Guernsey FC should consider paying players, says manager Tony Vance

Guernsey FC have won seven and drawn five of their past 18 games to pull away from the relegation zone

Guernsey FC manager Tony Vance says the club should consider paying some of their players if they want to be capable of chasing a play-off spot.

The Green Lions - who play in the eighth-tier Isthmian League South Central - do not pay their players, while many of their league rivals do.

It means Vance can struggle for players, especially in away matches, if they are unable to get time off work.

Guernsey are set to finish 15th after being bottom of the table in January.

"Our form in the last two months and the points that we've achieved would have put us in third place," Vance, who had a host of key players missing in the first part of the season, told BBC Radio Guernsey.

"That puts it in perspective, so how can we do that every year?

"The whole season, those players who have been available for the last two or three months of the season need to be available 90% of the time. How are they going to do that? It's down to money isn't it really, it has to be.

"They've got jobs, all the teams we play against, they're paid to be playing so they're available, they don't go away, they don't have other things that get in the way, it becomes part of their role and their job.

"I'm not talking about throwing money away, but it's the only way we're going to be up that end of the table because of the levels that the league is now."

Vance still has captain Jamie Dodd, record goalscorer Ross Allen and attacker Dave Rihoy from the side that first embarked on English league football in 2011.

But as they get older Vance knows they will not be around forever.

"Next year's a little bit of a worry in terms of us having some elder statesmen, are they still going to keep going? I believe they will," Vance added.

"The younger ones are starting to try and break through, the likes of Brandon (Wallace), Keene (Domaille) particularly, so it's good to see them progress.

"There's a couple of other youngsters that need to push on otherwise they'll go flat."