Channel Islands and Fally

Last weekend saw me troop off down south to cover my beloved Guernsey FC twice in three days and Jersey Rugby in between. I arrived in Whitstable early on Thursday and wanted to visit a really lovely restaurant called East Quay fish bar. I was disappointed to find it closed....... I instead opted for a sandwich and to make my way to the ground nice and early.
The team arrived and I spent the next couple of hours socialising and getting myself ready for the game.   It was a bitterly cold night and the lads were quick out of the blocks. Marc McGrath scoring early on and Ross Allen adding to his tally to go in 2-0 at half time.

Dominic Heaume shoots at goal early on in the game. ©Matt Bunn

The second half began where the first left off and Ross Allen bagged his second goal to put the Green Lions 3-0 up. Game over. Whitstable did pull one back but the lads were fully in control. The downside of the evening were injuries to right back Nigel Hutton and key midfielder Kieron Mahon.

Ross Allen celebrates goal number 50 for the season. ©Matt Bunn

The lights were not great at Whitstable and I did not have my best game with the camera. My favourite shot of the evening was of Jamie Dodd getting involved after Angus Mackay had been headbutted, the Whitsatble umber 12 was sent off.

Jamie Dodd in fighting spirits. ©Matt Bunn

I made my way to the hotel we were staying at in Brighton and wired my pictures from the 'just as I arrived' closed bar!!! The team turned up at the hotel at 1am and we were checked in. I was rooming with Fally, the assistant manager. One of his many sayings was ringing in my ears "It ain't easy living with Fal!" It actually turned out to be easy living with Fal and he made me smile on numerous occasions. Top man, Mr Fallaize.

On Friday, I had been asked by the Guernsey Press to send in some pictures of the lads relaxing around Brighton....... not as easy as than you may think. They know me well enough and are cautious these days of me taking humorous/off guard images and then sending them in. They get a lot of ribbing from their mates back home. The image the paper went with was of Dominic Heaume on the pier. I warned him that I had sent it. He received a text very early on Saturday morning from one of friends on the island ribbing him!

Dominic Heaume having the time of his life. ©Matt Bunn

On Friday afternoon I made a FOUR hour journey up to Ealing to photograph Ealing v Jersey for the Jersey Evening Post. This was a massive relegation game and a lot of fans had made the journey over from Jersey. It probably took them less time than my 70 mile journey. There is a bitter rivalry between Jersey and Guernsey. Some of the lads had dared me to wear my Guernsey hat for a laugh..... I did and my head remained warm.

The game itself was untidy and not great for images. Games at this level are lit well in patches but anywhere near the try line is very difficult to get anything from.

Jersey's Drew Locke bursts through the Ealing defence to score the first try of the game. ©Matt Bunn

Jersey went into an early lead and I and many others thought for a while that the only winner was going to be them. Slowly though, Ealing recovered and went on to win by 2 points. This was a massive victory and now Jersey will be looking over their shoulder anxiously for the remainder of the season.

Jerseys Niall O' Conner steals the line out. ©Matt Bunn

It was again freezing and I was only too pleased to get back to my car after wiring my photos. An hour and a half later I was back in the hotel bar sharing a drink with my room mate. Attention was turning to tomorrow's big game........

Saturday arrived and we all had a hearty Brighton breakfast and then made our way to the home of Peacehaven and Telscombe, just seven miles up the road. The air was full of excitement, a big crowd was expected for an eagerly anticipated game between first and third.

Guernsey's Rhys Jordan is sent flying in the first half. ©Matt Bunn

The game started and from the outset it was a really entertaining game. Both teams had set out to attack and it was an intriguing battle. Each side had reasonable chances and were playing good football. Because of Injuries from the Whitstable game, Guernsey only named two substitutes and so it was thought that tiredness might play a factor but we were to be proved wrong.

Goal machine Ross Allen missed a rare 1 on 1 in the first half and had a very good shout for a penalty turned down from a rather poor referee.

Ross Allen is brought down in the penalty box but nothing is given. ©Matt Bunn

The two teams went in at half time 0-0 but everyone knew there were goals to be had. Unfortunately for Guernsey FC, it went the other way soon after the restart. The new defensive partnership of Gus Mackay and Jacques Isabelle were caught out as Peachaven scored very early on.

From that moment on Guernsey went on the attack. They played wonderful football in blustery conditions - they had two efforts dramatically cleared off of the line and the Peacehaven keeper pulled off some stunning saves. It was wave after wave of attack but it was not to be their day.

Ross Allen's second half penalty is saved. ©Matt Bunn

With a couple of minutes left on the clock, Peacehaven launched a long ball up the field and Angus Mackay brought down the forward. It was clearly outside the area and he was not the last man. To compound their misery, Mackay was dismissed and Peacehaven scored from the resulting penalty. The final result was a 2-0 victory for Peacehaven. They remain top of the league and deserve to be promoted. Any team that can win by that score when under that much pressure deserves to win the title. For GFC it looks like a play off spot but with a performance like that under their belt, they have no one to fear.  I for one, cannot wait for the play offs!!

The game was played in beautiful surroundings. ©Matt Bunn