Avery - magician or just in right place at right time

ARE we witnessing one last and glorious hurrah for Sylvans as a Priaulx League force? If so, would it not be a fitting way for Tony Vance and the Nobes brothers, to name three of their all-time stars, to go out with a 10th Priaulx League medal?

The Nobes have already indicated that the current one will be their final season and Vance, now 34, also admits to seriously considering whether this will be his last.

As the club has justifiably copped some fearful stick in these sports pages over the past three years, it is only right to recognise and applaud the turnaround this season at St Peter's under Joel Avery.

After nine successive titles, Sylvans have gone two seasons without a championship and last term slipped to fourth, 16 points behind the champions, St Martin's.

The signs were that the empire built and nurtured by Colin Renouf, was falling apart.

How misleading those signals were.

As they run out against Rangers this afternoon, Avery's men lead the table on goal difference. Crucially, though, they have regained the fear factor that made them so difficult to beat for the best part of a decade.

Vance is right when he says: 'We might not have the best squad, but we have the best XI.'

The bad news for North, Saints and Vale Rec is that at the halfway point of the season, Sylvans have much of that best XI available.

Before long Muratti winger Chris Chamberlain should also be fit, Matt Warren has a few points to prove to Steve Ogier and the old boys are fired up to go out on a high.

Meanwhile, in the background, Avery can afford a wry smile, because to a large degree he has got lucky.

Trim Morgan went to Sylvans expecting to work with just such talent. It never happened and he followed the hard-done-by Richard Packman out of the door.

But just like his father, who held the same post, Avery takes most things in his stride.

'He is respected by everyone and he has made it enjoyable again,' said a good source this week.

'But he can be hard when he needs to be.'

Importantly, Avery is a diehard Sylvan, understands what it is to be a westerner and knows the mentality.

He has taken them back to their roots and whether it is a long or short spell in the hot seat he has given Sylvans back their identity and, just perhaps, their favourite trophy.

n?IT'S SAD but true that not too many modern-day players would win places in the all-time XIs of most Priaulx League clubs, Sylvans being the one notable exception.

On Tuesday night Vale Rec president Tony Blondel watched Trim Morgan produce a trademark pass in setting up Vale's second goal at the Corbet Field and exclaimed the Englishman was among the club's best ever players, better even than Brian Knight.

It immediately got me thinking; what is Vale's best XI?

Within five minutes I had plucked a dream XI out of thin air and the Vale president had added a further eleven names for a second team.

The reminiscing took over and before long I was posing the question: How would Vale's best team fare against St Martin's best?

The next morning and a phone call to a Saints diehard later I had two best Saints teams of all time to mull over and put forward to you readers for consideration.

See what you think and send us your own selections and a prediction of who would win the battle of the dream teams.

Not to leave the other five senior clubs on the sidelines we invite followers of North, Rangers, Belgraves and Rovers to put forward their selections and in the coming weeks will discuss those, along with any Vale and Saints sides you readers may come up with.