ST PAUL’S FC juniors secured a three-peat of trophies in a week to end the 2023/24 season on a resounding high.
Last Wednesday, St Paul’s White U18s secured an excellent 5-3 comeback win over St Brelade U18s to be crowned Tregear Junior Memorial Trophy champions.
Finding themselves 2-0 down at half-time, St Paul’s produced a stunning second-half performance to take home a famous win at Springfield Stadium.
Next on their list of conquests for the final week of the season was the Eric Amy U16 Trophy.
St Paul’s faced off with St Ouen, aiming to secure their third Eric Amy Cup in a row and a fantastic league and cup double this season.
St Ouen were surprise finalists, after having finished second bottom of the league, getting a bye in the first round and receiving a walkover win over Guernsey side St Martin’s in the semi-final.
The final itself proved comprehensive, with St Paul’s running away in the end to secure a famous and brutal 9-1 victory.
Despite an early goal for St Ouen from Santiago Alves after 15 minutes, St Paul’s went into half-time 5-1 to the good, and they didn’t look back.
Capping off their staggering end to the campaign for the club’s juniors, U18 league champions St Paul’s Yellow secured an outstanding 2-1 victory over the JFA U18 Combination League XI (The Rest) to win the De Ste Croix Memorial Trophy last Sunday.
The JFA Combo side was made up of players from six other clubs and it proved to be an exciting and competitive final.
Tomas Jose Abreu Goncalves gave the boys in yellow the lead early with a firm header at the far post, as St Paul’s went into half-time 1-0 to the good.
Jersey Wanderers’ Evan Lees levelled the game up just after the resumption for The Rest after breaking through the defensive line and curling an effort just inside the post.
However, the winner came from the imperious Leighton Gilroy with 15 minutes remaining. Gilroy capped off an outstanding personal season by latching onto a defence-splitting pass to slot past the keeper Tiago Duarte one on one with aplomb.
In total, the St Paul’s U16 and 18 sides have won a combined eight trophies in a truly dominating season across both league and cup competitions.
St Paul’s U18 coach, Paul Farrell, said: “All the credit must go to the players.
“Both our U16 and 18 age groups are incredibly close, both on and off the field.
“This definitely plays a role in their performances on the pitch.
“They’ve been together for years now and know each other so well. It really shows in how well they gel on the pitch.
“Academy wins eight cup in To win eight trophies in one season for an academy is a superb achievement.
“All the coaches at the club put in an amazing amount of work, but it’s the boys who have to go out onto the field and put in the performances.
“We have lads in those age groups now doing really well in the senior premierships and even representing the Bulls.
“It’s a real testament to the drive of the club and the players we have are always striving to play at the highest level they can.
“We’re hopeful that next year we can repeat and have similar success.”
