Rihoy departs North for Bels

DAVE RIHOY sensationally U-turned on his decision to stay at North when he signed for Bels yesterday. Speculation was mounting early last week as to whether the 22-year-old winger, who has been labelled as the best player in the Channel Islands, was going to leave the Priaulx champions for pastures new. Rihoy said he was going to take a couple of days to decide.

A day later, North coach Mick Le Prevost announced that Rihoy was not going anywhere, saying he had been given assurances by his star player that he was staying.

But yesterday morning, Rihoy went back on that when he signed a transfer form in front of Guernsey Football Association director Graham Skuse to join Bels.

The news will infuriate Le Prevost, who has also lost Jon Veron to Rangers during this month's transfer window. The North coach is currently off the island on holiday.

'It's a new challenge and it will give me some new appetite - like why Jonny left. I've been at North since I was nine and I've won everything competitive that I could have done apart from the Upton.

'I thought now was the time to go if I was going to go. I've contemplated it for a couple of years and it was just having the guts to go.

'I thought last season would have been the time but I thought I'd give Mick a chance and, to be fair, he did well.'

Bels and Vale Rec were mooted to be clubs that Rihoy would join if he was going to leave North. But Rihoy says the fact he has a number of friends at Bels such as fellow island players Joby Bourgaize and Sam Cochrane had made him choose to go to the Track.

His partner has a child on the way, so he is wanting to have some time off during the season to look after his new family.

'And I get to play on what I think is the best pitch in the island week in, week out. The only downfall at North was that the pitch was awful at times during last season whereas the Track was good all year and, hopefully, we'll get Murattis back down there.'

Bels coach Ogier was also buoyed by the news that Sylvans midfielder Matt Drillot had also put pen to paper for the 2005-06 league champions.

It eases the pain of talented young midfielder Ben Coulter leaving them to join St Martin's.

'That's for sure,' said Ogier.

'I'm over the moon. I think they are both great assets to the squad and we should be there or thereabouts this season.

'I'd be disappointed if we weren't challenging for the title. It's like two years ago when we had people challenging for every position and no one is guaranteed his place.'

But yesterday was not all one-way traffic for Ogier, as Sylvans coach Martyn de Garis confirmed that he had signed Bels' young centre back Naro Zimmerman.