I CAN say with every confidence that Eduardo Santana is the best Venezuelan footballer ever to strut his stuff on a Guernsey football pitch. The fact that in all probability he’s the only one is just an insignificant point. He’s a damn fine player old ‘Carlos’ as I have been quick to dub him.
The man from the Futsal background has a touch of class even though it may be some time before the new Sylvan becomes fully accustomed to the 11-a-side warts-and-all Priaulx League game.
But this is not all about Carlos. Really, it’s not about the South American at all.
He’s just a useful lead-in to the question: Who were the best non-Guernsey footballers the island’s seen?
Which got me thinking - dangerous I know - who were the best Irish, English and Scottish players to have graced our grounds and which country outside England, has Guernsey football most benefited?
That last question has the easiest answer. It has to be Ireland, 1971 winners of the Player’s No. 6 European Nations Cup, the popular summer football tournament of the period.
And they did so without the services of the best Irish player Guernsey football ever saw, Laurence Graham, who did not play until the 1972 tournament in which the Irish lost their Euro crown to England B.
John Slattery skippered those early Irish sides and was happy to recall the names of his fellow countrymen and a few others from around the home nations, who made Priaulx football a more colourful place 35 years ago.
Top of the list was striker Andy McMillan who, like many of the fine 1971 side, started out at Sylvans before moving on to Bels.
McMillan, skilful and with a fantastic leap, hit a hat-trick in the 4-0 1971 Euro final win over Scotland watched by upwards of 1,000 on a glorious, carnival Sunday afternoon at Les Vauxbelets.
‘Sure and begorrah ’twas great to be an Irishman in Guernsey last night,’ wrote Rex Bennet in the Evening Press the following day.
The Irish duly celebrated in their ‘embassy’ at the Thomas de la Rue, due reward for all their hard graft under coach Brian Mercer.
‘We used to train three times a week at Beaucamps as the soon as the [regular] season finished,’ recalled Slattery this week.
‘There were some very good players who came over. We had a terrific team.’
Not all were Irish, but most.
‘The rules said there had to be at least nine nationals on the pitch at any time.
‘We had two non-Irish in Dave Upson [a Guernseyman] and English midfielder Charlie Kiddman.
‘He was a great player and England could have had him. They said they didn’t need him but it was only after we won they found out he had been playing for Liverpool reserves.’
In defence, the star was Brian Costello.
‘Every team in the island wanted him to sign, but he wasn’t around long and went back to Exeter,’ said Slattery, the former Tics winger who dropped back to right back in his latter playing days and from where he skippered Ireland.
In midfield was a young and fast Johnny Reid who fancied himself as a striker, but Slattery thought best to use him in a position where he couldn’t miss open goals.
Up front McMillan was flanked by the lightning-fast Jackie Blackmore and, on the left, big, skilful Dave McGall who, when hot, was as good as any striker in the island.
Other Irish stars of the period included Martin Vennard, Gordon Ashwood - an Irish Billy Bremner I recall - Paddy Reid, John’s brother, Austin Fenton, Les Mearns, Jim Devlin, and Huck Russell.
As the 60s and 70s gave way to the 80s and 90s, the depth of Irish talented evaporated, but there were still the odd fine player who arrived.
Wiilie Caldwell was busy and dependable, George McDonnell, not so busy and not so dependable, but a marvellously skilful one nevertheless who performed his best football work for Tiger City.
Only England, no surprise, have managed to match the Irish in an overseas contribution to Guernsey football. Very few Scots and Welsh have ‘done the business’ here and the same can be said for continental Europeans.
South Americans?
Up until Carlos came along we had none, but he has a mate - Jose de Silva - who made the Sylvans Priaulx bench last weekend. Let’s hope he turns out to be as good as Carlos.
Article posted on 29th September, 2007 - 12.00am
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