Margaroli’s team-mate Sammy Sutcliffe was announced as the junior player of the year, while Rozel Rovers’ teenage sensation, Macey Wyse, picked up the women’s player of the year after a rookie season in senior football.
The Championship player of the year was awarded to St Ouen’s Max Simon, while St Paul’s veteran Craig Leitch scooped the over-35 player of the year. Meanwhile, St John’s Pierre Sundby, a Danish expat who earlier celebrated his country’s quarter-final win over Czech Republic to set up a semi-final against England, picked up the inaugural walking football player of the year gong.
‘It’s really buzzing,’ said Margaroli, after being handed the award. ‘It’s been a great season collectively. You only have to look at the record of 25 games, 24 wins and a draw, three out of three trophies and it speaks for itself. Getting the individual accolades that I have picked up over the last few weeks has just been the icing on the cake after a buzzing season.’
He beat off St Clement’s Connor Maher and St Ouen striker Jake Prince to take the award after a season in which he scored nine goals in helping St Paul’s to a league, JFA Cup and Wheway Trophy treble.
Wyse scored nearly double that – 17 – in many fewer games as she also helped her Rozel side dominate the domestic scene and achieve the treble by winning the league, JFA Women’s Cup and Zenith Cup.
‘I wasn’t expecting it at all. It was a surprise to be nominated, so to actually get it was really good,’ said the 17-year-old, who was unable to collect the award in person. Unfortunately, a torn anterior cruciate ligament meant a premature end to her season and is likely to be out of action until December at the soonest. However Wyse, who beat team-mate Danny da Silva and St Lawrence’s Jess de Castro to the award, was thrilled with her first season in senior football.
‘It was amazing. I loved every minute of it,’ she said. ‘Rozel as a team were amazing, all the players. It’s a proper team.’
Despite breaking through and becoming a St Paul’s first team regular, centre-half Sutcliffe enjoyed a final season in the junior ranks helping his team win the U18 division title and the Treager Cup.
‘It’s good to play with my mates,’ said Sutcliffe. ‘I’ve got mates in the first team but the [under] 18s is where most of my mates are. It’s good to play with them on a Sunday.’
At the opposite end of their senior career, Leitch is a player who has won the lot with St Paul’s over the years, and last season his goals helped his side win the O35 division title, Asked if he enjoyed playing in the veterans’ league, Leitch joked: ‘Not much actually. With my knees it takes a lot to get out there and play still.’
St Paul’s Kieran Lester and JTC Jersey Wanderers Louise Van Der Vliet collected their JEP golden boots after finishing top scorers in the Premiership with 24 goals and the Jersey Women’s League with 31 goals respectively.
There was also a number of non-playing awards presented on the night. Alan Williams won the Charlie Binet award for his tireless safeguarding work, Steve Landick was given a JFA Executive Award and Jersey Reds Athletic collected a Special Recognition Award after their successful stint playing organised matches with a round ball having been unable to play rugby union for all of last season.
