Guernsey Press

St Martin’s go three points clear at top

St Martin’s have a three-point lead at the top of the FNB Priaulx League to take into the Stranger Cup break.

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Rovers midfielder Charlie Platt slides in on St Martin’s captain Jake Lowe on Saturday at Port Soif where Saints won 3-0. (Picture by Connor Rabey, 33917651)

The table-toppers ticked off one of their games in hand on closest challengers Vale Rec with an important 3-0 victory over Rovers on Saturday as a game-plan devised thousands of miles away paid off at Port Soif.

‘We set out with a plan – Leon set up a plan from away – and we went out there and did what we were meant to do,’ said Ben Hunter, who was in charge of Saints from the touchline with head coach Leon Meakin on holiday in Zanzibar.

‘We worked hard – it was a tough game.’

Saints were a goal ahead at half-time with Eti Le Prevost’s dangerous inswinging corner helped into his own net by Rovers goalkeeper Adam Bullock, but the crucial blow came within two minutes of half-time when they doubled their lead through Tito Guimaraes.

‘[That] was nice. It settles the nerves a little bit,’ Hunter said.

‘We went in at half-time and we said “we’ve got to go at them straight from the start, keep on being aggressive, put it to them” and we went and did that early doors.’

Ollie Smith’s third goal sealed the victory, but in tough conditions where mistakes and slips were commonplace, Hunter was delighted to go through the whole game without conceding.

‘Clean sheets are always very important and Max [Wall] and the defence did really well to manage those set-pieces in that second half.

‘I think they had four or five in a row which put us really under pressure, but we managed it very, very well.’

He added that the switch to the Stranger Cup round-robin would give other players an opportunity to come in and make an impact, but Saints also have a rearranged league clash with Northerners to contest in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, Rangers started the new year on a high, recording their first Priaulx League win of the season on Saturday as they beat Sylvans 1-0 at St Peter’s.