GUERNSEY’S preparations for the Muratti final are up in the air. The only confirmed fixture that Steve Ogier’s side have before the big game is against the Amateur Football Combination in the FA National League System Cup on Saturday.
If they are knocked out of that competition, then the next time they will step onto the pitch in a competitive match will be on Monday 5 May against Jersey or Alderney.
‘We’re fully aware of this,’ said the Guernsey Football Association’s director of representative football, Mark Le Tissier.
‘We’ve not got any scheduled games, but we’re confident that we’ll have more. We’re not going to be left in the situation where we haven’t any games.
‘But we’re hopeful that we’re successful in the NLS Cup so that these games see us through to the Muratti.’
Le Tissier added that a match with the Royal Navy for the annual Condor Ferries Cup is close to being formalised.
It is planned to happen in the weeks running up to the Muratti.
The island side and the Navy used to play for the cup in the same week that the two sides would meet in the South and West Counties Championship.
Guernsey pulled out of that competition this season due to a lack of interest from the local public and from the players.
The withdrawal has vastly reduced the number of matches that the greens take part in.
Le Tissier pointed out that the problem for the GFA is that they cannot confirm fixtures until they know if Guernsey are still in the NLS Cup or not.
‘We don’t want to have too many games when the clubs are having their cup finals and the end of the league,’ he said.
If Guernsey are knocked out, then a couple of matches are being planned.
A game with Ryman Division One South outfit Tooting and Mitcham is also on the cards.
Ogier recognises there is a lot riding on next Saturday’s match at the Corbet Field in terms of the amount of practice before the Muratti.
‘There is a bit of pressure for us to keep winning, but we want to keep winning any way,’ he said.
‘I’m sure that if we don’t win, then the GFA will find other fixtures. But there is quite a full domestic season with the FA, Jeremie and Wheway Cups and the league so there’s not much room to put in some fixtures.
‘You’ve got to find time to play these games.’
Another issue for Ogier is that the rules for the NLS Cup do not allow those who have had a professional contract to play and there is an age restriction as well.
This rules out the likes of Kevin Graham and Neil Clegg who have both been on professional terms.
‘The problem is that three or four players will be eligible for the Muratti but not the NLS Cup,’ he said.
‘I can’t do anything about that. They are the rules.’
A couple of years ago, Guernsey had 11 matches in one season with the SWCC, the NLS Cup and other fixtures.
‘What I like to do is play as many competitive games as possible,’ Ogier said.
‘I like to get the boys together and play as much as we can, but I know that’s not possible with the domestic league and the cups.’
Jersey, on the other hand, seem to be in a healthier position.
After being knocked out by Guernsey in the first round of the NLS Cup, they have gone down the route of organising friendlies with Premier League Clubs’ reserve sides.
They played Blackburn before Christmas and next month they are set to face Reading.
It is also their turn to play Alderney in the Muratti semi-final this year.
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