Bels will not have to wait another 47 years

CAN North stop Bels? That is the question as the new Cable & Wireless Priaulx League season kicks off next Saturday.

From the early indication of the C&W Fredrick Martinez Cup this week, when Bels beat their closest rivals 3-1, it is going to be a hard task.

Micky Ogier's side have near enough been unstoppable since the formidable 'Budlo' took over midway through the 2004-5 campaign and this time around, whereas all the other teams in the league have lost players, Bels have strengthened their squad.

Neil Clegg joined from Sylvans during the summer in a move that confounded some people.

The striker left behind a team that had just announced a new coach in Martyn de Garis and were attracting the signatures of some top quality players like Paul de Garis, Michael Wilson and Tom and Ben Duff from North.

Instead he decided to join a club that already had a stable of dangerous attackers: Darragh Duffy, Marc McGrath, Billy Page and Danny Felbabel.

Clegg said that he wanted a fresh challenge and that the competition would spur him on to train harder, adding that he had become complacent at Sylvans where he knew his place was guaranteed.

The move seems to have worked as he certainly looked leaner and sharper in the Martinez when he lined up for his new club for the first time.

Paul O'Neill is due back from a broken leg some time soon, which will strengthen a strong midfield that contains island players Scott Bradford and Joby Bourgaize.

The only blip for Ogier is that Page is out for possibly the whole season with cruciate ligament problems.

Whereas Budlo finds his squad in a healthy position, North's new coach Mick Le Prevost is not so lucky.

Not only did he lose Wilson and the two Duffs to Sylvans, he also lost Ewen Beacom, Sam Matthews and Anthony O'Regan to the westerners as well.

Meanwhile, promising young centre back Naro Zimmerman returned to Bels.

The Duffs and Wilson would have been regulars for Le Prevost this year while the others would have been bit players.

So you could argue that their departure is not as devastating as an Old Testament-style tragedy. But it's all about bums on seats.

Come late in the season when the manager's annual problem of injuries has gone through his squad, Le Prevost might be looking round a bare changing room thinking whom he could chuck on the pitch.

Having said that, he did have a bit of a coup picking up Rovers' best player and top goal scorer last season, Simon Tostevin.

He could be North's key to unlocking Bels. Bels' defence and goalkeeper, Rhys Gower, are all under 6ft. so a plan could be to pump high balls up for the 6ft. 4in. striker to get on the end of to feed partner Jon Veron - a la Sunderland's successful Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips partnership - although that probably will not happen as Le Prevost stated this week that he is 'not a long-ball merchant'.

Which is good news for North, because on their day and with the talent they have available, such as Dave Rihoy, Darren Martin, Gavin Le Page, Ollie McKenzie, Kyle Stone, Veron and, of course, Trim Morgan, they are the best passing side in the island. Maybe I'm selling them short.

They outplayed Bels in last year's FletcherSports Guernsey FA Cup final to win 2-1 and on their day look the most attractive playing side locally.

But winning leagues is not just about style, it's also about substance and with Ogier's tenacity behind them, Bels have more substance.

Sylvans look set to take the third spot. New coach de Garis has some quality players at his disposal such as island captain Matt Warren and Chris Chamberlain who returns to action next week after having had his appendix removed.

Together with his new signings from North, they could cause an upset and squeeze into second place come the end of the season.

However, losing Clegg was a real blow and they now look light up front.

Vale Rec, Rangers and St Martin's look set to hold the middle ground in the league. All three are well organised but lack they quantity of quality that Bels, North and Sylvans boast.

Rec have got Matt Falla back and he will make a difference, while Rangers will be without the services of Piers Ockleford and Ross Allen. The two talented young players have left for Florida Institute of Technology on football scholarships.

They would have played important roles this year for coach Mac Gallienne.

St Martin's could end as bottom of the three as they have lost until at least Christmas main man Dom Heaume, who is travelling.

But they have acquired the services of Kevin Graham who has returned from the UK where he played a decent standard.

Rovers are almost bound to finish last having lost their star striker Tostevin.

They look like a Jackson team in Priaulx colours, but new coach Martyn Dorey had them playing well towards the end of last season and they have something of Vinny Jones' Wimbledon 'Crazy Gang' mentality about them.

Anything could happen.