GFA thwarts Bels

THIS year's Upton Park trophy will be played, for the first time, at the Corbet Field. Bels had hoped that their first Upton appearance in 46 years would take place at the Track but the Guernsey Football Association has turned down their request.

Jeff Vidamour, the GFA vice-president and board representative for league, cups and grounds, said the game had been scheduled for the Corbet Field from the start of the season and that would still be the case when the match kicks off on 22 April.

'Obviously the Track is Bels' home ground and if the game had been moved there could have been a perceived advantage.

'As far as we're concerned, we run the competition for all the teams and have to look at all the different aspects involved for all the teams' sakes.

'Bels wrote a letter to council and asked us to consider their request to move the fixture and we have gone through the normal procedure and decided there would be a perceived advantage, so we decided to retain the status quo.'

Vidamour confirmed staging of the Upton Park trophy was a GFA matter and not an Inter-Insular Committee one as some in other quarters had suggested. He also confirmed that if Vale Rec had been in the Upton final, then the game would have been moved, just as last year's Portsmouth Trophy match originally scheduled for Northfield between North and Grouville was moved to the Track.

Bels secretary Andy Robert said the club accepted the council's decision, but admitted they would still prefer the game to be moved.

'In an ideal world we would have preferred to play on the Track. It's a better playing surface and if you have the chance to play on your own pitch then you grab it.

'The GFA would rather we didn't have the advantage and at the moment we don't know who we are playing so we don't know the Jersey team's thoughts on the matter.

'It's different in Jersey as all their cup finals are played at Springfield.'

Foote's Lane, used for the 2004 game between St Martin's and Jersey Scottish, is unavailable this year because it already has Guernsey's rugby fixture with Camberley scheduled for the same date.

But Robert hopes the decision may end up being a good omen.

'The main cup we won last season was the Stranger against Vale Rec at the Corbet Field, but this year we lost to them in the semis of the Stranger at the Track, so maybe the Corbet Field will be a happy hunting ground once more.'