Jean-Paul Martyn celebrates after giving Jersey the lead in the first half (00734034)
JERSEY’S men won their third Island Games football tournament last night – their first since 1997 – with goals in each half from Jean-Paul Martyn and Chris Andrews giving them a 2-1 victory over Aland.
So Jersey finished the tournament with a 100 per cent record, conceding just two goals, one of those being a late effort from the hosts’ Andreas Björk which gave Jersey an uncomfortable final few minutes.
But the overall result was testament to a phenomenal back four, a fiery front line, and an increasing belief that this was always meant to be Jersey’s tournament. The Island boys produced an admirable finale to a spectacular week, winning the final of all finals, against the hosts, in front of around 6,000 spectators at Aland’s centrepiece athletics stadium, to match the feat of Peter Vincenti’s teams of 1993 and 1997
For much of the first half, it was a similar story to the semi-final against Guernsey – in that there was only one team in the game.
At times, Jersey were applying all the pressure and making Aland look pretty average indeed.
Without a doubt, this will have been the biggest football match most of these players would have played in – but Jersey were unfazed by the occasion, making good decisions, keeping their cool and, by all appearances, enjoying it too.
The first proper chance produced Jersey’s first goal, after 18 minutes, as JP Martyn neatly converted Ross Crick’s chip into the box.
But soon Aland proved their threat on the counter attack, deftly pulling the ball back up the pitch and taking the odd swipe across goal.
After 22 minutes an Aland free kick from a decent position flew dangerously close to the crossbar, but Jersey keeper Jimmy Styles was well-prepared, and ready to tap it over.
What Jersey needed was a second goal, as Aland found their feet – and, within ten minutes of the second half, JP Martyn again featured in attack, picking up a stunning long ball played into the right corner and determinedly crossing to Chris Andrews, perfectly placed in the box, to lift it up and into the goal.
Aland, again hinting at their strength, tried a quick response, bringing Styles off his line, but the keeper made the right decision and the ball was snatched before any damage could be done.
Jersey played passionately, full of belief and confidence, as they have for most of the tournament – as if they realised what they were capable of.
The result seemed so certain that by 84 minutes a vibrant, vocal Jersey crowd couldn’t believe we could concede a goal – but Aland, in their most incisive attack of the game, found their way into the box.
Jersey’s back line couldn’t reach Björk, and Styles couldn’t keep the ball out, as Aland at last played as we had expected, indicating that this final, in front of thousands of home fans, wasn’t finished quite yet.
Jersey responded with another good chance from the left-hand side of the box, but in the final few minutes it was all Aland as they fought for extra time.
Fortunately for Jersey, it wasn’t to be – and, in a fantastic night for Island football, Craig Culkin’s boys were crowned deserved victors.
Assistant coach Martin Cassidy said: ‘We’ve loved every minute of this week – it’s really been great. Our plan was to win every game, but to be honest if it wasn’t for Andrew Bird making that save against Guernsey yesterday we wouldn’t have been here. The guys wanted to do this for him. We always knew this young bunch of Jersey guys was on the verge of something really great, and they’ve really showed tonight that Jersey football is on the up.
‘Craig [Culkin] and I have brought in a few things from St Paul’s and the players have all reacted brilliantly to them. We’ve got the right team, and we’ve managed to win it. I thought Aland were a great side – they’ve obviously played at a high level, and they’re a lot older than us, a lot more experienced than us. But for our players to play in front of a crowd like that, and to be treated the way they have – they’ve been treated like professionals this week, and they’ve deserved every minute of it. They’ve deserved to win it.’
Jersey: Jimmy Styles, Stuart André (capt, yellow), James Quérée, Jack Cannon, Russell Le Feuvre, Chris Andrews (Dave Watson), Luke Watson (yellow), Dave Le Roux, JP Martyn, Ross Crick (Jay Reid), Mark Lucas (Ben Gallichan 73).
Other squad members: Andrew Bird, Jay Michael Weir, James Hayward and Craig Russell.
Article posted on 4th July, 2009 - 8.59am
