FIRST TOWER United, a club that used to dominate CI football and proudly carried the Jersey flag in UK competition, suffered their first ever relegation from the Combination when a 4-0 defeat against reigning champions Jersey Scottish condemned them to Coca-Cola Division II football next season.
Scottish, by contrast, went back to the top of the table, but they now have played two games more than St Paul’s and Trinity, who they lead by just one point. Scottish, of course, are also expecting a three-point deduction for playing a suspended player against Rozel Rovers earlier in the season.
Tower, without a league point all season, went down to their 12th defeat, under the lights at Les Quennevais, with Scottish’s goals coming from Jack Boyle, Reuben Legge, Paul Aitken and Callum Brennan.
The battle to avoid the second relegation spot is far from decided, however, and Grouville, Portuguese Club, Jersey Wanderers and Rozel Rovers are all in danger of joining Tower, who won the last of their seven Combination titles in 1995, in Division II next season.
Last night’s defeat was one of Tower’s heaviest but it is clearly the lack of goals that has been their downfall this season, scoring, on average, only once in every three league games. Indeed, Tower suffered four one-goal reverses and a further three just by two goals, a good indication that the boys from La Hague did not go without a fight.
Club president Roger Gibbon said this morning: ‘We again showed a lot of endeavour last night, as we have throughout the season, but our lack of strikepower has been our downfall.
‘We’ve still four games to play this term and we will keep on going beyond this season - of course we will - I believe Tower are the most famous club from Jersey following their exploits in the FA Vase.’
Article posted on 27th February, 2008 - 12.00am
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