Historic treble still on for two
NO GUERNSEY club side has ever completed a league and major cup treble that includes the Jeremie and FA Cup, yet both St Martin’s and Sylvans are in a position to create some history come the spring.
But after the semi-final draw of the Jeremie Cup paired them together, only one will be in the hunt for that landmark first come the beginning of April, by which time the finalists of both the Jeremie and FA Cup should be known.
With the FA Cup just 15 years old and Jersey clubs having dominated the Jeremie for much of the past decade, the chances of any FNB Priaulx League side having the quality to pull off the unique achievement have been remote.
St Martin’s might have achieved it in 2010-11, but having won the league and Jeremie that season, they flunked in the FA Cup.
Sylvans also won a league and Jeremie double six seasons earlier, but also missed out on the FA Cup the first season it was played.
Either way, with no inter-island club cup football scheduled this pandemic-hit campaign, Guernsey is set to have its first Jeremie winner in nine seasons.
The semi draw for both the Jeremie and FA Cups were revealed last night and Leon Meakin’s Saints can argue that it could have been kinder to them.
In the FA Cup they have been drawn away against Manzur who, in the past fortnight, have emerged as a very strong force.
In the other half of the draw the winners of the Sylvans-Belgraves quarter-final will be fancied to get through against either Rangers or Red Lion North, who also have a last-eight tie to rearrange.
Meanwhile, prospects for the Upton Cup resuming this season have reduced significantly with the Jersey season having been closed down until early January.
With only an 18-match programme in the Jacksons Premiership, the sister isle are handily placed with each of their 10 sides side having completed half of their programme.
But, with Jersey Covid cases rising by the week and vaccine relief some way off the horizon, the chances of any inter-island football this campaign must still be regarded as slim even if they have been given preliminary dates in the schedules.
That situation also reduces the chances of a first Sarnian quadruple of league, Upton, Jeremie and FA Cup.
Semi-final Cup draws: Jeremie Cup (to be played week 23 and 24 March) Northerners v. Rovers; St Martin’s v. Sylvans. Guernsey FA Cup (to be played Easter weekend 3-4 April) Manzur v. St Martin’s; Sylvans or Belgraves v. Rangers or Red Lion North.
