Rovers make coach proud with victory at Northfield

One strongly suspected that a tough week at Rovers would only get a touch tougher as Derek Gilman blew his whistle to get Saturday’s clash under way.

But displaying admirable tigerishness, defensive organisation, terrific keeping by Adam Bullock and remarkable midfield energy in the shape of James Grundy and man-of-the-match George Clayton, they took the points back to Port Soif.

Rovers arrived supposedly shorn of most of the starting XI but, in reality, they were much stronger than their coach had feared 48 hours earlier.

Fin Whitmore was there to lead the attack and would be available for an hour before rushing off to catch his boat.

Grundy, who had been off work sick, declared himself fit enough to start in midfield and Tom Strawbridge put any thoughts of GFC temporarily on hold and wore the armband.

Rovers very nearly conceded a goal in five seconds, Harry Henderson squandering possession and Sam Murray fired goalwards only to see his effort parried away by Bullock.

It was an immediate let-off and on five minutes Tobi Oluborode was desperately heading behind as North piled on the early pressure.

But on 8min. it was Rovers who went ahead.

Strawbridge lofted a superb 60-yard pass down the inside right channel, the left side of the North defence had gone AWOL and Charlie Platt coolly lofted the ball over a stranded Josh Addison.

The goal certainly rocked the home team and with Platt showing good touches, energy and movement down the right, the script was in danger of emphatically being ripped up, especially when, on 17min., Max Simpson-Cohen finished beautifully with a rasping low shot into the far corner.

North were reeling and Rovers very nearly had a third in the first 20 minutes and it required a desperate punch clear by Addison to deny Platt his second.

The home midfield were over-run, failing to pick up runners and hardly registering a tackle with it.

In their defence they were being outnumbered, Gillease flooding the midfield by asking Platt and Simpson-Cohen to tuck back when not in possession and leaving Whitmore to play alone up top.

All the while, no Northerner remotely had the energy of Clayton who had his best game for the first team by a distance.

North were frustrated and Joe Alvarez incurred Rovers’ wrath by being a touch late in a challenge with Tyler McKane, but there was no clear maliciousness about it, merely a timing issue in a 50-50 challenge.

A yellow card was the right outcome, as was the half-time break as far as North were concerned. Alvarez snr had much talking to do.

Presumably he did and within two minutes of the restart North had a goal back, Keene Domaille turning Colton Fletcher inside out and deliciously curling a chest high shot into the far corner.

North had stirred and Danny Cooley was denied an equaliser as Bullock saved low to his right.

With more than half-an-hour remaining Whitmore was withdrawn and having raced to the dressing room, was soon heading off, still in full kit, on his push-bike down the rough track towards Capelles.

Rovers rode their luck a little but Simpson-Cohen sealed the points with five minutes of normal time remaining, finishing off his own great work to first win the ball in front of the stand, race clear and chip a pass inside.

Clayton moved the ball out right to Platt and his precise ball from the byline found Simpson-Cohen whose scruffy finish squeezed into the corner off Addison.

Bullock made two cracking saves in the space of a minute but could not do anything about Tom Vaudin’s close range 89th minute goal which proved no more than a limp consolation.

In Saturday's other FNB Priaulx League clash, Vale Rec beat Alderney 6-2. More in Monday's Guernsey Press.