FOUR second half goals plunged Alderney to defeat against Guernsey in the Muratti semi-final, adding yet another year to the century-plus since they last won in the competition.
But this latest reverse will be best remembered for the atrocious conditions in which it was played.
Although Alderney’s only victory in the Channel Islands Championship was against Guernsey 104 years ago, there have been some recent close contests between the two islands.
The mists of time, however, we completely blown away by violent squalls of gale force winds that battered the Arsenal.
Biting, icy, blasts of rain falling like stair-rods swept the ground, turning the drenched supporters almost the colour of the blue and white, scarves, hats and wigs the vast majority of them proudly wore.
At one point during the second half, the wind grew even fiercer and the rain turned to sleet, making difficult to see more than a few yards. No-one could have complained had the tie been abandoned. Not surprisingly, the football was hardly entertaining, but there was no shortage of effort and sheer determination from the two sets of players.
Guernsey, with eight players from the island’s Isthmian League team in their line-up and the others from leading Priaulx League outfits, looked the more assured in conditions that often-made football almost impossible.
But Alderney battled every greasy inch and rain sodden yard along the way. Their tenacity and pride in the Island they represent, always shone through It carried them through a difficult first half when they did well to stay in the game, despite having the best chance when a fierce 25-yard effort from the indefatigable Jermaine Parry was pushed around the post for a corner.
The second half was a different story, as Guernsey, with the wind now in their favour, handled the conditions much better than Alderney with far more speculative attempts at goal.
Barely four minutes after an interval that was more of a respite, the outstanding Charlton Gauvain lived up to his illustrious first name with a powerful shot from the edge of the box to put Guernsey ahead.
Gauvain then claimed a second goal with a header from a long throw-in by Jamie Dodd that appeared to go in off a defender before his side then put the tie to bed with two goals in almost as many minutes from Keene Domaille and Matt Loaring.
But the biggest cheer came in the 85th minute when 18-year-old substitute Rio Bowditch created a moment to cherish with Alderney’s consolation goal with five minutes left.
Alderney: James Taylor; Sean Maloy, John Adamson, Dante Walker, Jason Atkins, Andy Adamson, Liam Connor,, Cosmin Sergiu, Jermaine Parry, Josh Concanen, Jamie Blackham, Subs: Andy Lawrence, Ronan Gillingham, Steve Concanen, Rio Bowditch, Dean Carre, & Joe Blackham
