Former Green Lions at heart of Robins’ win
TONY VANCE had a smile on his face late on Tuesday night.
Not only did his boy, Seb, play in a winning Sylvans Martinez Cup side, but across the English Channel at Reading two former Guernsey FC players were posting assists in a winning Bristol City performance.
‘Those two aside I cannot see any former GFC players playing in the championship again,’ said Vance, who is not in a bit surprised by the progress of local lad Alex Scott and Cameron Pring, the Bristol born left-back who was on loan to the Green Lions four years ago.
While Scott was starting his third straight EFL Championship game, for Pring it was a first.
And in the Bristol Live post-match player ratings, both players were awarded 7 out of 10.
Scott gained several useful free-kicks in the first half, including the one that led to the Robins scoring their second goal.
‘He delightfully set up Weimann with a clever first-time cutback after the break to again showcase his talent,’ wrote the Bristol Live correspondent.
As for Pring he had an assist and had a great first game which earned him a round of applause from his team-mates in the dressing room after the win.
Pring’s road to the Bristol first-team has been a long and winding one with the GFC stint just one of several loans.
But Vance is adamant his short-time in GFC colours played a key role in his development.
‘The one thing they [Bristol City] said about Cameron’s loan in Guernsey was that he needed to get out of Academy football and play some men’s league action. Lee Johnson later said, “What’s happened to Cameron Pring? He’s come back a man”.’
Vance recalls Pring as a fantastic athlete, who for the Green Lions was a left-back/wing-back rolled into one.
‘I am so pleased he’s broken through,’ said the GFC head coach.
The relevance of Guernsey FC’s involvement in these two new young and exciting Robins may be lost on most Bristol City fans, but certainly not on the local club.
