Rovers’ lead up to six points as Sylvans score late equaliser
PLAYING the role of party-poopers to perfection, Manzur were just three minutes from ending Sylvans’ long unbeaten record at St Peter’s on Saturday.
But Kyle Smith’s 89th minute header saved the home side and Manzur fumed at the injustice of it all.
A 1-1 draw in the top FNB Priaulx League game of the weekend saw the Westerners fall six points adrift of the leaders Rovers, who thumped a weak visiting Alderney side, 6-0 on the KGV 3G.
But the real story was out west where in-form Manzur threatened to put a spanner in the works of Sylvans’ title chase and led from the 20th minute when Marlon Jardim added more weight to the argument that he is the most lethal striker in the division.
Sylvans fans will, of course, argue their man Smith is the best, but either way this was a significant escape for the red-and-whites whose coach, Martyn de Garis, thought his men deserved the point.
‘We were misfiring a little bit, but overall I’m quite pleased with our performance,’ he said.
‘We played some nice football at times, but our decision making was not that good today.
‘They are a strong side and they are going to cause some upsets.’
Mark Romeril, his opposite number, struggled to contain his anger at the decision which led to Sylvans, who have two games in hand on the leaders, escaping with a point.
Biting his lip, he asked: ‘Is that a free-kick? It’s soft. It was a big decision at a bad time for us.
‘I thought we were fantastic and we should have put it to bed in the first half.
‘They were always going to come onto us in the second half and I thought we managed it very well.
‘But it’s a good point and we move on.’
Match reports in Monday's Guernsey Press.
