Raiders ‘cannot mope’ on loss
RAIDERS will use the defeat to Barnes as motivation in their promotion push over the final three games of the season, insists Jordan Reynolds.
The London & South-East Premier leaders had their advantage cut to just two points following their 28-22 loss in the top-of-the-table clash a fortnight ago and they need to get back to winning ways when Westcombe Park visit Footes Lane tomorrow, says their coach.
‘We are coming off the back of a pretty deflating loss to Barnes and it’s all about how we focus now,’ Reynolds said.
‘We have to win three games and it is in our hands, but we have to put in performances to do that.
‘We cannot mope on the defeat because if we are 20% short of where we should be this weekend, Westcombe Park will take this game off us.’
There was bad news on the injury front when an X-ray revealed that Malcolm Barnes’ elbow problem was actually a break and he might have to wait until the Siam Cup to return to action.
Dan Hill is also still sidelined with suspected ankle ligament damage while Raiders are without Luke Jones, Luke Sayer and Sam Whitehead this week.
That means Anthony Armstrong will switch to fullback, with Chris Ahne and Jason Batiste coming in on the wings.
‘Having Anthony at fullback seemed the logical choice and it’s something we having been looking to do anyway because he is a guy who we want to get the ball in his hands as much as possible,’ said Reynolds, who added that Westcombe Park are much changed from the side Guernsey beat in December.
They currently lie 11th in the 14-team league, but starting with an away win at Sidcup in the final match of 2017, their fortunes have been on the rise. Turn to Page 39
‘They have only lost two in their last seven and there are a lot of new faces in their team with guys feeding down from National One.
‘I have seen the video of their match with Barnes and Westcombe Park probably should have won. They just made a couple of errors and were punished for it.
‘They have beaten Hertford – that was a helluva result for them – and they will be a dangerous side for us.
‘We have to be on the money, we have to be physical and we have to play to our game plan.’
Guernsey Raiders v. Westcombe Park kicks off at 2pm tomorrow at Footes Lane.
Raiders team
Steventon, Ceillam, Currie, Hillier, Merrien, Martin, Le Cocq, Horrocks, K. Brown, Thomas, Campbell, N. Brown, Ahne, J. Batiste, Armstrong. Replacements: Craine, L. Batiste, Elliott.
