... and now for the unofficial 'footy' awards
ALL around dressing rooms and club bars footballers have been filling in their player-of-the-year forms.
ALL around dressing rooms and club bars footballers have been filling in their player-of-the-year forms.
The Guernsey Football Association need some answers as they plan the end of season awards night.
But why wait?
Let's hand out some unofficial Inside Track gongs as the football season is as good as over anyway.
Today, Inside Track lists the top five players in positional categories as well as the most improved footballers at senior level.
Next week, we will go the whole hog and name the team-of-the-year and a merit XI to identify the players most of whom will never be called up by Tony Vance but are a club coach's dream and with their unstinting efforts have been the backbone of their own club's challenge these past nine months.
Goalkeepers
1, Richard Davey (Rovers)
2, Glyn Ridley (Bels)
3, Tom Creed (Athletics)
4, Jody Bisson (Vale Rec)
5, Ashley Williams (Sylvans)
Defenders
1, Tom Strawbridge (Saints)
2, Sam Cochrane (Bels)
3, Angus Mackay (Athletics)
4, Ross Elliott (Vale Rec)
5, Sam Stables (Rangers)
Best pairing: Vale Rec's Ross Elliott and Jason Sarahs.
Midfielders
1, Matt Drillot (Bels)
2, Scott Bougourd (North)
3, Jacques Isabelle
(Rangers)
4, Ben Coulter (Saints)
5, Luke Graham (Athletics)
Forwards
1. Dave Rihoy (Bels)
2. Craig Young (North/Bels)
3. Simon Tostevin (North)
4. Ross Allen (Rangers)
5. Marc McGrath (Saints)
Most Improved
1. Danny Marquand
(Athletics)
2. Vijay Wiltshire (Athletics)
3. Scott Bougourd (North)
4. Matt Le Prevost (Sylvans)
5. Sam Langlois (Rovers)
Of the four positional selections, the weakest area was goalkeeper where the island is perhaps worse served than at any time I can recall.
I have not considered the new Island No. 1, Rangers' Tom Le Tissier, for the very fact he has played so little club football here this campaign.
In his absence, Richard Davey has stood out and while Rovers ultimately finished bottom he never failed them and his game has come on a treat.
Praise is also due to veteran Glyn Ridley, who has come out of retirement to answer a keeper crisis and hardly put a glove wrong.
Defensively, it was a close call, but Tom Strawbridge (above) has finally turned potential into senior substance this season at St Martin's and sneaks top spot ahead of the island captain and the best newcomer, the excellent Gus Mackay, who has stood out since January.
As a defensive pairing, no two players have been more consistently impressive than Vale Rec's Ross Elliott and Jason Sarahs, their partnership so key in a side which has lacked goals.
In midfield, Matt Drillot has been the standout player and been Bels' most consistent performer while performing as well as he can.
At Northfield, Scott Bougourd's development and breakthrough as a quality senior performer has been the one shining beacon in an unhappy season at senior level for the club and you would get only short odds on the
19-year-old joining Ben Coulter at the heart of Guernsey's midfield engine room in years to come.
Sadly, surgery cut Coulter's season short, but let's hope he is back fit and strong soon, as it is an area where we could improve.
Luke Graham is another, in time, who could force his way into the reckoning, the Northerner having impressed a lot of sound judges with his combative ball-winning and fine passing.
As for the forwards, you cannot look past Dave Rihoy as the top man and it would be a great surprise were he not to be crowned footballer-of-the-year.
Athletics' published ethos is very much player development and in that respect they possess the two most improved performers of the campaign in striker Danny Marquand (17 goals) and seventh place on the scorers' list, and central midfielder Vijay Wiltshire.
Neither could get a regular start before joining Tics.'Quote FrankGoth Cn BT 15pt'
