Depleted Guernsey FC lose 4-3 at Wick

Guernsey FC remain in third place in the Southern Combination Premier Division despite a 4-3 loss at Wick.

The islanders were missing a host of players who were away with the Guernsey representative side as they beat Alderney 2-1 in the Muratti Vase semi-final.

But the club side started well as long-serving Matt Loaring scored for the second successive game after Brandon Wallace's seventh-minute shot had taken a deflection.

The hosts were level seven minutes later after Callum Beck finished well having been put through on goal.

But Guernsey went into the break ahead as Loaring scored his second, heading in after Wallace had sent Ross Allen's cross back into the box.

However the hosts - who had lost 4-1 in Guernsey on the opening day of the season - turned it around early in the second half.

Cavan Gratwick equalised two minutes after the interval before Ethan Roberts had an easy finish six minutes later.

Wallace went close to equalising with 16 minutes left, while Roberts should have made it 4-2 four minutes later as he fired narrowly wide.

But the Wick player made no mistake soon after as he fired in from a goalmouth scramble to seal the win with his second goal.

There was still time for Guernsey to get another goal as young debutant Alfie Torode - one of the players to benefit from a call up with the Muratti game also taking place - headed in his first goal in the 88th minute.

"It was one of those sort of banana skin games really, the conditions and the pitch weren't fantastic and it was never going to be a great game of football," Guernsey FC manager Tony Vance told BBC Radio Guernsey.

"We also didn't really deserve to win if I'm honest, we couldn't get going.

"They caught us where we made some poor mistakes and that's the story of the game really.

"Our mistakes cost us ultimately, but also we didn't do enough to win the game either, so it's one to file in the bin if I'm honest."