Polson out to prove he is no toothless defender

NORTHERNERS stalwart Stuart Polson is aiming to get his teeth into Trinity tomorrow - and is praying the outcome will be less costly than the last time they met. The C&W Priaulx League champions are looking to avenge last season's Deloitte Jeremie Cup Final defeat at the hands of the Jersey outfit, when the visitors came from behind to win 2-1.

At a soaking-wet Corbet Field, Dave Rihoy gave North the lead with a superb free kick, but the visitors' left back Jon Fitzmaurice equalised with an even better one midway through the second half.

Trinity ensured the win in the final 10 minutes when Jimmy Reilly latched on to a long ball and lobbed keeper Steve Gibson.

The North skipper that day, Polson, was left with a loose front tooth hanging precariously after having been hit in the mouth during the first half and he was forced to have his cap reset.

'It cost me £130,' he recalled this week.

'It was a nightmare. I went up for a header and caught the back of someone's head. I could feel it was loose and hanging down.

'It was annoying - it was the expense as much as anything,' he said.

Polson, who has been playing senior football for 15 years, has won the Jeremie several times and remembers losing a few finals also.

He is unsure yet whether to hang up his boots on his illustrious career at the end of the current campaign.

'I will be deciding in June whether to carry on playing,' he said.

'The body does not want to do as much as the head wants to do, which is frustrating but life.'

He is confident of victory tomorrow - and sees Rihoy, Jon Veron and Simon Tostevin as potential match winners.

Polson is expecting another physical game against a good footballing outfit.

Coach Le Prevost said before his side's training session last night that he had no injury worries.

'Hopefully everyone will be available. We have done well this season so far - the boys have been superb. It's all on the day - it's a cup final and anything can happen.'

Trinity are aiming to make it a hat-trick of victories in the competition - their other success having been against Grouville in the 2003-04 season.

They progressed to the final with a 1-0 win against Rangers and 2-1 victory over St Peter.

North have won the trophy 22 times outright and shared it back in 1928 with First Tower.

After beating Rovers 2-0 and Grouville 2-1 they booked their final spot with a hard-earned 3-2 against Jersey Scottish, who are their Upton opponents in eight days' time.

Last week, St Peter clawed back a three-goal deficit to win the Le Riche Cup final 5-3 against Trinity.

Before that game, Joe Morley and Andy Barker's side had recovered from six defeats in eight matches to win their next seven.

But their squad will be missing several key players for the trip to Guernsey.

Ashley Dodd and Darren Swanson are both unavailable and Scott Jones is injured but Dave Le Roux returns after injury.

Muratti goalkeeper Jimmy Styles and the prolific but ageing Reilly are both expected to feature.

'We have not had as good a season as the year before but you still have to go into the game confident,' said Trinity's club president Milford Lee, who is retiring at the end of the season.

'We are even more of the underdogs this year but we like it that way. We will be going all out to win it.'

The match kicks off at 2pm.

* VALE REC and Sylvans will battle it out tonight at the Corbet Field at 7.30 for a place in the Collins Cup final.

The other semi-final sees Rovers meet St Martin's at Port Soif at 2pm on Sunday.