Eversley sealed the points in the dying minutes with the tireless Baker grabbed his 40^thgoal of the season. Next week the Boars finish their campaign with a visit to South Kilburn.

Team: Jennings, Donachie, Dennis, Millington-Lee, Reeves, Thomas, Jeffrey, Clarke, Kleboe, Baker, Jones

Easter Monday saw Hartley defeat the Boars for the third time this season. For an hour this was a hard fought local derby. Matt Baker scored from a free kick after 8 minutes but Hartley came straight back hitting the post moments later. It was an innocuous free kick that brought about Hartley’s equaliser as Shelley let a weak effort go through his legs to make it 1-1 all on 30 minutes. Eversley enjoyed their best passage of play for the remainder of the half in terms of possession but in truth rarely threatened the opposition’s goal.

15 minutes in to the second half some poor defending on the half way line allowed Hartley’s striker time to turn and pick out his strike partner to score on the break and from then on there was only one winner with the points being wrapped up 10 minutes from time to secure third place and seal Hartley Wintney promotion.

This week promises to be a nail biting one off the field as Eversley’s application for lights is heard at Hart District Council.

A rejigging of the back four saw Denness move back in to the centre, with Sam Jeffrey coming on at left back. Straight away the team looked more solid and slowly confidence started to grow. Taylor and Cann got a grip of the midfield and the supply to Stamp and Baker up top started to flow. Taylor saw his header from a Stamp free kick go just wide and Nathan Thomas should have slotted home from six yards but failed to beat the Warlingham keeper. Then on 63 minutes a moment of magic from Matt Baker. Picking the ball up 30 yards out he jigged past one defender to unleash an unstoppable drive in the top corner to make it 3-2.

It was now all Eversley and though Warlingham were still dangerous on the break at last Eversley looked like they could cope at the back. This confidence allowed Bradley Cann to drive forward at every opportunity and the equaliser looked just a matter of time. To their credit Warlingham reorganised themselves and defended stoutly. Just when it seemed they would hang on Taylor was pushed over it the box. There was never any doubt Baker would score from the spot and a point was salvaged.

Team: Shelley, Morgan, Denness, Cooper (Jeffrey), Reeves, Thomas, Clarke, Taylor, Stamp, Baker, Cann

Team: Jennings, Morgan (Clarke),          Cooper, Reeves, Thomas, King, Taylor, Stamps, Baker, Cann

2-0 up at half time with first half strikes from Josh Wright and Mark Morgan this looked like another 3 points but the Boars got absolutely destroyed by their visitors in the second half with 5 unanswered goals, with some lackluster defending and decision making to put it mildly. Eversley had 4 out from last week with injuries taking their toll after last week victory in Guernsey but really can’t excuse the most of our team today who capitulated once WP were gifted their first goal on 50 mins after a mix up between Cooper and Dan Taylor.
WP showed why they won the league last season and took advantage of an inept showing by a lot of the Eversley players. The management couldn`t have emphasised enough that this musn`t be an ‘after the lord mayor’s show performance’…… unfortunately it was.

With top striker Matt Baker now out for the season and Hartley Wintney with games in hand getting promoted is going to be a tough ask. Time will tell whether other players can step up to the plate and rise to the challenge,

Team: Hatton, Cooper, D Taylor (Fisher), Kleboe, Morgan, Thomas, Reilly, S Taylor, Stamp, Wright, Cann

That it was on Saturday and not next season in the CCL Premier came as something of an unpalatable shock to large sections of the packed Garenne Stand who had convinced themselves that referee Brian Fish was an Eversley man in disguise.

Certainly, Mr Fish was public enemy No.1 long before his final whistle brought to a close a highly-eventful game watched by 1,310, having sent off Green Lions right back Jacques Isabelle, awarded the visitors a late penalty and, in their eyes, given the home side next to nothing.

But to pile the blame for a first home defeat on this Fish out of water – in the eyes of many – was perhaps wide of the mark.

The referee was definitely not the reason Guernsey FC lost this game and saw their lead at the top of Division One trimmed to four points.

