LOCAL football returned this weekend with some emphatic results. St Paul’s demolished Rozel Reserves 11-1 with the scoreline in double digits at half-time. However, Rozel’s first team got off to an ideal start in Premiership 2 with a 1-0 win over Dragoes de Jersey.
Game of the Day
Rozel Rovers First 1
Butler 81′
Dragoes de Jersey FC 0
HT Score: 0-0
JEP Player of the Match: Maksymilian Stefanski
Substitute Harvey Butler stole all three points for Rozel Rovers at the Airport Pitches this afternoon. The Seagulls first league game of the season ended in delight for the blues.
On what was a blustery 90 minutes of football, Rozel took home the victory after a gruelling battle.
Rozel, sporting their navy blue and white strip, started well gaining a strong foothold of the game. The first chance fell to Tom Proffitt who was denied excellently with a last-ditch challenge just outside the six-yard box.
Dragoes, coming off the back of a 2-2 draw against Trinity FC, created little in the opening stages.
Neither goalkeeper was troubled until Hayden Bailey earnt his side a free kick after wriggling his way through the Dragoes defence. The subsequent effort from captain Ciaran Hocking resulted in a comfortable save for the Dragoes goalkeeper.
The half-time whistle was blown with both sides yet to make a breakthrough.
The second half brought plenty more goalmouth action. Both sides came close in the opening moments of the second half, Stan Heynes’ low-driven effort was excellently denied.
Rozel’s Nathan MacDonald looked a threat throughout, with some tidy touches and some excellent link-up play. MacDonald looked certain to have produced the first goal of the game, but his effort from the edge of the box whistled past the post.
With 15 minutes remaining, Rozel turned to the bench and introduced Harvey Butler. Butler made an instant impact utlising his pace.
Heynes managed to find the run of Butler at the backpost, his cross-field pass was put on a sixpence for Butler, who’s header from a few yards out, was nudged into the back of the net.
A well-deserved result for Rozel sees them joint top of the Premiership 2 table with Sports Club of Jersey.
Elsewhere in the division, Sports Club of Jersey managed a 3-0 victory over St John’s first team. An assured performance from the side in orange stands them in good stead following their first game of the 2025/26 season.
Championship 2 saw plenty more goalmouth action this Saturday. St Paul’s Reserves faced a depleted Rozel Reserves squad, having to field just eight players in the first half gave the side a huge disadvantage.
Nonetheless, St Paul’s took advantage and netted ten times in the first half to send them on their way to their fourth successive win in the league. Whilst Rozel sit bottom of the league on 0 points.
Grouville C team beat Trinity Reserves 4-2 away from home. The blues’ 66% record sees them sit in second place alongside St Ouen’s C, behind the marauding St Paul’s side.
St Ouen C team laid claim to their second victory of the season with an emphatic 6-1 win over First Tower United.
Helped on by a hat-trick from Shane Carre St Ouen’s net six for the second time so far this campaign.
Upcoming Fixtures:
Premiership 1
Madeira vs St Peter First (7pm, 05/09/25)
Grouville First vs St Paul’s First (1pm, 06/09/25)
Jersey Wanderers First vs St Brelade First (2pm, 06/09/25)
Premiership 2
St Lawrence First vs Sporting Academics First (02/09/25)
St Lawrence First vs Trinity First (2pm, 06/09/25)
Championship 1
St Peter Reserves vs St Ouen Reserves (2pm, 06/09/25)
St Brelade Reserves vs Grouville Reserves (2pm, 06/09/25)
St Clement Reserves vs Jersey Wanderers Reserves (2pm, 06/09/25)
