ALLEN'S KEY TO SUCCESS

HOW many players at Step 4 do you know who have played at the Club World Cup? And how many are hailed as the best striker in the division at 37 years old?

- Matthew Nash

Yes, it's fair to say Ross Allen is unique. Guernsey born and bred, a Green Lion to his very core, the striker is the Isthmian League South Central side's record goalscorer, talisman and is showing no sign of winding down as the club move into their new stadium in the next 12 months.

Allen has 294 goals in 316 starts and 20 substitute appearances for the Channel Islanders and is by some distance their all-time leading marksman, with his 10 strikes in 17 matches this term, prompting boss Tony Vance to describe him as "the best hitman in the division".

But why has he stayed loyal to Guernsey and signed for a professional club on the mainland? It's not for the want of offers.

"Guernsey FC started when I was 24 and maybe it came a bit late for me in terms of being noticed," Allen told The NLP. "But I had trials for some years and maybe when I was really hungry, I could have pushed it a bit. I didn't want it enough at the time and I just enjoy my football, I don't have regrets about it, although I'm a bit envious of the pathway we have now on the island!"