Blondel aims to keep cool

VALE REC. coach Ray Blondel is on the verge of maintaining his amazing Priaulx League record in his third spell in charge of the club. Blondel has coached Vale in four previous seasons and he has never failed to win the title.

Should he lead the green-and-yellows to victory against Rovers in their last match of this campaign, they will be champions for the first time in a decade and Blondel's 100% record will have been preserved against the odds.

He said yesterday that the only thing now standing between his players and the title was 'the problem of getting too excited'.

'Being in this position will have some effect on the players,' said Blondel.

'I remember being in a similar situation when I was a player and we would win the league if we beat Rovers. I think we lost 2-0.

'Something went wrong upstairs and there's a fair chance that's what's happened to Sylvans. There is the problem of getting too excited and we've got to make sure that we don't fall into that trap.'

Blondel has pledged to keep calm.

'I've been in this situation before and I can't see any point in getting too excited. Other things happen in life that are more important, so I'm calm.

'Before Sunday's game against Saints, I was in the Saints club watching the Grand Prix with Colin Renouf. It's better than creating a fuss and getting the players too nervous.'

But Blondel conceded that he and Rob King, his assistant, had an important job ahead before Vale face Rovers at home on Tuesday 1 April.

'We've got to keep the players' minds on the game. My players haven't been in this situation before and we've just got to not let the lads get too excited because if they do, they'll blow it.'

Blondel admitted that he was 'pleasantly surprised' by Vale's late championship surge. After losing against Northerners on 12 February, he said: 'We've got no chance now. We haven't got a hope. It's over for us.'

He said yesterday that Vale's solid defending - they have let in just two goals in eight league games since Christmas - was 'the basis of being in this good position'.

Meanwhile, Sylvans coach Richard Packman, who has seen his team all but throw away the chance of rewriting the record books by winning an unprecedented 10th successive championship, said that he was 'frustrated and fuming' after Sunday's shock 1-0 defeat by Belgrave Wanderers.

'We created sufficient chances to win. Squandering those chances coupled with a few dubious refereeing decisions cost us,' said Packman.

'There's no doubt that we've dropped too many points because of our inability to finish games off and we've got only ourselves to blame.'

Referee Roy Bougourd sent off Sylvans' Matt Warren and Carl Wallbridge for foul and abusive language on Sunday.

'I don't know if he's on a one-man crusade to rid Guernsey football of all swear words, but according to Matt - and I back him - he just cursed under his breath at another player.'

Packman expects Vale to wrap up the league against Rovers and the westerners could yet be pushed out of the top three.

'I'd expect them to win, but then it's football. Everyone expected us to beat Bels, so we'll keep on going.

'I don't want to say anything in terms of analysing our season now. I'm not in the right mood for that. But in due course, I will sit down and consider things and I'll be as open and as honest as I normally am.'