AS HE said he would, Tony Vance has named an attacking team to take on Alderney tomorrow.

Earlier in the week the new Guernsey coach claimed that he would pick a side to get the job done at Mount Hale in the Cimandis Muratti semi-final that will determine who Jersey will play in the final on 3 May.

With this in mind, he is going for a 4-3-3 formation for his first game in charge, with proven goal scorers Ross Allen, Craig Young and Dave Rihoy, who has banged in 50 goals so far this season, playing up front.

Vance went to Alderney last weekend to watch the minnows play, which has influenced his decision.

‘They are a youthful side, which will lead them to being very hungry, very committed and probably sharp, so on that basis it’s going to be a committed performance from them,’ he said.

‘Defensively, they are quite strong but there are a couple of areas that we can exploit.’

Vance has also gone for an all St Martin’s midfield in Dom Heaume, Ben Coulter, who makes his debut, and captain Matt Warren.

The defence sees North skipper Darren Martin at right back with Joby Bourgaize on the other flank.

With the three midfielders likely to keep a tight formation, the pair will be expected to make runs down the wings to get crosses into the box.

North’s Michael Wilson and Sam Cochrane of Bels are the two centre backs.

Vale Rec’s Jody Bisson is the goalkeeper. He got the nod ahead of Saints shot-stopper Nathan Pattimore.

‘Nathan, by his own admission, wasn’t at his best three or four months ago,’ said Vance.

‘He’s improved a lot recently, but there are still a couple of areas that we’d like him to work on. He’s pushing Jody all the way, which is what I want.

‘Going with Jody was purely based on a couple of reasons that I’ve spoken to Nathan about.’

Pattimore is not the only big name player to be left on the bench.

The other five joining him on the sidelines – Simon Tostevin, Marc McGrath, Scott Bradford, Alex Le Prevost and Glyn Dyer – can all claim that accolade.

‘There’s some big names that aren’t even in the squad,’ said Vance.

‘Some of them will feel that they should be starting, but I’ve picked a team to do a job. There are players some people might think should be starting, but the formation and the style I want to play has dictated the side I’ve chosen.

‘We’ve got options on the bench if we need them.’

One thing is certain, Vance is not taking Alderney lightly.

‘It’s the banana skin of all banana skins,’ he said.

‘We’re going to go up there with the right attitude. We banned people at training saying “it’s only Alderney”.

‘We’ve prepared for it as if we’re playing Jersey or a FA National League Systems Cup match.

‘You can guarantee that that they will put up a good fight, so we’ve had to prepare for that.’

In the opposite camp, Alderney manager Kevin Gentle has named a young team to take on the Sarnians.

It is also the first time in a number of years that the 48-year-old will not line up on the pitch as a player.

He said that apart from James King and Paul Williams, the squad are all teenagers or in their early 20s.

He has named three new caps in Luke Butel, Ashley Foster, who is an accomplished boxer, and sprinter Matt Diamond.

Under the guise of the Bavaria Nomads, the Alderney side have been turning out in Sure Mobile Senior County Division Two. They are currently seventh out of nine teams.

‘I’ve got a young squad,’ said Gentle.

‘They’ve been playing in Division Two so they’ve been playing at a higher standard compared to previous years and recent results have proved they are getting better game by game.

‘All I want is for them to enjoy it and give the performance they are capable of giving.’

The match kicks off at 2pm.Cimandis Muratti semi-final: Guernsey to attack as they look to avoid a major upset