoy whipped the resultant corner to the far post where a diving Chainey headed home.

Guernsey were again the better side in the first period of extra time, although Pattimore made a couple of excellent saves early on, and the hosts took the lead with virtually the final kick of the half. It was a beautifully worked goal with Heaume’s pinpoint pass picking out McGrath on the left wing before he found his clubmate Rihoy breaking into the penalty area. He calmly beat a defender and drew the keeper off his line before rolling the ball gently over the line.

That, though, was cancelled out six minutes after the turnaround as a ball floated in from the left got a flick on before unmarked Eguae headed home. Heaume went close to winning it with a fierce volley from Scott Bradford’s exquisite chip pass, but it flew wide and it was down to penalties.

Pattimore was so close to being the hero on several occasions as he kept guessing the right way, getting a hand to some and he even seemingly blocked Watson’s kick, only to see it loop up off his body and spin into the net. Guernsey’s first eight penalties were all confidently slotted home and then Pattimore himself added the ninth – unfortunately the visitors matched them all. Chainey struck the 10th Sarnian penalty well, but Holdsworth guessed correctly, dived to his right and pushed it away. The keeper then beat his opposite number – cue the AFC celebrations.

‘You have to feel for the losing side, but that was a fantastic advert for amateur football,’ said AFC coach Rory Vermeulen, who rightly pointed to the tireless Chris Thomas as his side’s outstanding performer, despite not taking a penalty and later crimes against rhythm on the dancefloor! ‘I thought the first half was shaded by Guernsey and it was more about us holding our shape, but I felt we were the better side in the second half. ‘When you enter a competition, the point is to try and win it and we must be confident going into the semi-final because we felt Guernsey were one of the strongest sides in the cup.’ 

AFC: James Holdsworth, Matt Harrison (both Old Hamptonians), Lawrie Pointer, Leon Smith, Peter Eguae (all Old Meadonians), Matt O'Sullivan (Ignatians), Steve Watson, Dave Harding (both HAC), John Butler, Ian Sawyer (both Bealonians), Chris Thomas (Old Aloysians). Substitutes:- Nick Jones (Old Aloysians, for Harrison, 48 mins), Damian Swann (Old Aloysians, for Butler, 77 mins), Dave Laird (Old Aloysians, for Sawyer, 105 mins), Brian Hanley (Old Meadonians), Gary Bryson (Bealonians).