WATCH: Guernsey U18s ready for return of inter-insular football

Guernsey under-18s will travel to St Peter in Jersey on Sunday for the first Junior Muratti fixture since 2020 – a 3-0 Jersey win was squeezed in just before lockdown – with high hopes of returning with the silverware.

Angus Mackay’s side have emerged victorious in both of their Stranger Cup fixtures this season and will have the opportunity to regain the trophy following that defeat at Footes Lane two years ago.

‘We’re feeling good, we’re happy with our games in the Stranger Cup and we feel that we have prepared well in training,’ said Mackay.

‘Those Stranger games were a good opportunity to try some things out and put a few plans into place, so right now we think we are in a good place.

‘We’re definitely expecting a tough game, but we don’t know who they’ve got playing for them, we don’t know how they’re going to play but we do know that it will be tough.

‘Every now and then you get a Muratti which is really one-sided, but the majority of the time it is a very close game and I expect the same on Sunday.

‘I don’t know anything about their side since this is the first fixture at this group since 2020, so we are going into the unknown a little bit,’ he added.

Mackay’s side handed the unbeaten Priaulx League leaders St Martin’s their first defeat of the season last month, coming back from a goal behind on two occasions before overcoming Leon Meakin’s men 4-2.

The Saints victory was their second win in as many games in the Stranger after beating Vale Rec 5-1 at the KGV.

Those victories meant that the Island U18s topped their group and have secured qualification to the semi-final of the cup, although Mackay says that their inter-insular opponents will present a very different challenge on Sunday afternoon.

‘I am very confident in the lads to put in a good performance, we played really well in those two games. I thought going into it we may need another game to be fully prepared for the Muratti, although after seeing those performances and how well we played as a group, I think we are in good shape as it is,’ said the Guernsey coach.

‘Jersey will be a different opponent compared to what we had in St Martin’s and Vale Rec, the challenges will be different, but hopefully we can play in the same way as we did in those two games and produce some of the good football we produced in the Stranger Cup.’

Guernsey will also have GFC regular Ben Acey, who did not feature in either Stranger game available.