DURING a blockbuster weekend of local sport in Guernsey, it was Jersey who painted Footes Lane red in the U16 Muratti to retain the Neil Gavey Trophy.
Jody Byrne’s charges enjoyed an emphatic second-half display to dismantle their Sarnian opponents 5-1 and hold onto a trophy that has been in Caesarean possession since 2017.
Sunday marked the 16th playing of the fixture, with Jersey laying claim to 12 of those.
Jersey’s U16s have proved a potent age group and their 2024 endeavours only served to highlight that dominance once again.
Will Yates was the boy in red who got the ball rolling for Byrne’s side.
The forward jinked past a host of green shirts to slot home following an outstanding piece of individual brilliance.
Jersey also grabbed the second goal of the fixture, this time through star-in-the-making Sonny Cassidy, who was first to follow up on Stanley Dunne’s parried effort to head home.
The hosts were not deterred, however, grabbing a crucial goal back before the break to halve the deficit.
Byrne’s half-time team talk clearly inspired his charges as the second period onslaught began.
Yates restored the two-goal advantage with his second on the day, powerfully heading home from a corner.
With the greens desperate to score next, it was Jersey who put the game beyond reach, as Jacob Clynes proved the beneficiary from a well-worked set piece.
Caesarean captain Joey O’Toole put the finishing touches on a golden day for Jersey, with a spot kick following an off-the-ball incident that reduced the hosts to ten men.
Full reaction to follow.
Jersey U16s: Afonso Freitas, Ewan Brodie, Tomas Goncalves, Alfie Queree, Sonny Cassidy, Stanley Dunne, Paul Burton, Joey O’Toole (c), Dylan McGee, Jacob Clynes, Will Yates. Substitutes: Ollie Vincent, Josh Mercury, Joseph Gardner, Alfie Le Saint, Harry Henderson.
