Given at the annual Combination evening at Springfield on Friday night, it was also, generally, a celebratory one giving full and wholesome praise to Jersey’s superb Muratti victory in Guernsey last month (although the knighthood call for manager Jimmy Reilly is, perhaps, premature) and, on a wider base, the tremendous work done in youth football by the Island’s development team, led by Brian Oliver.
On the latter point there was no more popular winner on the night than Dave Walsh, who picked up the handsome and highly prestigious Charlie Binet memorial award, for those who have given outstanding service to Junior football in the Island.
There are few more self-effacing men in Island football than Walsh and although never one to seek the limelight he thoroughly deserved the warm applause.
As reported on Saturday the main awards were scooped up by St Paul’s players, with striker Kieran Lester taking the top award as well as the JEP’s new Golden Boot trophy. Club-mate Eve Watson also picked up her maiden player of the year trophy – and the ladies’ Golden Boot on behalf of her team-mate Catarina Andrade. St Paul’s Jonny Le Quesne picked up the Junior Players award, with Andy Norman named Referee of the Year for the fourth time.
St John’s Arthur Illingworth won the Championship Player of the Year award, having been a joint winner last season.
The news that St Martin, one of the oldest, if not the oldest, operating clubs in Jersey football, would not have a first team in the Combination next season was, of course, not welcome . . . but the outgoing president obviously draws great comfort from the quality and the effort of the people charged with keeping the game, and the junior section in particular, in such a healthy state.
