Jersey 2017:Day Five

Wednesday 12th April 2017 @ FB Playing Fields, St. Helier

Jersey 2-1 Erdington and Saltley

Team: Gerard, Taylor, Kian, Danny, Ilani, Cian, Blessing, William, Cameron, Tiarno and Che

Goal: Cameron

Players’ Man of the Match: Cian T – even though luck was against him and even though things didn’t work out for him, Cian refused to give up and showed immense bravery throughout! Similarly, Cameron, who was isolated up front for much of the game, showed great passion and pride from the first whistle to the last.
Not for the first time this week, we learned a valuable but tough lesson on the pitch: hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard enough.

Against Potter Bar the day before, we were warriors. We battled with every last ounce of strength in our bodies. Unfortunately we did not do this against Jersey, especially in the first half when the Islanders were first to every ball and could have scored more than the two goals that they carried into the half time break.

The second half saw a significant improvement in the boys, although the two goal deficit proved too much and the lads were unable to overturn it. However more importantly, the boys gave more for the cause during the second period. They showed the pride expected of anyone who pulls on the Ton shirt.

Nevertheless, despite being second best for long periods of the game, we still managed to create a number of clear chances, which on another day would have been converted. Even when way below our best, we pose a goal threat due to the quality in our ranks. If we can now match this talent with grit and determination we’ll be more than fine.

After the game the boys were given the chance to decide what they wanted to do. They voted unanimously for a second trip to Aqua Splash. Another afternoon was spent splashing and dashing in the water, sliding down the tunnels and playing with members of other districts. The boys made a wise decision!

The evening brought with it a visit to Jersey’s bowling alley and a twelve-way battle to be crowned Ton Bowling Champion of the Year. After an interesting first round, it was decided that the barriers were required! With each of the lads bringing their own unique style to the table, there were some interesting shots on show. Twice someone had to walk done the alley to retrieve a ball that had stopped due to the lack of power that was put into it. Plus I’m fairly certain I saw a maintenance man repairing the barriers after we had finished our game.

With Che crowed Ton Bowling Champion of the Year, the boys moved onto the arcade and pool table. The most popular game was the punch bag, with Taylor scoring the highest total, followed by Ilani. However it was Blessing who stole the show on the punch bag, when he attacked it with a Superman-like dive and punch. It had to be seen to be believed. On the pool table, Tiarno showed a total lack of understanding for the game, as he tried his best to defend the pockets from those pesky balls.

As has been the case all week, the result on the pitch was long forgotten by the time of lights out, and rightly so. The lads had another brilliant day! Plus at the time of writing, they were about to be given another chance to put the lessons of the Jersey match into practice against Plymouth. You’ve got to love the Jersey Festival!