‘We’re going shopping’

Only a month after being lined up to take over at the swiftly ill-fated combined Rangers-Manzur side, Mark Romeril has spoken with renewed enthusiasm for re-energising the Manzur club, with the transfer window now open.

‘As I understand it the transfer window opened as soon as the last ball was kicked in the Guernsey FA Cup,’ said Romeril this week, although GFLM has since clarified that the window opens from 1 July for the full month. ‘We have not got any new signings to report but we are chatting to a lot of people. We are talking to a dozen players and if we get three or four of them, that would be good.’

The Manzur coach said that what he has learned from talking to various players is that there is a perception a lot of them are planning to play for Guernsey FC, but with the Green Lions’ plans for the new season in the Isthmian League being thrown into a little doubt due to the new border restrictions in position, the ball is very much up in the air.

‘The good news as far as we are concerned is that we are definitely there. We have entered and paid our competition fees.

‘It is quite upbeat,’ he added ahead of a season when they will, for the first time, play their first-team home games on the newly-made-available KGV grass pitch.

Manzur expect to start their pre-season preparations in the second half of July, a month before the projected start to the FNB Priaulx League season on 21 August.

The annual Rawlinson Cup warm-up tournament is scheduled for the first Monday in August, with the final on Friday 13.

n KYLE SMITH and Jacob Fallaize were the joint winners of the Sylvans Priaulx League player-of-the-year award.

Goalkeeper Nick Batiste won the first-team award for most improved player.