Alderney: It's time to wake up or leave the Muratti club

THERE could scarcely be two more polar opposites in Channel Islands football than Guernsey FC and Alderney.

On one side you have a club who will, and seemingly can, do just about anything to succeed and overcome hurdles, although I will be amazed if they get today's big game played after witnessing Footes Lane in my wellies on Thursday evening.

On the other side there is Alderney: the whipping boys of CI 'international' football, seemingly going nowhere slow, let alone fast.

Last Saturday's column suggested that for the good of Ridunian football, as well as the Priaulx League, Alderney should become the eighth team in our domestic top-flight.

My viewpoint was that the GFA and LMC should encourage them all the way in an effort to raise the blues from their blues. I stand by that.

On the same day, they received another drubbing and there is, I gather, a feeling from some within the sport that there clearly is not much appetite in Alderney football to seriously raise their game.

If that is the case, how sad?

But rather than give them up as a lost cause, which I would be sorely tempted to do, I still hope the GFA make some sort of concerted effort to jig them from their slumbers and if they don't fancy it, face the consequences.

And what might that be, you may ask?

Well, it seems obvious to my eyes that if Alderney do not want to make a serious attempt at raising their game, perhaps it is time in these cost-cutting times to drop them altogether from the Muratti competition, as it clearly is a waste of everyone's time and money as things stand.

If one-third of a three-way contest is a total no-hoper, and the record books show plenty of evidence that they are and have been for an awful long time, why bother?

Tradition is one thing but perhaps the time has come to end this annual lost cause?

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NONE of us will ever know what it truly requires to become a world-beating tennis professional.

So, therefore, it is churlish to challenge the theory of Heather Watson's self-confessed 'burn-out'.

I just wish she would not so much pressure on herself because – regardless of whether she can make it or not into the world top 10 and make the latter stages of a Slam event – the Guernsey star has performed incredibly well to get to the very elevated table she now finds herself at, and at which all of her native island enjoys seeing her sit.

I would never write her chances off. Too many times these past four years I have seen her career seemingly stutter and then, from nowhere, she has pulled some magic out of the hat and kicked on again with a great run at a tournament or, as was the case in Osaka late last year, win the title.

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TALKING of burn-out, those few who still choose to mock or criticise the GFC project have no idea of the extent of the commitment the people at the top of the Guernsey FC club.

I have always considered myself a busier bee than most in sports administration, but the likes of myself are 'Conference' level compared to the Premiership commitment, expertise and desire of the Dewsnips, Le Tissiers, Vances, Fallaizes and Thomases of this small sporting world of ours.

At some stage they will all burn-out, but in the meantime what they are achieving for the good of all island football, is nothing less than remarkable.