Having lost 3-1 to the Isle of Man in Friday’s semi-final, the hosts bounced back to win 5-1 on Saturday in front of a healthy crowd and finish their season on a high note at Victoria Park.
‘I guess I was disappointed after the Muratti, so it was quite nice to have this competition to get everyone together and enjoy the weekend,’ said Gauvain.
‘After last night, we were really chuffed with the performance against a really strong Isle of Man team, and we just really wanted to come out and get a result today.
‘It gives us a bit of a boost ahead of the new season. Finishing on a high is amazing and I hope the girls enjoy a few weeks off, though it won’t be long until we’re back into pre-season training as Guernsey FC.’
Attacking midfielder Heidi Dawber scored after just 15 seconds to get Guernsey on their way in the third-place play-off before going on to complete a first-half hat-trick with two more neat finishes.
And the talented Jeffreys triplets completed the game on the pitch together, with Millie and Emilie both getting on the scoresheet in the second-half as they made their senior island debuts in the competition.
‘Ahead of the weekend, we were having a chat with them, saying you’ll play a bit here and a bit there, and there was always an intention to get them all on at some point, but they haven’t had a huge amount of game time with these girls.
‘But seeing them today is just really pleasing. I’ve seen their journey from probably year four or five coaching within the Academy and I feel like a proud parent watching them play today.
‘I wish them all the best with what they’ve got ahead of them, whatever that is, but I hope they come back and play for Guernsey again.
‘I don’t think we’re going to have them for club football next season. They’ll go on to an academy somewhere and then we’ll be on the phone to them trying to get them back for the Muratti and hopefully we’ll be off to the Island Games, if we can sort that out.
‘I’m pretty sure they’ll be desperate to come back and play with us again, especially after this weekend.
‘The other girls are singing their praises. It’s really a breath of fresh air to have them involved,’ said the Guernsey manager.
But while the triplets look set to be the latest in a growing line of talented young women heading to the UK to pursue football at a higher level, Gauvain and her coaching team were able to introduce some other new faces this weekend, as Guernsey FC prepare for their second season in English football.
‘We’ve got two girls that have come over from the UK, moved to the island, so they were keen to get involved today.
‘They’ve been playing at a similar tier to us, so they’ll be in for the club this season, so it’s nice to have a bit more depth and strength, and then we’ve got a couple of girls who aren’t here today, so it’s looking good.’
Jersey were crowned Cherry Godfrey Cup champions after coming through 3-0 against the Isle of Wight in their semi-final, before beating the Isle of Man on penalties after Saturday’s final finished 1-1 in normal time.
