Saints need to be mean against hot-shot Scots
SAINTS' 'dream team' of Colin Fallaize and Colin Renouf will have to come up with their most miserly brand of tactics to maintain St Martin's wonderful Upton Park Cup record against Jersey Scottish today at Foote's Lane.
SAINTS' 'dream team' of Colin Fallaize and Colin Renouf will have to come up with their most miserly brand of tactics to maintain St Martin's wonderful Upton Park Cup record against Jersey Scottish today at Foote's Lane. The black-and-whites have won eight of their 10 previous Uptons, the most recent appearance being in 1985 when Saints beat Jersey Wanderers 3-0.
Fallaize was in the Dave Lesbirel-coached side that day and still remembers the game well, most notably for Neil Hunter's hat-trick.
'Spirit-wise, there are similiarities between that team and today's. There was a real togetherness about the squad.
'They also played the big games well,' said the current coach who describes the 2004/5 squad as 'an absolutely super group'.
'They've hung in there all season.
Hunter, the 1985 hero, will be hoping his eldest boy, Alex, will achieve something similar 19 years on.
The midfielder-turned-make-shift-striker has scored 14 goals this season and will start up front today with leading scorer, Dominic Heaume.
The Saints coaching team announced the starting side after training on Thursday having learned that defenders Mark Coutanche and Andy Graham would not be fit enough.
That decision made the coaching team plump for the same XI that started last week's Jeremie final with the exception of the unavailable Pierre Jehan, who is omitted in favour of the fit-again Kevin Gilligan.
The starting XI is: Pattimore, Rowe; Concanen, Geall, Ogier, Le Tissier, Gilligan, Renouf, Allen; D. Heaume, Hunter.
Subs are from: Priaulx, Edmunds, A. Heaume, Marquand, Mauger, Wiltshire and Yeates.
Scottish's 18-game league campaign yielded 112 goals, with only 12 getting past keeper Jamie Brewster.
The vast majority of those goals came from Ross Crick and Ged McConnell, one of just four Scots in the side. The rest are all Jersey-born.
Crick is Jersey's leading scorer with a remarkable 58. McConnell, who is considered more of an attacking midfielder, has chipped in with 33.
Fallaize knows all about their goals record but quickly points to a Jersey league in which some of the bottom sides have been taking some fearful hammerings.
'They do score goals but under what sort of pressure. The fact that we conceded fewer goals won us the league.'
Managed by Bob Kearsey, the current Scottish side compare favourably with any of their six title-winning predecessors, says Jersey Evening Post football correspondent Andy Bradshaw.
'They are one of the best Scottish teams we've seen,' said Bradshaw.
'The main difference is that the league opposition is not as strong as it used to be. There is not the same strength in depth,' he added.
Scottish normally play a 3-2-3-1-1 formation and despite their domestic domination, only four of the side can be sure of a start come Muratti day.
They are central defender Ryan Lumsden, midfielders Chris McNabb and David Brodie and, of course, Crick.
That may yet be five should McConnell force his way in and would certainly have been five if Mark Brown, who can be expected to play behind Crick, was not sidelined by the JFA on disciplinary grounds.
Renouf travelled to Jersey to watch their champions beaten by North in the Wheway final.
'Colin brought back a lot from it,' said the other Colin.
'A lot goes through David Brodie in the middle of the park; we are aware of that.
'We're not really frightened by being in this situation,' added Fallaize.
'I feel quite positive that we can go in there and pinch a result.'
It is Scottish's first Upton appearance in five years and their record in the competition stands at three wins and three losses, all at the hands at Sylvans.
Possible Scottish starting team: Jamie Brewster; Craig Ferey, Ryan Lumsden, Scott Devlin; Chris McNabb, Paul Duxbury; Ged McConnell, David Brodie, Gordon Brodie; Mark Brown; Ross Crick.
