Miserable day at Port Soif

Rovers 0, Vale Rec 6

ON MISERABLE afternoons such as this, you wonder just how Rovers are not bottom of the Cable & Wireless Priaulx League. Five down at half-time, it's no surprise that coach Graham Hockey has accepted island boss Steve Ogier's offer to take a training session or two.

But Ogier must have wondered what he was letting himself in for as Rovers, on their home patch and in windy and wet conditions with which visitors so often struggle to cope, made life so easy for Vale.

Chris Hamon was delighted with the performance and the news from St Peter's. Asked whether the yellows could still win the title, the big man was certain in his response: 'Of course we can.' The win lifted Vale to within five points of the leaders, St Martin's, on level games.

They stay fourth but on this form and with Trim Morgan so switched on cannot be written off with more than half the season remaining.

'In miserable conditions we played some really good football,' said Hamon, not speaking a word of a lie.

Their precise, ground-passing game tore apart Rovers, whose plan was difficult to fathom.

Rovers were leaving so much space down Vale's left flank that David MacNab must have wondered whether he had some highly-contagious disease and was playing in a quarantined area.

With just three at the back and no visible wing back to protect him, poor Tom Rihoy was a bit like a lone gunner facing a whole platoon.

Vale had threatened from the first whistle and Morgan was soon forcing a fine stop out of keeper Paul Garrard.

At the other end, Andy Simon drew a sharp parry out of Jody Bisson, who otherwise could have stood under an umbrella all afternoon, such was the visitors' control of proceedings.

Vale went one up after 12 minutes. Morgan, ignoring the fact that man-marker Ian Powell was standing nose to nose with him at a throw-in by the left corner flag, lobbed the ball into the box and after latching onto a knock-on, MacNab cleverly finished inside the six-yard box.

As they had done so effectively a year earlier when Morgan was a Sylvan, the home side had opted to put Powell on the Vale star.

It worked a treat then, but on this occasion Morgan got his revenge and gave his ineffective marker the runaround to the extent that it was abandoned long before the end.

Morgan scored the second on 17min. when he ended a quick break with a crisp left-foot finish and two minutes later it was 3-0 as MacNab was given room at the near post to glance Jamie Ogier's corner past Garrard.

On 32min. it was four as Morgan curled home a 30-yard free kick while Rovers were still putting together their defensive wall.

On the brink of half-time, Craig Le Lerre made it 5-0, moments after young Matt Chesters had rounded the keeper only to hit the side netting from an acute angle.

Vale were even more dominant at the start of the second half.

Morgan twice went close - once from a screamer that flew just wide - and he later blazed well over when he should have hit the target.

Gareth Holden could barely believe it when Garrard denied him a goal, but shortly afterwards he was celebrating after a looped header found the net.

The only disappointment for Vale was that the final whistle signalled the end of skipper Matt Patch's season.

He heads off on a six-month holiday next week leaving Hamon with a big hole to plug at the centre of his defence.

'He's been outstanding for us and I think he's been the best centre back in Guernsey this season,' said Hamon, who could soon have James McColl back.

The island left back was on the bench for this one.