10th March 2018, Guernsey 3 (Pereira 39 mins, Rihoy 51 & 75 mins)  Sittingbourne 0. Attendance 628

It's now 6 defeats in a row and 5 of these have resulted in 3 goals conceded. My how we miss the injured John Coker who is now out for the rest of the season.  Coker, being a contract player , rightly continues to be paid, but it does show how a club at this level must consider carefully whether or not  to put players on a contract, as with money so tight it is less money to put into the playing squad.

Sittingbourne showed how they are missing experience, as rudimentary mistakes cost them dear.  Guernsey came into the this game after a terrific performance against Walton Casuals in a battling 2-2 draw at Moatside. . Guernsey had played a number of youth players in that game because of other players non availability, and although apparently they rode their luck, they still came into this game in a confident mood, something which the Brickies seem to lack. A disappointing feature of Sittingbourne's play was the wasting of dead ball kicks, whether free kicks or corners. Several times free kicks were awarded  in good positions but the ball was just too long. The best performance of the afternoon was definitely from the small band of Brickies faithful who kept on supporting the team throughout the game.

It was a fairly even first half, although Guernsey had a good chance in the first few minutes which Ben Coulter fired wide. But Sittingbourne settled and Kane Rowland had a shot go narrowly over the bar on 9 minutes. Three minutes later Guernsey had another chance which Muhammed Otuyo in the Brickies goal pushed away. Sittingbourne had a good spell around the quarter hour mark when Tom Loynes had a couple of efforts, the second of which was parried for a corner by Callum Stanton in the Guernsey goal. From the corner Stanton tipped Loynes effort over the bar. But Guernsey came back and Frank Tobin caused Otuyo to save with his legs. Loynes then was unlucky when he just missed getting a shot in after he beat Stanton to the ball.

Guernsey looked shaky during this period but it was Sittingbourne's shakiness in defence that proved conclusive after the ball was erratically cleared to no one in particular and was easily picked up by Paris Pereira who fired past Otuyo to give the Green Lions the lead.

The second half began with Kane Rowland just failing to pull the trigger after there was havoc in the Guernsey area, and it was Guernsey who doubled their lead when on 51 minutes Otuyo palmed a shot out straight into the path of Dave Rihoy who made no mistake with the shot.

Sittingbourne were not out of it and David Smith was causing the Guernsey defence some problems. He and Rowland swapped passes in a promising move but the ball  ran away from Smith before he could press the trigger. Smith did get a shot in just after this after a pass from the returning Kane Phillip, but the ball went straight to Stanton.

The killer punch came when a poor clearance from Otuyo went straight to Rihoy who fired the ball straight back and into the goal and it was all over for Sittingbourne.

Guernsey: Callum Stanton, Simon Geall (C), Jamie dodd, Alex le Provost, Frank Tobin, Charlton Gauvain (River marsh 68 mins), Tom De La Mare (Ryan Zico-Black 64 mins), Paris Pereira (Matt Loaring 76 mins), Dave Rihoy, Seb Skillen, Ben Coulter (Yellow). Subs not used Dom Heaume, Glyn Dyer.

Sittingbourne: Muhammed Otuyo, Chris Webber (C), Fabrice Blewordah, Charlie Allan (Yellow), Josh Dorling (Harrison Hatfull 46 mins), Lex Allan, David Smith (Germaine Agyemang 76 mins), Jide Okimeji, Kane Rowland, Tom Loynes, Rhgys Bartlett (Kane Phillip 67 mins).

Officials: Referee Steven Hughes, Assistants: William Davies, Peter Gerrgiou

Photographs by Glen Parkes follow: