Guernsey Football Club is a community football club located in

St. Peter Port St. Peter Port (french: Saint-Pierre Port) is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. P ...

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

. The club was formed in 2011 and became a member of the

Combined Counties Football League The Combined Counties Football League is a regional men's football league in south-eastern England with members in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Jersey, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and the western half and sou ...

Division One for the 2011–12 season.

History

Background

The FNB

Priaulx League The Priaulx League is the senior football league on the island of Guernsey, and is run by the Guernsey Football League Management LBG, (prior to 2016 the Guernsey Football Association). Although the league is affiliated with the English FA, it ...

, currently operated by the

Guernsey Football Association The Guernsey Football Association, also simply known as the Guernsey FA or the GFA, is the body that co-ordinates and organises the sport of football in Guernsey. Although, as a Crown Dependency, Guernsey is not a part of the United Kingdom, the ...

, has been the top level of football on Guernsey since 1893. In addition, a Guernsey team has competed in the annual

Muratti The Muratti Vase is an annual men's and women's football competition, inaugurated in 1905, between teams representing the Channel Islands of Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey. The larger islands of Guernsey and Jersey dominate the competition, with A ...

trophy against fellow

sides since 1905 and at the Island Games since 1991. In June 2011 the

accepted Guernsey into its

Division One. Level 10 in the

English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...

. This made Guernsey the first team from the Channel Islands to compete in mainland British football, and the club funds the cost of both its own and other teams' travel to and from the island. Guernsey-born former

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

international Matt Le Tissier was the club's President until his resignation in August 2014, whilst his brother Mark is the club's Football Secretary.

2011–12

Guernsey played their first game on 16 July 2011,

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...

came to Footes Lane to film Guernsey v

Feltham Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party ...

2–0 on 12 November 2011. The club beat Bedfont Sports 7–1 on 24 March 2012 to win the Combined Counties Division One at the first attempt and gain promotion. On 30 March the club also reached the final of the Premier Cup, beating

Guildford City Guildford City Football Club (formerly Guildford United and AFC Guildford) is a football club based in Guildford, Surrey, England. The club was established in 1921, folded in 1974 and was reformed in 1996. Guildford City play in the . History ...

4–2 after extra time. They went on to beat Colliers Wood United in the final after extra time 2–0.

2012–13

Guernsey started their second League campaign in August when they played

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...

with an 8–0 win in the

Premier Division after securing promotion in the previous season. They also entered the

FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footb ...

for the first time.

returned to

Footes Lane Footes Lane is a multi-use sports stadium in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey and is the main sports venue on the island. It has a capacity of 5,000 with 720 seated. The stadium is the national stadium of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Usage The stadi ...

to film the Semi final first leg against

Spennymoor Town Spennymoor Town Football Club is a football club based in Spennymoor, County Durham, in the North East of England. They currently compete in and currently play their home matches at The Brewery Field. The club began playing in the Northern ...

on 23 March 2013. To get the pitch playable, a novel way to dry the pitch was tried, using a helicopter, copying an idea tried in Melbourne, Australia, 50 years earlier. With 27 games postponed in the season due to Cup matches and the terrible winter weather, Guernsey were scheduled to play 17 games in April 2013, 23 games in 43 days. the last four matches of the season in four days. League results: 2012–13 Combined Counties Football League. Finishing the season in style, Guernsey earned promotion for the second season in succession.

2013–14

Guernsey's entry into the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...

competition was confirmed, with certain conditions, including strict financial obligations, which have been alleviated with the 60Saviours campaign, whereby 60 individuals or groups pledge to support each game in the

and

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The com ...

competitions. During the F.A. Trophy match against

Barkingside Barkingside is an area in Ilford, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It includes the major road junction of ''Fullwell Cross'' which also gives its name to the locality near that roundabout. The area is situated 10.6 miles (17km) north east of ...

on 6 October, Ross Allen scored the 350th competitive goal since forming, in just 111 games and little more than two seasons. Advancing to the First Round Qualifying, Guernsey had their first F.A. Trophy match at home where they met

Billericay Town Billericay Town Football Club is a football club based in Billericay, Essex, England. The club are currently members of and play at New Lodge. They are the second most successful club in FA Vase history, having won the competition on three o ...

but lost 1-2. With promotion, Guernsey competes in the 2013–14 Isthmian League Division One South, with 46 league matches in the season, coming 4th in the league and reaching the playoffs for promotion to the

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 t ...

Premier Division but losing out to

Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the Mole Valley District of Surrey, England, about south of Central London. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the River Mole, from which its name is thought to derive. During the late Anglo-Saxon period, Leathe ...

3–2.

2014–15

Playing in the 2014–15 Isthmian League Division One South for the second year. Five friendly games were played before the start of the season. GFC lost its

preliminary round match against

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Ho ...