Eversley were a decent side, solid at the back, organised and, in Matt Baker, have one of the league’s best finishers up front.

The big No. 10 might not be anywhere near as elusive and energetic as his Guernsey opposite number, but he proved a handful for the home back line and, by the end, had kept ground with Ross Allen at the top of the division’s scorers list, both men having helped themselves to a couple.

No, the Green Lions lost this one largely because they failed to adapt to the conditions and, with the notable exception of the admirable Ryan-Zico Black, by far GFC’s best player on the day, were shaken out of their usual confident approach by quality visitors.

Too many Guernsey players were off the boil.

But if one moment defined that it was not going to be the Lions’ day it came nine minutes after half-time with the home side having just fallen two goals behind.

A super counter-attack saw the chance for Dave Rihoy to head Guernsey back in the game from six yards out.

It seemed Guernsey must score as the cross from the left met his forehead fair and square. But instead of the net bulging the ball was brilliantly blocked and Eversley had escaped.

Rihoy had much earlier carved the game’s first chance, a 22-yarder that flew well over after six minutes.

Allen also twice went close in the opening quarter-of-an-hour and Rihoy had an effort kicked off the line by a covering defender after he had rounded the keeper who had put his side under pressure by smashing a low goal-kick into a teammate who failed to control and let the Bels man in on goal.

At that stage a Guernsey goal seemed inevitable, but 20 minutes in suddenly the home side lost shape, concentration, composure and their grip on the game.

For a few minutes Guernsey seemed incapable of finding a teammate from five yards, and on 26 minutes they fell behind, although there was a large slice of fortune for Eversley in how the goal materialised.

Isabelle stuck out a boot in an attempt to cut out a diagonal ball into the box, which only served to divert it back across the box to the predatory Baker who said thank you very much from eight yards out.

No need to panic, we all thought, and within a minute Allen was heading over from Matt Loaring’s looped cross which held up in the strong wind and confused both keeper and Allen who saw the ball bounce off the back of his head and over.

The half ended with Guernsey’s trademark corner routine, one that served them so successfully on their National Systems Cup run.

Rihoy met the low ball in from the right but this time he badly scuffed the shot.

The half-time feeling was that the Lions could surely not play as ineffectively again in the second half. A rousing team talk or a few flying cups would shake them out of their slumbers.

Alas no.

Just three minutes in, Eversley were two up.

Baker’s 35-yarder had Chris Tardif scrambling to his left to parry around for a corner from which the ball fell kindly to Alex Frostick and his close-range finish silenced the home crowd.

Immediately, Guernsey threw on Glyn Dyer for a strangely out-of-sorts Angus Mackay and the little man’s first touch was a glancing header that flew wide for a corner.

Heaume dropped into a deeper midfield role and Guernsey went four up top, throwing caution to the wind.

On 59min. Guernsey were back in it.

Allen, who had endured a frustrating first period when nothing stuck to his boot, went past three men as he hared down the left and cut into the box.

Before he could shoot, the Eversley skipper James Reeves brought him down and after the No. 5 had had received his yellow card for the foul, Allen lashed the penalty high into the net.

The springboard to recovery was celebrated wildly by the stand crowd panicked by the 0-2 scoreline, but no sooner had the cheering died down than the Lions chins were back on their chests.

Isabelle, who had been yellow carded for a clumsy challenge moments after Allen’s goal, cynically ended the run of an opponent and a second caution meant he was off.

It was totally the right decision but as excitement and frustration grew in the crowd, every decision by the referee was now being questioned as were the frequent breaks in play for injuries to the visitors.

When they could find momentum, the Lions poured forward but handicapped themselves by lacking the width, which should have been provided by the attacking armoury at their disposal.

All the while the Lions were increasingly susceptible to the counter-attack and on 89min., with the likelihood of several minutes of stoppage time to be added on, they conceded again.

