Good for starters: Ross Allen heads home Guernsey FC’s first goal on Saturday at Foote’s Lane

Guernsey FC 6, Bristol City XI 0

UTTERLY dominant.

There can be no better way to sum up Guernsey FC’s debut win as they took Bristol City’s academy to the proverbial cleaners at Foote’s Lane.

A young side their opponents may have been, but that takes nothing away from a quite magnificent Green Lions display.

While a pre-season friendly may not have had the same importance as the performances against Croatia and Wales in the Uefa Regions Cup, or those in the successful NLS Cup run, it was just as satisfying.

Immense from back to front, every player playing their part, the Sarnians proved they can turn it on for 90 minutes, something lacking in recent months.

Up front, the plaudits will no doubt rest with the brilliant Ross Allen scoring another hat-trick, but just as satisfying was the new-look defence performance, yielding a rare clean sheet.

Alex Le Prevost was unflappable alongside the flawless Tom Strawbridge at the heart of it, allowing devastation to be wrought further forward.

‘I thought we played really well last week as well, but I did tell the boys before this game to cut out some of the silly defensive errors,’ said coach Tony Vance.

‘So while it is pleasing to score six goals, I was just as happy with keeping that clean sheet.’

Although the first goal on Saturday night did not come until 38 minutes on the clock, the one-touch play up to that point was a sight to behold, with chances being created at will.

The best of those was when Allen and the equally impressive Glyn Dyer linked up to free Matt Loaring one-on-one with keeper Matthew Sandiford.

But he could only shoot straight at the stopper from point-black range, with Sandiford again doing well to keep out a decent Le Prevost header from the resulting corner.

Scott Bougourd had also already gone close early on, with Guernsey’s front three of Allen, Loaring and Dyer being supported ably by Ryan-Zico Black.

It was Dyer and Allen who linked up again soon after, this time opening the scoring as a result.

Dyer’s hanging corner demanded a recipient and Allen duly obliged, his diagonal run across the box beating Sandiford to the ball and his header finding the roof of the net.

Although only one, that ultimately opened the floodgates, Guernsey doubling the lead three minutes before the interval, Allen’s tireless work bringing it about.

He picked up the ball down the left flank but with no noticeable support, he proceeded to beat his markers to the byline, by which time the cavalry had arrived.

City did their best to get the pullback out of harm’s way, but a ricochet fell kindly for Black just inside the area.

His finish into the bottom corner was emphatic and gave his side breathing space at the break, which saw them make five subs in one go.

On came Dave Rihoy, Craig Young, Dom Heaume, Jason Winch and Jacques Isabelle.

With Dyer, Black and Allen also on the pitch during second period, it was a lottery to work out Guernsey’s exact formation, as the front six interlinked with fluidity and released carnage.

It was only four minutes after the restart when Rihoy had made the game safe, pouncing on a clanger from Sandiford to score one of the easiest goals of his career.

Putting pressure on the City keeper resulted in Rihoy blocking the clearance from point-blank range and allowing him to tap in from all of a yard and marking his return from long-term injury in immediate style.

City did create their single chance of the match when Elan Gordon capitalised on Chris Tardif’s error in the air, but the Guernsey keeper made amends by charging down the effort.

That was to prove the visitor’s sole highlight, as Allen made it four on the hour mark.

Rihoy did well to find Young advancing out wide and the superb Bels front man put in a teasing ball across the six-yard line, demanding to be finished.

Allen was the man to do that, the power of the effort into the top corner allowing Sandiford to only deflect some of the venom of it as the net bulged again.

Guernsey soon made their final substitution, Richard Davey replacing Tardif, but the new man between the sticks was not called upon, his solid performance again aided by the excellent centre-back pairing.

Young came close to making it five at the other end, his effort well parried by Sandiford after jigging in and out of the defence, but it was not long before the fifth did come.

The greens broke again with acres of space at their disposal and options aplenty, this time Rihoy getting into dangerous territory, with Allen in support.

Rihoy duly slid Allen into position and the hitman did the rest, rifling across Sandiford into the far bottom corner to complete his hat-trick and taking his GFC tally to five in two games.

But there was still time for the coup de grace to be applied, although it is questionable whether Heaume can claim it, such was the blunder by Sandiford between the sticks.

Dyer’s free-kick into danger was cleared as far as Heaume, who had an immediate pot-shot at goal from all of 20 yards.

It went straight at Sandiford, who could only parry it upwards and onto his bar, before then proceeding to drop it over his own line, a moment he will not want to relive.

Guernsey did not care, however, as they rounded off their best full-game and all-round performance since Kent in the NLS Cup run back in March 2009.

With Knaphill in the league now looming closer on the horizon, it could well be a glittering goal-laden season down at the new home of local football.