2–0 but in the preliminary round of the

won 4–0 against Barton Rovers before crashing out of the competition in the next round. In the league, the season has seen some disappointing results including a record 8–0 loss against Merstham, reaching the season's half way mark with only seven wins in 23 games. A marked improvement in the number of wins from mid December coincided with the club's 500th competitive goal on 17 January resulting in the next seven wins in just 10 games. Guernsey's 8–1 September win over Three Bridges proving to be the highest scoring match in the league during the year, Guernsey finishing the season safe, in the second quartile. Guernsey have now played 197 matches since their formation, winning 122, drawing 28 and losing 47. They have scored 529 goals, conceding 281. The Green Lions have been victorious in 103 league games, drawing 26 and losing 39. They have scored 454 times (Matt Loaring got the 450th against Worthing) and shipped 237. The club's head physiotherapist, Mike Thomas died on 21 May after battling with motor neurone disease.

2015–16

For the 2015–16 season, Guernsey is playing in the

Division One South for the third consecutive year. Most Guernsey players participated in the

2015 Island Games The XVI Island Games (also known as the ''2015 NatWest Island Games'' for sponsorship reasons) was held in Jersey, Channel Islands, from 27 June to 3 July 2015. This was the second time that the island has hosted the games, the first being in 199 ...

where the Island team won Gold. Two friendly games being played before the season starts, winning the second which contested the newly created Mike Thomas Memorial Trophy. Guernsey has entered the

and

competitions for the third consecutive year. Drawing their first

match 2–2 against Phoenix Sports before losing the replay 1–2. Guernsey FC exited the

at the first hurdle, losing 2–0 against

Thurrock Thurrock () is a unitary authority area with borough status and unparished area in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The ...

. On 21 November, a goal was scored by Ross Allen, his 199th and the club's 500th league goal. GFC reaching the half way mark, 23 games, in a better position than last season, with 11 wins and 36 points putting them in eighth place. Ross Allen moved to the top scorer in the Division by picking up his 200th and 201st goals in the next match against Dorking Wanderers. A great run up to the end of the year with a 6–2 victory over Tooting & Mitcham United, then coming from two down to get a 4–4 draw against

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand ...

putting Guernsey in a play-off position, becoming the top goal scoring team in the Division, with Ross Allen not surprisingly being the Ryman Isthmian League's top scorer after nine goals in the last four games. Guernsey's 100th home league match saw the unbeaten run increase to nine matches with a 2-1 victory over

Whyteleafe F.C. Whyteleafe Football Club was an English football club based in Whyteleafe, Surrey. The club was established in 1946 and joined the Athenian League in 1981. The club is an FA Chartered Standard club affiliated to the Surrey County Football Assoc ...

This was followed with a long sequence of games lost, especially away games, resulting in Guernsey dropping to a disappointing 13th place. The season ended with the following statistics, 246 matches have been played since the club was formed, 143 have been won and 34 drawn, 626 goals scored, 375 conceded. 63 players have represented the club, of whom 30 have scored a goal.

2016-17

Guernsey is playing in the Isthmian League Division One South for the fourth consecutive year with a new captain, following the resignation of Sam Cochrane who wished to stand down after five years in the post. The first FA Cup match at home, on 20 August against Thamesmead Town FC, with the FA Cup Trophy being brought to the well attended match. The result was a 2:2 draw resulting in a replay which was lost on a penalty shootout. The FA Vase match on 8 October being played away at South Park FC was equally disappointing, losing 2:0. An October match, held on the 950th anniversary of the

Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings nrf, Batâle dé Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conque ...

, failed to see Guernsey repeat the success against

Hastings United F.C. Hastings United Football Club, previously known as Hastings Town, is a semi-professional football club based in Hastings, East Sussex. They currently play in the and have played their home games at The Pilot Field since 1985, after the demis ...

A tragic collision resulted in the Captain goalkeeper, Chris Tardif suffering a double leg break at the home match against

Godalming Town F.C. Godalming Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Godalming, Surrey, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Bill Kyte Stadium. History The club was established in 1950 as Godalming United by former ...

which ruled him out of the team for the rest of the season. In December 2016 it was announced that Guernsey had formed an official link with

Bristol City F.C. Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

with regard to training and with the possibility of young Bristol City players gaining experience in away games of Guernsey F.C. Cameron Pring and Jake Andrews, on loan from Bristol F.C. played at away games during December and January, Pring boosting the defence on four occasions and Andrews scoring eight goals in eight games for Guernsey. The season progressed with three away wins, sufficient to keep Guernsey out of the relegation zone. Thomas Dodds picked up the majority of awards at the end of season event. Guernsey FC were chosen by the FA as one of eight clubs that had, for the FA Cup, "provided the competition with standout stories and moments in a memorable season.". This was in recognition of the fact that the FA Cup trophy left the mainland to attend a fixture for the first time ever in the competition's history. Former captain Sam Cochrane was nominated by the club to represent them, and was welcomed on to the pitch at Wembley, sporting the club's colours, for the singing of ‘Abide with Me’ at the FA Cup final.

