Visiting keeper Chris Tardif kept the islanders in the game in the opening half hour with a string of fine saves before team mate Ross Allen opened the scoring four minutes after the re-start.

However the lead lasted barely a minute as James McShane’s classy volley levelled the scores. The game ebbed and flowed for the remainder of the afternoon with Guernsey having the better goal scoring opportunities but a point apiece was a fair reflection.

The Moles had been without a fixture for three weeks and Guernsey five weeks so some rustiness from both sets of players was to be expected early on, and the game got off to an inauspicious start when a short corner routine between McShane and Tom Windsor was completely messed up and presented the islanders with a throw in, however, that wasn’t a sign of things to come as the hosts took the game to the visitors.

The excellent Ross Chalke had the two best chances of the half; the first when fine build up play on the right between McShane and Tim Pitt saw the latter’s cross find the head of the onrushing Chalke, but Tardif did superbly well to parry his close-range header.

Five minutes later McShane and Pitt again combined, and when McShane cross was only cleared as far as the edge of the box Chalke’s dipping volley was touched over by the fingertips of Tardif. From the resulting corner he then kept out close range efforts from both Jordan McCartney and Lewis Ackerman.

Moles hearts were in mouths when Allen’s flick on presented a chance to the onrushing Matt Loaring, but Jordan McCartney timed his tackle to perfection and the ball trickled through to Wester Young.

Both Pitt and Tom Dilloway made countless raids down their respective flanks from full-back position throughout the afternoon and it was during one of these raids that Dilloways was clumsily upended on the very edge of the box. McShane’s resulting free kick cleared the bar by a foot or so.

Tardif looked less assured when turning behind McShane’s drive after he’d combined neatly with Dilloway and Manny Quarshie.

Guernsey’s first effort on target came from Glyn Dyer after 35 minutes as he forced Young into a good save from 20 yards, and they went on to enjoy a spell of possession and nearly went in a half-time a goal to the good when the usually deadly Ross Allen got on the end of Dyer’s teasing free kick but sent his close range effort into a neighbouring garden.

Guernsey took the lead shortly after the re-start when Loaring got on the end of a through ball and forced Young into another decent save, but Allen was on hand to fire home the rebound from six yards.

Within a minute the Moles were back on level terms. Dilloway again burst forward from left back and fed Quarshie, who picked out McShane on the edge of the box. McShane’s first touch was tidy, and with his second he unleashed a stinging volley that bounced awkwardly in front of Tardif and despite the former Portsmouth and Oxford United man getting his and to the ball he could only help it into the net.

The goal flurry nearly continued two minutes later; the otherwise excellent Kristian Webb – who had stepped off his sick bed to play – was guilty of over-playing at the back and the ball was nicked from him by Loaring who sped through and was unlucky to see his shot come back off the upright.

Dyer forced Young into a hat-trick of saves as the visitors enjoyed a prolonged spell of possession, whilst both Quarshie and McShane tested Tardif at his near post for the Moles.

Molesey’s top scorer Ackerman – captain for the day on his 50th birthday – nearly got a dream winning goal after wriggling past his marker but saw his effort just clear the near post, but the best chance of a winner came when Young’s poor clearance put the Moles under pressure and Allen got on the end of Heaume’s knockdown but opted for power over accuracy and fired over from 8 yards with the goal at his mercy.

That was to be the final chance of an enjoyable game played in good spirit and very well officiated. The Moles are back in action next Saturday hoping to exact revenge on a Sandhurst Town side that knocked them out of the Premier Challenge Cup last month, whilst Guernsey face the biggest game of their 18 month existence at Egham Town with victory putting them within ten points of the leaders with six games in hand.