Bels' woes grow as reds march on

Sylvans 3, Bels 1

MAYBE Martyn de Garis should miss more of his team's games. The Sylvans coach was not at St Peter's on Saturday as his red-and-whites turned over Bels to book themselves a semi-final spot in the FA Cup.

With de Garis away at a wedding, Dave Gilman, his assistant, took charge and saw the funny side when asked if he felt de Garis will be shown the door after he had overseen one of Sylvans' best performances of the season.

'He can keep his job,' he joked.

But what was not funny was the strong wind which blew down the ground from the clubhouse end.

All the goals went in at the bottom goal as Bels enjoyed a 1-0 interval lead before the home side put three into the same goal in the second half.

'I'm really pleased but I always thought we had a chance with the conditions, because of Bels' direct game they were going to struggle in those conditions,' said Gilman.

'It would have been a nice game of football on a different day but we probably dealt with the conditions better that they did.'

With the wind behind them, Bels started the sprightlier and they soon found themselves one up within the first 10 minutes.

Sylvans centre back Michael Wilson did well to block out a Marc McGrath close-range shot but he was unlucky as the ball then ricocheted off him and into the goal when Simon Marley followed up.

With central midfielder Charles Pinsard turning in another strong performance, Bels had most of the ball throughout the half but they could not convert the pressure into goals.

Pinsard created a couple of opportunities for his team and the highly combative battle in the middle of the park between him and the island and Sylvans captain, Matt Warren was something to watch.

Early in the second half Bels came very close to stretching their lead when a Joby Bourgaize shot-cum-cross skidded across the goal, but neither Pinsard nor striker Neil Clegg could not quite get on the end.

But with the wind running with them, Sylvans were now in the ascendancy and it was not long before they equalised things when Tom Duff with his head got onto the end of a Danny Watts cross after 50min.

The young Sylvans winger had an impressive game down the right flank but despite the home side pulling the strings and looking more likely to score, the thought of extra time started to creep into the cold spectators' minds.

But just into the last 20 minutes and in a carbon copy of their first goal, Sylvans took the lead as Warren headed in from a Kris Moherndl cross, this time from the left wing.

In the last 10 minutes, Moherndl hit the bar but the westerners made sure of the result when Watts picked out Danny Le Page with another top class delivery and the substitute forward slotted the ball home under Rhys Gower.

At the final whistle Bels looked devastated and it was no surprise when their coach Micky Ogier and their captain Leighton Chainey both declined to make a comment.

Gilman on the other hand was delighted with his team who now face Vale Rec or a place in the final.

'We're due one against Vale Rec,' he said.

'We've not beaten them yet this season. If we can get a full team out, it should be a good game.

'We've got some decent young players and it's positive up here now. We've got strength in depth and they don't let us down when they come on.'

* BELS' island star Scott Bradford looks set to miss the rest of the season, including the Muratti final.

Pending any personal appeal Bradford has received the maximum 112-day suspension for spitting at Nick Edmunds during the Bels-St Martin's Priaulx match on 27 January.