LEGENDARY forward John Loveridge is said to have a great Upton record and indeed he did. Many others in the 100-year history of the competition featuring the champions of Guernsey and Jersey, consistently raised their game and were match-winners.

But, surely, nobody could have had a greater effect on the outcome of three successive Uptons than Paul Nobes, a boast which the mercurial winger can take to his grave.

Between 1996 and 1998 the record books will show he won three matches off his own bat.

Two of the games resulted in 1-0 wins with goals from the fast, direct, strong and skilful winger, the other a 4-0 romp in which he netted all four.

Some record.

Yet, come Muratti finals day, ‘Nobby’ was never as effective

and he is honest enough to admit it.

‘I’ve no idea why. I never could put my finger on it to be honest.

‘It just didn’t come together.’

Nobes was 22 when Sylvans won their second straight Upton in a season in which they swept the board, landing all seven senior trophies available to them.

It was a unique feat then, remains so 10 years on and

may still be one in another 100 years.

Like the overly-physical game of 1996 so poorly refereed in an arrogant manner by top official Paul Danson, the 1997 game at Springfield was tight until, on 63 minutes, Nobes won it with a flash of brilliance.

‘I’d been pretty useless all game and had had not much service.

‘But there was a ball over the top, I beat a couple of men and put it in the net.’

And with official man of thematch John Nobes, bolting the door at the other end, Sylvans were home and dry.

Manager Colin Renouf was overwhelmed at the final whistle.

‘I’m lost for words. It’s absolutely great. I’m close to tears,’ he said.

A decade on, both ‘Nobby’ Nobes and club secretary Mike Bachelet reflected on the influence of Renouf on the side and agreed that without the ‘big fella’ Sylvans would not have spent so long at the top.

‘We had Colin to nurture us through. It was him who created a real team,’ said the winger.

‘He was amazing in just the time he put into thinking how the team would play. We never had another coach like that.’

Would Sylvans have been as successful with someone else in charge?

Both Nobes and Bachelet are in agreement.

‘I think we would always have won a lot but broken up much earlier,’ said the player. ‘Whether they would have been able to maintain their hunger without his influence is debatable,’ said the secretary who does not under-estimate Renouf’s overall role at St Peter’s.

‘It was not only his coaching skills but pure enthusiuasm for the game. It rubbed off on a group of very talented players.

‘He improved their understanding of the game.’

After the 1997 Upton triumph the westerners had one more final to win and they did so in style and their momentous season’s efforts were recognised by the Guernsey Football Association who commissioned a special medal to be presented to all the players who had pulled on a first-team shirt that season and one to the club itself.