After nine games – six in the League and three in the cups – with only two draws to show for it, we upset the form book to beat Guernsey in our first ever meeting. Guernsey came into this match having beaten Croydon FC in the FA Vase on Saturday and with four wins and a defeat in their five league matches, while we languished in the bottom three where no team had won in the league. Liam Joyce took the opportunity to work with the squad in the absence of a weekend match and it was time well spent. Having weathered a strong start from Guernsey, debutant Reese Cartwright gave us lead just before the midway point of the half. A penalty was awarded against Jack Webb-Olley as he came to win the ball by a dive that fooled the referee. Justice came when the kick was saved. Inside the opening ten minutes of the second half a failure to clear our lines brought a scrappy equaliser for Guernsey. Cartwright provided the assist for Jeff Duah-Kessie to put us back in front and a strong team effort from the whole matchday squad saw us see out the match.

There was always going to be a changed line up as Jack McDonnell has been hit with a four match suspension courtesy of his dubious red card against Wick coming on his return from a two match ban. Three debutants in our starting eleven with Guyni Nganga, Reese Jacobs and Reece Cartwright the new Lingers. It was a nervous watch as Guernsey started the better and were threatening a goal. A break down the left saw a cross go through our box untouched although the linesman had missed a Guernsey player offside. A long ball into the box was met by Noah Agbinone but he could not get distance on his clearance. Guernsey returned it with a soft shot straight at Jack Webb-Olley. Webb-Olley had to be sharp on a high back pass but took it well on his chest and cleared the ball. Guernsey soon worked another opening but the shot was straight at Webb-Olley.

Only six minutes played but then we had a chance to get forward ourselves as Cartwright took the goal kick well and played it out to Reese Jacobs on the right to take it forward. He hit the ball high over the bar and it was not certain if it was a shot or mishit cross. We were struggling to get into the Guernsey half and just past ten minutes they were camped outside our box. A corner from the left was the result and a flicked on header evaded everyone to go out beyond the right post. A chance to put the ball into their box came with a free kick on 17mins. The delivery from the right by Jason Stripp was deep into the box but it was disappointing that the goalkeeper took it unchallenged. However, just two minutes later a long ball into the box from Conor Wilford found Cartwright, he worked space to shoot and it was a goal on his debut. Nobody could really argue that it was against the run of play.

Guernsey worked some openings in the run up to the half hour. An attack was held up and the route into the box blocked forcing a shot from distance that went high. Good covering by David Heaton forced a shot wide of the left post. A corner from the right found a Guernsey head and was headed down into the ground and a second Guernsey head put it over the bar. We had a chance to break forward as Jeff Duah-Kessie controlled a ball out and sent it wide to Jacobs. His shot from distance was just over the bar. Into the last fifteen minutes and Guernsey broke free down the left and put a ball into the box for their forward to chase. Webb-Olley was quick off his line to come out and dive at the forward's feet to win the ball. However their player ensured he went down and conned the unimpressive referee into awarding a penalty even visiting fans conceded was wrong. The kick was well struck but Webb-Olley went to his left and saved it, then put it out.

Bailey Neil-Gray was committed going into a fifty-fifty for a loose ball and came away with the ball to push forward and try to create something. Having already had a busy game, Webb-Olley pulled off a great save at the foot of his right post that he saw late and with an offside player in his eyesight but those decisions were not going our way in this match, just like a good physical tussle involving Jacobs was a Guernsey free kick. Approaching the last five minutes a Guernsey free kick just left of the D was fired into the wall and the rebound sliced wide of the left post. Stripp sent a ball out to Jacobs on the right and his run into the box won a corner. The short routine was far to slow to work an opening and the ball in saw a clash with the keeper and a free kick. With a minute to go Heaton was able to have shot from the edge of the D that was at the keeper.

Forty-five minutes to play for our first win and once underway Cartwright played the ball out to Jacobs whose shot went high. Lewis Lembikisa made a good driving run down the left wing before he was tackled. He was breaking free again when he was hauled back earning the Guernsey player a yellow card. From being attacking their box, the ball was down in our box and nobody could put a boot through the ball to clear it. A Guernsey foot got to it and the shot hit the inside of the right post and spun over the line for 1-1 on 52mins. More great work by Webb-Olley on 55mins kept the scores level. Then a perfect free kick chance for Wilford in a central position saw his shot just clear the cross bar. It was not just going forward that Lembikisa was doing well as he shut down a Guernsey break from a throw.

From losing the ball on our left wing, Guernsey were quick to shift it to their left and fire in a shot that Webb-Olley was equal to. On 64mins they had a break into the box but fired their shot wide. A minute later it was our first change as Gus Ward came on for Lembikisa. Wilford was doing what he does best and putting in a good challenge on the right and winning a free kick to relieve the pressure. Ward won a corner on the left that Stripp delivered into the six yard box. The ball came out to Ward for a shot but he sliced it wide of the right post. On 69mins Guernsey had a break on the left and when the ball broke loose their shot was wild, high and wide. A minute later they wasted a free kick that was over hit and out for a goal kick. A second change on 71mins as Neil-Gray was replaced by Stephen Hodge. A minute later a free kick from Stripp into the box was cleared out to Heaton. He headed the ball back in, Cartwright won the ball and Duah-Kessie slotted it home and The Lingers were ahead again.

Ward was clear and breaking towards their box on 74mins but then having stopped and cut back he could not find Duah-Kessie and it might have been worth a shot in the first place. With ten minutes go and Hodge was quick off the mark to intercept the ball and put it down the line to Jacobs. His ball into the box found Duah-Kessie, who having held up the ball could not make anything of it. Two minutes later Duah-Kessie won the ball in midfield and surged into the box but his ball into the six yard box was neither cross nor shot. With five minutes plus any added time to play, Duah-Kessie was really keeping the pressure off by making breaks forward. This time he was through on goal again and was brought down in the box but it was too much to expect a penalty.

With the clock ticking down Hussein Mohammed replaced Jacobs who had impressed on his first start. Guyni Nganga had grown into the game and on 87mins he held his position to hold up Guernsey on the wing and then win the ball back. A Guernsey corner was cleared and then put behind for a goal kick. A minute of normal time remaining when Matt Cheeseman replaced Duah-Kessie who had given his all for the team. Mohammed took the ball into the corner as seven minutes of added time started but it was called as a goal kick. In a shoulder to shoulder race towards the Guernsey box Cheeseman was adjudged to have fouled in another poor decision. Nearly at the final whistle and Mohammed had driven forward into the box with the ball but then did not get a shot off. In a final act, their goalkeeper was near the halfway line and drilled to ball straight into the arms of Webb-Olley.

After a slightly shaky start the lads grew into the game and the three debutants gave good performances but nothing was going to over shadow a Man of the Match display by Webb-Olley in not only saving a penalty but pulling off some other great saves too. The win takes us out of the 'not won' group and up a place to seventeenth level on points with neighbours Crawley Down Gatwick and with Eastbourne United although they have played a game more. It is a trip to Horsham YMCA on Saturday who have just lost their second game of the season with a 3-0 defeat at unbeaten leaders Haywards Heath Town which has dropped them to fourth in the table.