Guernsey FC: Tony Vance calls on players to 'fight for shirt' after third successive loss

Tony Vance has been Guernsey FC's manager since the club was formed in 2011

Guernsey FC manager Tony Vance has questioned the commitment of some of his squad after failing to win for the sixth successive time.

The Green Lions' 1-0 loss to Chertsey Town saw them stay fourth-from-bottom of Isthmian League South Central.

"What I want is a group of players that want to fight for a shirt in training," Vance told BBC Radio Guernsey.

"I want them to fight for a shirt off the pitch as well in terms of looking after their fitness."

Vance added: "There's too many people, I think, that when they're not in the team they sort of look at it, and I wouldn't say they're happy to sit on the bench and get 20 minutes or so, but what they should be doing is working, working, working so that when they come on they can give everything they can and more."

Guernsey FC remain an amateur side in a largely semi-professional division, and Vance says that means his players have more of a struggle to balance their work lives with the travel and training that comes with playing for an island-based side.

"Our players have got jobs, they've got situations and I understand that, but these players we're playing against are getting paid," he said.

"Because they're getting paid they're turning up to training. Because they're getting paid they're putting themselves in that shop window - if they're not in the team they want to be in the team because they want to get their money and they want to play football.

"Ours aren't like that to a certain degree, and I get it, because we are what we are.

"It's just managing expectations of everybody, we're in this semi-professional league, we're not a million miles away - this is another game that's been lost that we should have won.

"That's what I want really is that opportunity, because I think we're missing a trick in this league. We've got that option, but at the moment we just haven't got the resources or the cards to play.

"Everyone's giving their all in terms of when they get the shirt and they're on the pitch, absolutely 100%, but until we've got 18 or 20 people fighting you're never going to get that competitive edge I don't think."