No bigger game than this for Raiders
IT IS simply the biggest league game ever played at Footes Lane.
The top two in London & South-East Premier go head-to-head tomorrow when leaders Guernsey Raiders host Barnes in 80 minutes that will go a long way to deciding the destination of the title and a huge step towards National Two.
‘It’s massive – the biggest game in the club’s history without a shadow of a doubt,’ said Raiders coach Jordan Reynolds.
‘In talking to the guys this week, we’ve told them that the amount of work that goes in just to get the opportunity to play in a game like this is amazing, but the good thing is that the work has been done because we are here and now we have to try and put that work into practice in the match.
‘We are more excited than anything.
‘From my point of view, I just want the whistle to blow now because you can tend to over-think stuff and I’m terrible for that. I want the game to start and I think it’s going to be a cracker too.’
There is some good news and bad news on the fitness front, with Dan Hill and Malcolm Barnes both set to miss out, but Tom Ceillam and Luke Jones are fit to return to the starting XV while captain Lewis Hillier is back to lead the side having recently become a father.
Cameron Craine and Sam Whitehead are both away.
Turn to Page 39
Reynolds reported that Hill ‘100% wants to play and is adamant that he will get through OK’, but the coach is unlikely to risk aggravating the flanker’s ankle injury with three more games still to play after this one.
Scrum-half Barnes is still suffering from his elbow problem that he picked up at Shelford and he was due for a scan yesterday afternoon to find out the extent of the damage.
‘You want these guys to play, but at the same time we are looking at the other players we have to select from and we are comfortable that those guys can do the job for us because we have got a fantastic squad now,’ Reynolds said.
‘Kyle Brown, for example, has really come on this season and the fact that we have someone of the calbire of Jason Batiste on the bench shows that we have got a really good backline to choose from.’
Reynolds believes Barnes will arrive at Footes Lane willing to throw the ball around and have the benefit of having been in this position fighting for promotion from this league before.
‘They’re not afraid to chance their hand at any opportunity,’ he said.
‘They are not really looking to play the percentages, which makes them tricky to play against.
‘Barnes have been in this position before and have been promoted, for us it is about making history for our club and a win would be huge in the title race.
‘We have talked about tackling ourselves to a promotion because we need to go out and put in a massive defensive performance.
‘If we can get a win this weekend, it takes massive pressure off, but we have to be thinking that the gap between us is not six points, we are equal and it is basically a whoever-wins-takes-all mentality.’
Raiders v. Barnes kicks off at 3pm tomorrow.
Guernsey Raiders team
Sam Steventon, Tom Ceillam, Layton Batiste, Lewis Hillier, Nick Merrien, Dale Martin, Robin Le Cocq, Doug Horrocks, Kyle Brown, Owen Thomas, Ned Brown, Luke Jones, Anthony Armstrong, Blair Campbell, Luke Sayer. Replacements: Charlie Currie, Luke Skovronek, Jason Batiste.
