Simpson-Cohen rises to coach’s challenge

Well, Rovers boss Kevin Gillease has revealed he came up with his own take on that challenge to Max Simpson-Cohen on Tuesday when Rovers visited the home of the champions and it paid off handsomely as his forward answered the coach with a hat-trick in a memorable 3-0 win.

‘He was brilliant. We actually said to him “you owe us a performance up here” because he has not had the best of times at Blanche Pierre Lane before, but he took it on board and he was an absolute nuisance to Saints throughout,’ Gillease said of his hat-trick hero.

‘We did point out that Nigel Hutton is perhaps not an out-and-out right-back and that “Simpo” could cause him problems and he was outstanding – he was the difference in the game really.’

Gillease also added a word of praise for Fin Whitmore’s performance up front as he laid on the first two goals for Simpson-Cohen.

‘When he is on form like that, there are not many strikers like him around.

‘For that second goal, chasing down what looked like a lost cause, winning the ball and then having the presence of mind to be able to pick out Max in the box showed his qualities.’

The victory took Rovers top of the FNB Priaulx League table and although Gillease emphasised that he will not allow his team to get ahead of themselves, he added he will allow them to enjoy a night off from training tonight as a reward for their BPL display.

‘It was long overdue because we have come away from there with our tails between our legs a few times in recent years,’ said the Rovers coach.

‘I thought we controlled the game. It was scrappy to start, but once we got the goal we never looked in trouble and in the second half we were just completely dominant.

‘We just executed the game-plan perfectly – we were brilliant on the night.

‘It is nice to be top, but the thing that is pleasing me is that we are keeping clean-sheets and that’s been our Achilles’ heel over the last couple of seasons because we had been shooting ourselves in the foot and conceding sloppy goals too often.

‘Louis Falla coming back has been a big help for us, he has brought a nous to the defence, and Adam Bullock didn’t really have a save of note to make [on Tuesday] – long may that continue.’

• Match report in Thursday's Guernsey Press.