With Jersey already qualified for the semi-finals – they play the Isle of Man at the Track at 4.30 tomorrow – manager Dave Matthews made nine changes to his team that had won the opening two matches against Froya and Shetland.Matthews said: ‘Our aim is to win every game and although we’ve drawn we’ve topped the group and we are still unbeaten.
The first half we were ragged but it improved after the break when we put our foot on the ball and knocked it around better.’We had a couple of chances to have scored but overall I thought a draw was a fair result.’Jersey picked up four cautions, to Paul Aitken, Neil Cabot, Carl Scott and substitute James Hayward, while defender Jon Fitzmaurice was taken to hospital for an x-ray on an injured ankle after the player was looked at by Jersey team doctor Carl Clinton.Fitzmaurice will miss the rest of the tournament, but the injury is not as bad as was first feared and he should be fit again within a month.Matthews added: ‘Those who have a caution against their names have to be careful in the semi-final because another caution would rule them out the final – if we win the semi.
The players have to be disciplined in their performances.’I don’t usually talk about referees but I thought he could have had a quiet word to the players of both sides about most of the incidents when he issued cautions.’Thursday’s other semi-final is between Guernsey and the Isle of WightIn the women’s competition, gold medal favourites the Faroe Islands defeated Jersey 7-0 in their final game in Group B of the ladies football tournament yesterday.Jersey’s first defeat in three games leaves them runners-up in their group and their reward is a match against Guernsey for the bronze medals on Friday afternoon at The Track.The Faroes will contest gold against Gotland, 5-1 winners against Guernsey last night.
