WILL Dave Rihoy fire Bels to the Priaulx title?

That is the big question. The winger, who is regularly called the best player in the Channel Islands, was the summer’s hottest transfer when he moved from league champions North to Bels. As a result the team from the Track must fancy themselves to take back the Priaulx Cup that they won in the 2005-2006 season.

‘I think we’ve got a good chance,’ said coach Micky Ogier.

‘I would be hoping to challenge for sure, with Dave joining and Matt Drillot as well. He gives us some steel in the centre of the midfield.

‘I expect North and St Martin’s to be up there. With the movement of players that’s gone around it’s going to be more competitive and better for the people going to watch.’

Ogier’s captain, Leighton Chainey, is singing from the same hymn sheet. The central defender says his team were not happy with their second place finish last year.

‘We were disappointed, but even though we had quite a bad season by our standards, we still finished high up,’ he said.

‘The mood in the camp is good and we’re looking to finish in the top three this year. We’re just going to take each game as it comes.

‘We are like most other teams – if we can get off to a good start and get points in the bag, everyone is then trying to catch up with you. Even with losing Ben Coulter and Charles Pinsard, we’ve had some decent players come in and we’ve got competition all over the pitch.

‘If we don’t finish one or two, I will be disappointed. But then each team has strengthened their sides with players moving around.

‘I think it will be a close league.’

The departures of Coulter along with fellow midfielder Pinsard, both to St Martin’s, was a crushing blow. However, Ogier says that with Rihoy coming in and Drillot from Sylvans, who himself is a combative midfielder, it more than makes up for these two going.

‘We’ve lost those two but we’ve picked up the best player in the Channel Islands and, as far as I’m concerned, Matt Drillot is as good as those two if not better,’ said Ogier.

Another major plus is that fiery teenage striker Billy Page is back in action. Page missed last season with knee problems.

Word was going around that he was also on his way out of The Track to join Sylvans. Ogier confirmed that Page was fully fit and ready to play in the Bel’s blue-and-white strip.

He will fight it out with island forwards Marc McGrath and Neil Clegg for the two starting positions up front and Rihoy can do a job up top as well if required, so Ogier has a hat full of options.

‘Billy Page is back and fit at the moment – his knee is all right,’ he said.

‘We’ve got three top strikers and they’ve got to perform now. We’ve got three for two places so the goals have got to be going in.’

While Page is a speed merchant and has the ability to run at defences, Clegg is more like a target man and is a natural finisher. McGrath is more a touch player who can produce pieces of sublime skill.

‘Billy gives us another dimension to our game,’ said Chainey.

‘We can play Rihoy on the left and he gives us pace up front. We’ve got three different strikers in Cleggy, Crusher [McGrath] and Billy.’

Bels also have quality all the park.

Joby Bourgaize can pull the strings in the centre of the midfield but when Scott Bradford returns from long-term suspension a few months into the season, Bourgaize may go onto the right wing.

‘He did a very job in that position when he was required to last year.

In defence, Chainey will control things in the middle along with fellow Guernsey player Sam Cochrane.

With the arrival of Rihoy, Paul Ramsden will move to wing back and he apparently has looked good there in Bels’ pre-season matches. After a successful trip to Blackpool last month where they narrowly lost to Unibond League side Lancaster 2-1, they beat Jersey’s Rozel Rovers 4-2 on Saturday.

It all bodes well for when the league kicks off on 1 September.

‘It was a good game against Lancaster, training is going well and everyone is having a laugh,’ said Ogier.