Minutes from Wembley

GUERNSEY women footballers missed out on a trip to the new Wembley by just 24 minutes in the FA Cup of five-a-side football. Competing in the FA Umbro Fives tournament, the largest and most prestigious small-sided football competition in Britain, they narrowly failed to reach the semi-finals in their south-east regional qualifier in Basingstoke at the weekend.

Their achievement was all the more remarkable as they could not choose any of the players going to Rhodes.

'We could not take island players because the rules said if we went to the finals on 15 July, we had to use the same team, which would have clashed with the Island Games,' said Rob Jordan, president of the Guernsey Ladies Five-a-side Football League.

'We had to use the best of the rest,' he said.

He trained a team called Mixed Bag with James Le Gallez and the girls did not let the island down - often playing against semi-professional opposition.

'We got through to the quarter-finals and got knocked out by Southampton Ladies Football Club. We were 1-0 up until the last 90 seconds when we conceded an equaliser and then they scored the winner with 20 seconds left,' said Jordan.

'It was just gutting. The Guernsey best of the rest did exceptionally well. If we had won, we were just 24 minutes away from Wembley.'

The squad comprised skipper Annie Machon, Lisa Jackson, Elaine Ward, Sally Brehaut, Julie and Hanna Coutu, Sara Sarre and Karen Dyke.

They began with a 2-1 win against semi-pro outfit Trinity with goals from Machon and Hanna Coutu.

They followed that up with a 3-1 victory over The Devil Gunners with the same two players and Ward on target.

Machon's brace gave them a 2-1 win against semi-pro side Havant & Waterlooville before they lost 2-0 to Salisbury to finish second in their group.

Other sides in the regional tournament comprised Watford, Portsmouth, Havant A and Whitstable Town.

They may have missed being the first Guernsey team to play on the hallowed turf in the Umbro finals event this summer but they will be back to try again.

'We are now looking to enter a team every year and are looking for a sponsor,' said Jordan.

Anybody who can help can contact him through Vale Rec.