Missed chances cost North dearly

NORTH failed to wrap up their season in style when they lost 3-2 to Jersey Scottish in the Centenary Upton on Saturday. In front of a crowd of more than 400 at a sun-drenched Springfield, the Guernsey champions went two down in the first 10 minutes, firstly from a curling free kick out wide on the left by Dave Brodie that found its way straight into the goal and the second a simple tap-in from a corner for Ryan Lumsden.

Stuart Polson got one back for North shortly afterwards with a penalty and AJ Saunders the equaliser just after the hour mark. But Scottish's striker Ross Crick fired home another goal a minute later that saw the Jersey champions crowned the best team in the Channel Islands.

'Obviously the first 10 minutes were very disappointing as we gave away two very bad goals, which we've not done all season,' said North coach Mick Le Prevost.

'We got one back and then AJ scored. We were two each and I thought we were going to go on and score again, but then they scored and I don't remember them having another shot all half. I'm disappointed, obviously, as it's a cup final, but I'm not disappointed with the way we played.

'I felt we deserved it, but if you don't put the ball in the back of the net, you don't win. It's all about taking your chances.'

Despite the result, Le Prevost felt that North had still had a year of which to be proud. They had picked up the Priaulx, Stranger and Jeremie cups.

'Like I told them, if someone had said at the start of the season that we would win three trophies, we would have been pleased,' he said.

'It's been a fantastic season and I'm really proud of them. I shook all their hands at the end of the game.

'Since August they've been working so hard in training. They are a great bunch of lads and I've really enjoyed working with them.

'Hopefully, we'll take this into next season and if we all stick together, we could go close again. I'd especially like to thank Juliet Higgs, our physio, for all of her support and my wife, Julia, for all the work that she's done for me.'

Veteran centre back Stuart Polson was the only remaining Northerner in the team who played in the club's previous Upton in 1992. They lost that year to Scottish as well, 2-0 in a replay.

Polson is going to decide in June as to whether he is going to retire.

'In the first five-10 minutes we gifted them two goals, but after that we were by far the better side,' he said.

'To come back from two goals down was great but then we lost concentration and gave them a goal. It was a real kick in the teeth.

'We're a young squad and the players learn from this and now the intention next year is to retain the Priaulx and win the Upton. It was still a good year and hopefully we'll go on to bigger and better things.'

Jersey Scottish's coach Pat Brennan was naturally delighted at the end of the match.

It had been particularly pleasing considering that the club nearly folded at the start of the season because of a lack of players.

'I'm over the moon,' said Brennan.

'It wraps up a great season to get the league and then the Upton. At the start of the season the lads didn't believe me when I said that we were going to win them both.

'But I believed we had the players to do it.'