Cochrane was adjudged to have clipped Mark Morgan just inside the box, and, although it seemed all too soft or a figment of the referee’s imagination, certainly as far as the stand were concerned, Mr Fish quickly pointed to the spot and Baker sent Tardif the wrong way from the spot.

Moments later the handheld electronic board went up with just six minutes to be added on, not the eight, nine or even 10 minutes many islanders expected.

Four of those added minutes had slipped by when Allen went on another of his trademark slaloms into the box and drove a low shot under keeper Richard Shelley: 3-2.

But there was no miracle escape and, to be honest, Guernsey did not deserve it.

Eversley were too solid to concede again and with tensions higher than we have seen all season at Footes Lane, the final whistle was blown by a distinctly unpopular Mr Fish.

A great night out followed as we painted the town yellow and blue for the evening! A few sore heads the following morning and Kleboe filled 4 airline sick bags on the flight home to complete a fabulous and historic trip.

Eversley: Shelley, Cooper, Morgan, Reeves (Jeffery (D Taylor for jeffery)), Frostwick, Thomas, Kleboe, S Taylor, Stamp, Baker (Fisher), Cann   Sub not used: Hayes

Staines started very brightly with the highly regarded attacking trio of George Baldock, Gary James, and Shane Rideout all starting for the home side. With a high tempo and some fierce tackles from both promostion hopefuls indictating early the importance of this result. Two excellent saves in the first 10 minutes by Eversley keeper Richard Shelley stopped Staines taking the lead as the Boars struggled to settle.

This was to prove vital as Eversley slowly grew in to the game and Clement adjusted his sides system to nulify the Lammas ‘quarter-back’ who was dominating posession. On 18 minutes Eversley broke and Marlon Day latched on to a Marc Kleboe knock down to fire an unstoppable shot low in to the corner and give Eversley the lead.

Two minutes later and a shell shocked Lammas were two down, the power and height of Kleboe and Matt Baker proving too much for the home side’s defence to handle. Baker flicked on a Sam Jeffery long throw and Kleboe rose high to nod home from 6 yards out. Staines fought back and again it was Shelley to the rescue denying both Rideout and James from what looked certain goals and send his side in 2-0 up at the break.

An eventful second half with Lammas flying out of the traps. This was going to be Shelley’s day though as he denied Lammas twice more in the opening 10 minutes. Just as it appeared Eversley had ridden the storm Bradley Cann saw red for the visitors as his fierce tackle in the middle of the park was deemed reckless enough for a straight red card. The Eversley bench were up in arms feeling the home side  player’s reaction suffficiently over the top to pressurise the referee when a yellow seemed the right decision.

Half an hour to go and the Lammas tails were up. On came the prolific Matt Baxter for Staines , Kleboe went in to a back three for Eversley and resumed his dominance in his best game for the Boars. The Eversley players needed to show their metal and they certainly stood up to the task battling with a desire and a commitment shown for the first time this season. At times it seemed Staines were the team down to ten men as they out worked and out fought Staines who became bereft of ideas and started to pump long balls that were gobbled up with some ease. Eversley proved they were still a goal threat themsleves with the tireless Ben Clarke making an excellent full debut, Day and Matt Stamp, all getting forward to support Baker on the counter.

On 75 minutes Eversley extended their lead. Stamp’s corner was flicked on by by Kleboe for Baker to smash home at the far post. Minutes before the end and remarkably it was 4! Marlon Day shared the man of the match spils with Shelley after a brillliant solo goal. Winning possession on the half way line Day bullied his way past two central defenders to role the ball in to the corner from just inside the box. Staines did manage a consolation in the dying seconds but it didn`t take the gloss off of a great performance.

In the absence of co manager Ian Savage, Clement challenged his players after the game to show the required commitment to kick on from here and challenge for a promotion place. Entertaining an in form Cobham this weekend (2pm kick off at Fox Lane) and then away to fellow promotion hopefuls Hartley Wintney on the 27^th December,  the next two games will show if the players have accepted the challenge.

Team: Shelley, Anderson, Jeffery, Cooper, Reeves, Day, Clarke, Kleboe, Stamp, Baker, Cann