FC Isle of Man take victory in maiden game

Jack McVey scored the only goal of the game to give FC Isle of Man victory

Fledgling side FC Isle of Man hit the ground running on home soil with a hard-fought victory over Guernsey FC in their debut outing as a team.

With the Manx borders closed to non-residents, the match was only possible due to the recently opened air bridge between the two islands.

Jack McVey scored the only goal of the game, converting a penalty shortly before half-time.

Despite a glut of opportunities for the Manx, the friendly would end 1-0.

FC Isle of Man manager Chris Bass said the result was "a fantastic amount of success and a credit to the players and the coaching staff".

"You have to give credit where it's due and the players rose to the occasion and played very well. Looking back, you could say that we maybe deserved another one or two goals."

In front of a home crowd of 2,500 at the Bowl in Douglas, FC Isle of Man, who were accepted into the North West Counties League last month, got off to a strong start.

Ste Whitely forced keeper Josh Addison into his first save of the match after four minutes and captain Frank Jones later hit the woodwork.

Guernsey FC produced their first shot on goal after 33 minutes, but the momentum was still with the Isle of Man and a flurry of shots on target put the visitors under pressure.

Cracks appeared under the strain and a mistimed tackle from defender Tom Strawbridge gave the home side a penalty, which McVey duly slotted past the keeper to give the Manx the lead.

An almost entirely different FC Isle of Man stepped up for the restart with Bass making 10 substitutions.

The visitors looked better in the second half and had a call for a penalty denied by the referee after Louis Graham went down in the box.

However, the Manx maintained control of the game to secure their maiden victory at the first time of asking.