Guernsey FC: Ross Allen departure is chance for others says boss Tony Vance

Kyle Smith (left) and Marc McGrath are two of the players that could make their mark in Ross Allen's absence

Guernsey FC boss Tony Vance says Ross Allen's imminent departure will allow other players to stake their claim for a place in his side.

The club's record scorer, with 224 goals in 203 games, is leaving next month to go travelling, and will not return until March next year.

"We are going to miss him, I'm not going to deny that.

"But it certainly gives an opportunity for the likes of Kyle Smith and Marc McGrath," Vance told BBC Guernsey.

"Dom Heaume can play up there, Craig Young can play up there, so we've got plenty of options and we can change things around."

Vance has no regrets about Allen's absence for most of this season, despite his goals helping Guernsey to achieve two promotions in their first two seasons and reach the semi-finals of the FA Vase:

"It's brilliant for Ross, it's something I know he's wanted to do for a long time and was talking about for a long time, but he put it on hold because of Guernsey FC and what it was giving him," he said.

"We're amateurs at the end of the day so they deserve that opportunity to be a normal human beings and go off and have these opportunities,

"It's great for Ross to have this break, but he'll be back, there's no doubt about that."