Rovers – back-to-back winners of the Priaulx League – settled for second best for vast parts of a sunny afternoon this side of the water, with Fin Whitmore’s first-half equaliser ultimately representing little more than false hope.
Sam Luce, Daryl Wilson and James Carr all found the net on home soil to add to long-range efforts from Lambert either side of the break.
The result represented one of four victories for Jersey teams against Guernsey opposition, with Rozel Rovers beating St Martins in the Wheway while St Paul’s and Jersey Wanderers beat North and Belgrave Wanderers respectively in the Jeremie Cup.
‘You’ve got to work for a result like that,’ said St Peter manager Gary Freeman. ‘The result looks comfortable but it was hard work – it’s not always straightforward.
‘We had a lot of boys unavailable – Calvin Weir, Harry Cardwell, Jake Prince, Sol Solomon – but this shows the strength of our academy. We had two 16-year-olds playing today [Carr and Marcinko] and one of them scored.’
Much of St Peter’s energy in the opening ten minutes resulted in quiet knocks on Rovers’ door, but those knocks soon turned into thumps.
Lambert hammered Elliot Poole’s in-swinging free-kick against the crossbar with his head after timing his run perfectly into the box, and the midfielder was denied by a sliding block minutes later.
Carr cut back from the byline on the left and shot straight at Rovers ’keeper Harry Ingrouille, before left-back Luce made the pressure count with a cool finish after a slick inter-change with frontman Wilson.
St Peter remained the more dangerous outfit in the minutes that followed, but Rovers’ were the definition of ‘clinical’ in their attempts to balance the scores. Whitmore found the net with the Sarnians’ first shot on goal – collecting a left-to-right cross before firing back across goal past an advancing Matt Donaldson.
In truth, it was unexpected, but St Peter’s disappointment was short-lived thanks to Lambert, who was given space to advance a good 30 yards before firing low and hard to a diving Ingrouille’s left.
Rovers held their own after that without posing too much of a threat, but the game was settled before half-time. Carr rounded Ingrouille to make it 3-1.
The second half began with a scare for the home side as Sam Dewhurst looped a defensive header over Donaldson and off the top of his own crossbar, but St Peter’s shot-stopper has largely untroubled from there on out.
Rovers’ pressed and did enjoy more possession in the final third, although it was outweighed by further success for St Peter’s attack. Wilson hoofed home for 4-1 with a rising shot from 20 yards, and Lambert claimed his second and the Saints’ fifth having, again, been afforded too much time just outside the box.
‘The travel had a bit of impact, but not a huge amount,’ said Rovers manager Jez Robin, following a ferry cancellation on Saturday morning.
‘But it’s no excuse. We didn’t perform and the better team one.
‘We made some silly mistakes for the goals. We did create more in the second half, but that was just because we had to gamble a bit more.’
He added: ‘We’ve had couple lads disappear to Guernsey FC so it’s a different situation to last season, but we’ve got to deal with it and get on with it.’