Stadium

The team plays its home games at

, a 5,000 capacity multi-use sports facility in

St Peter Port St. Peter Port (french: Saint-Pierre Port) is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. P ...

. The stadium is also used as an athletics track, by the Guernsey Rugby Club and was a venue for the 2003 Island Games.

Players

For the 2011–12 season, the team was composed of players from the seven senior teams of the Guernsey Football Association (GFA). The first player officially signed was the Guernsey national side's captain, Sam Cochrane. Following this, all twenty members of Guernsey's 2011 Island Games squad which earned a silver medal were signed. The club currently operates a squad rotation policy, allowing the players to represent their respective GFA league clubs when called upon. Channel Islander-born players are eligible to play for any of the

Home Nations Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on context. Politically it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales). In sport, if a sport is g ...

. Former England international footballer and then GFC President Matt Le Tissier signed up as a player for the 2012–13 season, with his first and only appearance on 24 April 2013.

First-team squad

Non-playing staff

The team is coached by Tony Vance, who also coached the

Guernsey national football team The Guernsey official football team is the official football team representing the island of Guernsey (which is not part of the United Kingdom, but is a Crown dependency) in non-FIFA international football matches. It is not affiliated with FIF ...

until he resigned in December 2011, and is assisted by Colin Fallaize and Steve Sharman. The club's head physiotherapist was Mike Thomas, who died in May 2015. He was assisted by his son Dan Thomas and the consultant club doctor is Richard Weiler. The club chairman from establishment to August 2016 was Steve Dewsnip and club secretary was Mark Le Tissier, brother of former England international footballer Matt Le Tissier. Mark Le Tissier took over as Chairman in September 2016. The club's patron is Sir Geoffrey Rowland, the ex-Bailiff of Guernsey. GFC TV record and broadcast matches to subscribers over the internet. On occasions they have produced live broadcasts which have been shown in various Guernsey locations.

Honours

League honours

Division One South **Non-League Paper's National Game Awards 2013–14 Ross Allen Golden Boot Award with 54 goals **Pro Direct Soccer Golden Boot 2013–14 Ross Allen **Isthmian League Division One South 2013–14 Team Performance of the Year Award **Isthmian League Division One South 2013–14 Ross Allen (46) - Golden Boot Award *

Division One **Champions 2011–12 **Fair Play Trophy Winner 2011–12 **Leading Scorer Trophy 2011–12 Ross Allen with 51 league goals

Cup Honours

Premier Challenge Cup **Winner 2011–12

Records

*Goals **Record league win: by 11 goals – 11–0 Crawley Down Gatwick,

Division One South, 1 January 2014 **Record win: by 11 goals – 11–0 Crawley Down Gatwick,

Division One South, 1 January 2014 **Worst league defeat: by 8 goals – 0–8 Merstham,

Division One South, 18 November 2014, 0-8

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...

Division One South Central, 3 December 2022 **Most goals in a game: 11 goals: 6–5 Rye United, 4th Round

, 26 January 2013 after extra time, 7–4

Premier Division, 13 February 2013. 11–0 Crawley Down Gatwick,

Division One South, 1 January 2014 **Highest individual scorer in a competitive match: Ross Allen with six against Crawley Down Gatwick,

Division One South, 1 January 2014 *Attendance **Highest attendance: 4,290, 1–3 v

Semi Final first leg, 23 March 2013 **Lowest attendance: 394, 1-1 v Whistable,

Division One South East Division, 15 December 2018 **Seasons average highest attendance: 1,310, season 2011–12 *League consecutive winning games **

Division One, 11 consecutive league games won 2011–12 **

Premier Division, 9 consecutive league games won 2012–13 **

Division One South, 5 consecutive league games won 2013–14, 2014–15 *Highest Position **

– Second Round Qualifying 2013–14 **

– First Round Qualifying 2013–14, 2014–15 **

– Semi Final 2012–13 ** Combined Counties Premier Challenge Cup – Winner 2011–12 **League –

Division One South – level 8 of the

English football pyramid The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the ...

– 4th 2013–14

League results

Cup performance timeline

(A ''Absent'', PR ''Preliminary Round'', QR ''Qualifying Round'', 3R ''3rd Round'', QF ''Quarter Final'', SF ''Semi Final'', F ''Finalist'', W ''Winner'')

Players who have turned professional

* Rhys Jordan – 2012 -

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

* James Hamon – 2014 -

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

* Alex Scott - 2019 -

and England U19

References

External links

* *
GFCTV
{{Guernsey topics , state=collapsed Football clubs in Guernsey Association football clubs established in 2011 Isthmian League Combined Counties Football League 2011 establishments in Guernsey Expatriated football clubs