New secretary happy to stay out of limelight

THE new Guernsey Football Association secretary wants to keep his head down and get on with the job. Monday was Neil Laine's first day in a job that has been vacant since Matt Fallaize stepped down.

'I'm hoping to keep a low profile,' said Laine.

'After all the things that have happened, if I keep a low profile, that means things are going well. No news is good news. The less I'm in the news the better.

'I'm happy to get on with the job without too much fuss. That's the sort of person I am.'

The 43-year-old is married with four young children. In his playing days he was a member of the all-conquering Vale Rec. side of the 80s.

He picked up four Muratti caps after making his debut in 1983.

A tall and lean, but strong left midfielder, he earned respect from his peers as someone who was honest on the pitch.

'I like to think I played the game in the right way,' he said.

'There are no gremlins in my cupboard. I didn't make too many enemies.

'I know quite a lot of people and I hope that mutual respect will get me through most problems.'

Having left school at the age of 18 to join Barclays, Laine has spent his working life in the finance industry.

His most recent job was as a money market and foreign exchange dealer with Northern Trust.

'I wanted a change and it's something I probably should have done five years ago. I was stuck in a rut.

'Sport has been my hobby and when this job came up, I had a long think about it but it was an opportunity too good to miss to back involved in local football.'

Since Fallaize's resignation in September, former GFA secretary and present executive committee member Graham Skuse, along with the development officer Chris Pringle, has been holding the fort.

The GFA thought they had filled the post in January when Eddie Martel accepted it, but he walked away at the eleventh hour.

'Everyone has pulled their weight,' said Laine.

'It's been all hands to the pump. Skusey has been brilliant.

'He's a mine of information and you can't put a price on that. To have a guy like here for my first few weeks is a godsend.'