Games Sports

It is called the beautiful game and Jersey’s football team will be hoping to exemplify this when they compete in the Island Games in Aland.

It has been over 10 years since Jersey won gold in the 1997 games. But hopes are high and Team coach Craig Culkin is delighted with the way this year’s team has prepared.

He said: “The preparations have been absolutely superb. We have got the fitness levels back up and we have shortened the training sessions a little bit.

“The boys are looking nice and sharp. We had a great practice game against a very good Dave Kennedy select team, where we got beat 2-1. But the performance has been outstanding. The boys are raring to go and get started.”

Jersey’s group includes Rhodes, the Isle of Wight and Saaremaa and Mr Culkin is hoping to win all three.

He said: “The way we are looking at it, we believe we have got some really good attacking players in our team. We want to the the ball down and play. But I was involved in the last Island Games in Rhodes and it was absolutely gut-wrenching to go out on goal difference, so we know we have got to be adventurous.”

We have got to go and score goals and we believe we have the confidence to do that.

Jersey is taking a playing squad of eighteen and Mr Culkin, believes it is one of the strongest squads we have taken to an island games, for some years now.

Jersey last won the title in 1997 with a Lee Bramble goal in stoppage time.

Mr Culkin said: “One thing we know is that it’s going to be tough, with the three games in the three days.

“The players are upbeat and are hungry to succeed and we honesty believe we have got the potential to go and do something special.”