THE Channel Islands Schools’ League got under way in Guernsey last week with two highly entertaining matches and Grammar making the first decisive move among the local sides.
It was very much the Matt Loaring show as the Grammar School crushed Elizabeth College 6-2 in the league’s opening game. The North star, who has been linked to a number of professional sides in the UK, scored five of Grammar’s goals but coach Chris du Feu vehemently denied that his outfit is a one-man team.
‘We play to our strengths,’ he said. ‘We know we’ve got the best junior player in the Channel Islands and he’s going to score lots of goals. He’s going to get lots of plaudits, but the fact is we stuck to a shape to allow him to do that.
‘Everyone has done their part in that performance.’
Loaring was given a free role behind the front pairing of Alex Masterton and Josh Gallienne.
And it was Rovers’ Priaulx striker Masterton who put his side ahead within the first 10 minutes of play at the College Field when he slid in on a low ball across the goal.
Loaring followed it five minutes later with an absolute peach of a goal when he broke down the left to beat College’s keeper John Purdy at the near post with a rocket of a shot.
Loaring’s next came just before the half-hour mark.
College attacker Jack Rhodes made it 3-1 a couple of a minutes later when he got on the end of a great ball in from Matt Renouf.
The next Grammar goal came five minutes into the second half, Loaring slotting home a penalty after he had been brought down in the box by Dave Henry.
The pacy Loaring then scored two more in quick succession to make it 6-1 before Tom Kirk got a tap-in right on the stroke of full-time for the College’s second.
‘I thought we played some good football but we didn’t really create enough chances and Matt Loaring was a bit quick for our back four,’ said College coach Mike Garnett.
Three days later the College of Further Education hosted Jersey’s Hautlieu School and gave away a two-goal cushion in the blazing sunshine before a last-gasp penalty rescued a point for Mike Reed’s side.
Hautlieu fielded a number of Jersey Combination Division One players in their ranks, but the Guernsey side must have felt they had thrown it away.
‘We did really,’ said Reed.
‘We had 20 minutes when we dominated it, then we allowed them to get back into the game because we weren’t pressing the ball in any areas [of the pitch].’
Big central defender Greg Roland put the home side ahead within the opening 10 minutes when he turned in a low corner at the near post.
North’s promising striker Scott Bougourd got the Blues their second 10 minutes later with a real beauty.
He brought the ball forward from the halfway line before burying it in the top of the net.
College were certainly running the show but this came to a halt five minutes from half-time when Hautlieu’s Kilian Dorey slotted the ball home.
Winger Dorey proceeded to get a second 10 minutes into the second half to level things.
College gradually got themselves back into the game but proceeded to waste chance after chance and also had a goal unluckily disallowed with five minutes left.
Then, with a minute to go, Kieran Lester made it 3-2 and Hautlieu went delirious, thinking they had won.
But their joy quickly turned to anger as burly College forward Max Hunter was fouled in the area and Bougourd levelled from the spot.
‘They were a yard sharper but we played the better football,’ said Hautlieu coach Lee Campbell.
‘We should have won it in the end, but after being 2-0 down, I’m pleased to get 3-3.’
Article posted on 29th September, 2008 - 2.29pm
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