St Martin’s 4, Rangers 1

ETIENNE OGIER moved from defence to the right side of midfield and hit his first ‘senior’ hat-trick as St Martin’s romped to three easy points at Blanche Pierre Lane. They were three quality goals, too, the first coming after just 90sec. to give Saints just the start they needed.

‘I have scored one hat-trick before in the Railway, but that doesn’t really count,’ said Ogier afterwards.

‘The third was a bit lucky because it went under his [the keeper's] legs,’ he added.

Team lists can be misleading and this St Martin’s one most certainly was.

A quick glance at the home team’s start line-up offered the possibility of an unusual 7-1-2 shape, but with Ogier on the right side of the middle four, Simon Geall in the middle and Darren Le Tissier wide on the left, they made the most of a squad short on out and out midfielders.

And with Kevin Graham outstanding at the back, it was enough to beat a poor Rangers side beset by injuries.

Skipper Dave Parrott is struggling with a bad groin injury and defender Phil Sarl will be out beyond Christmas with cruciate-ligament trouble in a knee.

Tom Le Page was another absentee.

Ogier, who leaves for a new career in London next month, was best pleased with his opening goal, a fine far post header to convert Le Tissier’s ball from left to right.

But it was no better than Geall’s second on 33min.

Rangers’ Iain Lowe had just wasted a perfect heading opportunity from three yards out when the island squad player stretched Saints’ lead.

As Rangers struggled to clear a corner, the ball fell to the central midfielder 30 yards out.

Most would have belted the leather off the ball but Geall opted for placement and he could not have done it better as the well-hit shot found the net off the underside of the crossbar to Chris Parrott’s left.

Ogier, sent clear with just parrott to beat, should have made it 3-0 on 36min. and Rangers gave themselves a lifeline just before the break.

Andy Chamberlain, later to limp off, wriggled his way to the byline and his pull-back was rammed home by Shane Billien.

But the comeback came to nothing.

Ogier headed a third on 53min. as Richard Herpe picked him out with a fine cross from near the left corner flag and on 71min. Graham, imperious in the air throughout, started the move for the fourth with a simple lay-off.

A couple of passes later Ogier completed a fine football goal with a finish on the slide.

*NORTH crashed out of the Wheway Cup in Jersey, going down 1-0 to a Grouville goal in the second half of extra-time.