ONE competitive game in and I know where my money is going as far as this year’s Priaulx League champions.

It’s fairly and squarely on St Martin’s.

One Martinez Cup glorified friendly result does not make a season, but Tuesday’s 6-4 win over North showed two things: 1 – Alfie Le Page’s team will have the best regular strike force in the league this season and; 2 – they will be able to cope without their Green Lions contingent better than North, who you would expect to be their biggest rivals alongside Bels.

A pile of unexpected injuries could, of course, put an end to those two arguments, but as things stand you would have to instate Saints as title favourites and, if the hot duo of Marc McGrath and Luke Winch maintain their Martinez form, Saints supporters will see a stack full of goals this year.

And talking of goals.

Between them they got five against North and Winch, who hit the hat-trick and not McGrath as yours truly wrote the morning after, created another beauty for Dom Heaume.

The Saints strikers not only made fools of the North defence, their similarities in size, light-coloured hair and slippery movements, fooled this reporter who had as bad a night at the office as the chocolate-and-blues back line.

Not only did I manage to identify wrongly the Saints strike twins for one of the goals, but also mistook Nigel Hutton for the much taller Simon Tostevin who scored a hat-trick with Sam Murray getting the other.

I might sack myself now, which could bring a cheer or two around local football grounds.

But that’s enough self-flagellation – well deserved as it is – for now.

LET’S switch attention to the Green Lions on the day they take on the Wild Boars of Eversley just down the road from the Frog & Wicket pub, Eversley’s sponsors.

On the evidence of last season’s attendances, Tony Vance’s men will run out to a crowd more akin to an average Priaulx game.

It was interesting to note that if you total up all the Eversley attendances from last season, the headcount would still fall well short of the attendances for the first two Green Lions home matches at Footes Lane where the big plus is to see such a high percentage of fans who never would normally go to football.

Everywhere I look I see new followers of the game, which is the biggest result yet for the club.

I half expect the Green Lions will win every home game this inaugural campaign, but it is how they fare at rural places like Eversley in the back of nowhere, that will determine whether they get promoted or not.

Beefing up the midfield may be needed from time to time on these tricky away days when the pitches are more akin to St Andrew’s – sorry Rangers – and it will be almost impossible to fizz the ball about as they can on the wide open spaces of the Lane.

For all their attacking potential, so excitingly on view in the wins over Knaphill and Warlingham, there was a notable change of tactic in the second of those games.

Dom Heaume, who is fast becoming a player every bit as good as the St Martin’s club greats of the sixties, dropped back to bolster midfield where he found an accomplished defensive ally in Angus Mackay.

Between them they enabled Ryan-Zico Black to play his football which, of course, he did in the Knaphill game very effectively, but on that occasion the Green Lions were very susceptible to counter-attacks.

Knaphill were not so good as to be able to capitalise, but I daresay there will be many a home side this season who may be able to do just as Hartley Wintney did.

Heaume, in my book, is as important to Guernsey FC as arguably any other home player, such is his growing influence.

He was brilliant against Warlingham.

CHANGING the subject back to the domestic league and a big pat on the back to Sylvans for their new initiative with Brighton and Hove Albion.

The news that the westerners coaches will receive regular visits and advice from their counterparts in the Seagulls academy, is a wise move in my book.

All across island sport, in general, there should be more coaching of coaches who hand out the instructions to the youth.

Sylvans claim they want to be the most respected club in the Channel Islands. Well, they are going in the right direction.

It’s just a shame they have not been receiving the proper level of support in their long-held plans to open up their St Peter’s headquarters.

IT’S not been much of a summer for motor-racer Nigel Ozanne.

Prang after prang has tested his resilience and the little guy is considering his future after the spectacular crash on the sands last week.

My guess is that he simply loves the sport and the craic of it too much to give up yet.

It never ceases to amaze me just how much motor-racers dig so deep into their wallets and their reserves of courage to keep competing.

Very few sit on their laurels and simply exist, making up the numbers.

People like Nigel Ozanne deserve medals.‘As things stand you would have to instate Saints as title favourites and if the hot duo of Marc McGrath and Luke Winch maintain their Martinez form, Saints supporters will see a stack full of goals this year’