Micky Ogier, left of picture, with assistant Shane Totty (0275784)
BELS coach Micky Ogier has denied that he has fallen out with captain Sam Cochrane, but has confirmed that he is stepping down at the end of the season.
Rumours have been circulating around the football clubs that this was the reason why Cochrane missed Bels’ match with Rangers last week.
However, after reading yesterday’s Guernsey Press report of Bels’ 5-2 victory over Sylvans on Saturday, in which the rumour of a rift was included, the Bels coach contacted the Press to say that was the first he had heard of it.
‘Absolute rubbish – it’s news to me,’ he said, adding that he left St Peter’s immediately after the game purely because he was ‘cold and wet’. But Ogier did confirm that this season was his and assistant coach Shane Totty’s last in charge at The Track.
His record in charge of Bels is undeniably impressive.
When he took over the reins midway through the 2004-5 season, Bels were languishing near the bottom of the old Priaulx League, but they became a major force in the island.
During his tenure, in 2006 they won the Priaulx for the first time since 1960 and then won it again last season.
Both times they also went on to claim the Upton Park Cup as well.
The blue-and-whites have also taken the Rawlinson, the Martinez and the Stranger cups.
They are currently top of Division One.
But Ogier feels the time has come for him and Totty to step aside.
‘We are standing down at the end of the season,’ said Ogier.
‘We’ve been there four years now, we just feel it’s time for someone else to take over. It takes up more and more time and we’ve not got that time at the moment.
‘But we’re not going to drop out of Bels. We’ll always be there on the coaching side.’
An early runner to take over from Ogier is former island manager Steve Ogier.
Ogier had resigned from the Guernsey post to manage Guernsey United.
However, if the new club fails to materialise, he could be looking for a team.
Another name being mentioned is Guernsey women’s coach Ian Champion, who has coached a number of the Bels players at junior level and is understood to be popular among them.ascoones@guernsey-press.com
Article posted on 4th November, 2008 - 2.30pm
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