Seven-year wait over for 'more focused' keeper

THE statistics suggest Paul de Garis has been harshly treated as an island goalkeeper. In two games and 210min. of Muratti football against Jersey, he conceded just one goal.

But since that 1996 1-0 replay defeat at the Track, de Garis has not pulled on an island shirt again.

Last season, at one stage he did not appear to be even fourth-choice island keeper.

But the long wait looks to be over for the popular keeper.

Next Saturday at the Corbet Field, the North goalkeeper returns to island colours and just about anybody you talk to in the domestic game reckons he deserves it.

Geoff Tardif speaks in the most glowing terms of the former Sylvan who has six Priaulx League winners' medals in his cabinet, all of them won during his time with the now misfiring westerners.

'I cannot speak highly enough of him,' said Tardif, who was sufficiently impressed with his first-team keeper last season that he chose him as North's player of the year.

'Among the keepers, I don't think there is a better distributor in Channel Islands football,' said the North boss, chuffed to see someone matching his own high standards.

'His preparation for matches is first-rate and for an amateur player he is very professional in his approach,' adds the coach, delighted to hear his number one has forced his way back into the senior island frame.

As we spoke, 'Digger' had no idea of his impending island selection and talked openly about his irritating snub by last season's Guernsey management and his wasted years.

It clearly hurt him when last season, 30 players were shortlisted for physical assessment by Phil Corbet and he was not among the three keepers chosen - Jody Bisson, Nathan Pattimore and Mick Leigh.

Steve Treeby, then about to depart these shores for a return to the UK, was probably ahead of the Northerner, too.

De Garis became tired of people telling him he should be in the island frame, but was consistently ignored, even though he conceded fewer Priaulx League goals (14) than his rivals.

Decent bloke that he is, de Garis waited until the end of the season to politely question Phil Corbet as to why he had been repeatedly ignored.

While not allowing the writer in on their conversation, de Garis says he accepts the former island boss' explanation.

De Garis, who this weekend misses North's visit to Port Soif because of his selection for the UK's Total representative side in an in-house worldwide tournament in Bordeaux, reckons he is playing his best football since the start of the century.

'Hand on my heart and I know I wasted two or three seasons - I let myself down. My fitness went.

'It is only the last two years that I have really got my head together and now I am fitter than I've been for eight years.'

Now 29, his brief flirtation with semi-professional football with Woking, Hinckley Town and Trafford, is a distant memory. As are the glory days with his boy and early manhood club, Sylvans.

North is bringing the best out of him.

'Joining North has freshened things up for me - it's a new challenge and great playing with youngsters who want to win.

Speaking ahead of North's midweek defeat by Bels, he said: 'We've conceded only a penalty so far this season and it is looking good for the future.'

Indeed it is and de Garis' 'more disciplined' lifestyle is paying big dividends on the club's defensive front.

While guilty of allowing a straightforward cross slip through his hands against Bels on Wednesday night, de Garis' game is more focused and the concentration lapses are fewer and far between.

Well, Tardif and Ogier certainly hope so.