Report: Reds come from behind to convincingly retain spoils

Jersey retained the women’s inter-insular trophy by going through the gears after half-time on Saturday.

With nothing separating the sides at the interval, Guernsey were well in the game, but they were unable to get their influential figures on the ball in the second half as the Reds took charge of proceedings to emerge deserving winners by a convincing margin.

They had to come from behind to take the spoils, though.

Although home goalkeeper Emma Atkinson had already made a save inside the opening 90 seconds, the hosts took an early lead in the fourth minute when Katherine Bushell intercepted a pass across the Jersey backline and released captain Lucy Waldrom on the right. She was credited with the goal as her ball across the face of goal attempting to pick out Becky McAllister at the far post was diverted in by the goalkeeper.

Waldrom was one of her side’s better performers on the day, along with Bushell, when they had possession and the youthful pace of Vicky Mann and Charlotte Griggs posed a threat, particularly in the first half, but Jersey had their own youngsters who were full of running too.

One of those, Tallulah Spry, nearly set up another, Aimee Aikenhead, for an equaliser on the quarter-of-an-hour, but Atkinson was able to watch the shot go wide.

There was little the Guernsey goalkeeper could do 10 minutes later, though, when Jersey levelled from their first short-corner with captain Emma Bower’s shot taking a deflection on its way in.

Goals from short-corners was to become a theme of the match as Jersey continually made them count while the hosts were unable to earn any shorts of their own.

Atkinson made a couple of excellent saves to help keep the scores level up until the interval, which was much needed on a sunny early afternoon, but Jersey were able to keep building their momentum after the turnaround.

In the early stages of the second half, Bower had a firm strike well saved by Atkinson while Mix Byrom did well to defuse a threatening situation in her defensive D after Olivia Labesse had won the initial race to the ball.

A goal was coming, though, and on 45min. Neve Macken forced the ball over the line from close range.

Five minutes later, Bower went for a different short-corner routine and skipped past a couple of defenders before Aikenhead supplied the finishing touch.

Hannah Scriven put the icing on the cake for Jersey four minutes from time, scoring from another short where she had been the injector.

‘We played well first 10-15 minutes, but then Jersey pressed hard. We struggled to get it out of the back and gave it away a little cheaply, a bit too often, which ultimately was a lot of pressure to cope with,’ said Guernsey coach Damian Wallen.

‘In fairness Jersey played well.

‘I think it was a closer game in the first half, but second half we just really, really struggled to create much attacking threat.’

His opposite number Simon Watling called his side’s display ‘really pleasing’.

‘As normal with us, we started really slowly, went 1-0 down and then started to get into a rhythm – played quite well, played in the spaces, which is what we talked about, kept the ball for periods, attack the D when we could, and eventually managed to get the outcomes,’ he said.

‘We just worked our way through in the game. It was a really a good performance and showed a bit of character as well to go 1-0 down and come back.’

TEAMS

Guernsey: Atkinson, Bushell, Byrom, Castleman, Griggs, Lloyd-Jones, Mann, McAllister, Rieger-Vorster, Sheppard, Slimm, Smit, Stubbert-Malley, Tanguy, Underwood, Waldrom.

Jersey: Guthrie, Aikenhead, Bower, Anthoine, Scriven, Cadoret, Watling, Rogers, McKeon, Macken, Labesse, Spry, Grant, Helmholt-Kneisel, Dillon-Nugent, Fudge.

Umpires: S and B Edwards.