Pattimore the hero for shot-shy St Martin's

St Martin's 0, Jersey Scottish 0

A WEEK earlier Nathan Pattimore had trudged off the pitch, desperate at having conceded two bad goals and lost a cup final. On Saturday the big Saints keeper was the hero, capping an assured performance with two shootout saves as St Martin's won their 10th Upton Park Cup in 13 attempts against an unlucky Scottish to end Jersey's recent winning run in the competition.

It was again backs-to-the-wall heroics from Saints as coach Colin Fallaize readily admitted after a game which saw red cards for Saints' Steve Concanen and the best player on the park, Scottish midfielder David Brodie.

'Typical of our season, a real battle,' said Fallaize before highlighting the three desperate blocks deep into stoppage time which prevented the Jersey champions from turning their domination into victory.

'Those three blocks showed our total commitment. I thought we gave 110%,' he added.

'Defensive-wise we were superb against a good side,' added St Martin's president Henry Davey, none better than their keeper Pattimore and sweeper Sam Rowe.

Lively substititute Adam Heaume won the man-of-the-match trophy, but many in a crowd of around 400, many of whom were not required to pay, thought the award should have gone to the Saints number one or the man in front of him, Rowe, arguably the most improved player in Guernsey football this season.

'Sam's got the heart of a lion and mouth of a lamb,' said Fallaize, who must have had his heart in his mouth many a time, particularly when Scottish were running rings around his men for a 15-minute period in the first half.

For a while Saints had struggled to get to grips with the canny movement of Ross Crick, the top scorer in CI football.

Concanen had been given the task of snuffing out the threat of the Scottish number eight and initially struggled.

'We haven't had strikers come off us all season and it took us a while to adjust to it,' said Fallaize.

His riposte was to move Luke Allen deeper for added defensive protection and Concanen suddenly had the measure of his man.

But David Brodie was one player Saints couldn?t keep quiet.

Brodie was the most skilful player on the lush surface which Scottish players later criticised for being far too long. They had a point.

The number 10 was the first of two Scots to hit the woodwork and felt that had his side gone ahead they would have buried the Guernsey champions.

Brodie had been calling the tune from virtually the first whistle of the impressive Premiership-list referee, Peter Walton.

On 16min. Brodie created room for himself 20 yards out and his low left-foot shot cracked Pattimore's right-hand post before flying across the goal and out for a goal kick.

Scottish had been sharper to the ball all along and for a period in the first half they toyed with the black-and-whites who were defending too deep and allowing Brodie, Chris McNabb, John Scott and Paul Duxburty to run midfield.

Ged McConnell planted a header narrowly wide, Brodie fired another 20- yarder close and McNabb was not too far off the mark from 25 yards.

It took Saints 33min. to force their first corner but there were signs just before the break that the home side were stabilising and getting a foothold in the game.

Jamie Brewster, the Scottish keeper, had little to do, though, and by the end of 90min. still had not been forced into a serious save.

That is not to say St Martin's did not go close, though.

Heaume's introduction for an injured Alex Hunter had almost instant rewards.

The pace and energy of the elder Heaume brother were suddenly causing Scottish a few concerns and it was his excellent work down the left which carved out a chance for his brother Dominic with just 10min. left on the clock.

But no one will ever know how close Dominic's glancing header would have come to giving Saints the lead, as a covering defender deflected the effort for a corner.

At the other end Pattimore, who had taken virtually every high ball thrown at him with assurance, went full stretch to keep out a 30-yard Brodie shot.

With extra time looming Saints replaced Simon Geall with club skipper Mark Coutanche who may well have saved his Muratti squad place with an impressive showing down the left.

Coutanche's biggest contribution to the effort, though, was his brave block as Scottish came so close to grabbing a stoppage-time winner.

First Rowe threw himself in front of a Crick shot when the Scottish striker looked certain to score from 10 yards. As the ball ran loose Paul Aitken cracked a second goalbound shot which Coutanche bravely blocked.

The danger was still not averted though and Brodie?s next follow-up effort from distance was again met with the body of a white shirt.

You sensed there and then it was going to be Saints' day.

In extra time Scottish again carved out all the chances.

When Renouf hacked down Brodie 25 yards out, substitute Yazalde Santos had Pattimore at stretch diving to his left. When the ball bounced loose from the keeper's gloves Brodie pounced only to see his goalbound effort hit Pattimore's head and deflect for a corner.

But the curtain was about to come down on the Brodie show.

Concacen, already cautioned after a clash with Crick, chopped Brodie down on halfway.

Brodie reacted by gently applying a boot to the prone Concanen's head and the result was a straight red for the Scot, a second yellow for the young Saint.

In the second period of extra time Renouf went close with a header from Le Tissier's corner which flew a yard too high and at the north end of the ground Scott skifully curled a free-kick onto Pattimore's cross bar.

There was still time for Aitken brilliantly to deny Renouf a likely goal with a desperate intervention.

Renouf, though, had the ball in the net soon enough.

With Devlin and Allen having swapped penalties at the start of the penalty shootout and Pattimore having saved from Crick, Renouf put Saints in the driving seat with a fine finish high into the corner.

Scott and Le Tissier traded penalties to make it 2-3 and Pattimore brilliantly saved from Santos' shot to put the Priaulx champions within one strike of the trophy.

Saints could afford to miss one, but Dominic Heaume was having none of that.

One confident approach and deadly swipe of his right boot later and the ball was past a helpless Brewster.

Cue delirium and nobody was more excited than their keeper.

'I always like penalties. I seem to do well with them,' said Pattimore.

Rob Kearsey, the Scottish manager, paid tribute to Saints' organisation but was adamant the best side had lost.

'We couldn't have done any more other than score. We worked hard and had no luck.

'We dominated it and if we'd got a goal they would have had to come out and play. It was extremely hard to break down a wall of four and another five behind it.'