THREE months to the day have elapsed since Jersey Women were defeated by Guernsey at Springfield in the Women’s Muratti, but for new captain Holly Muirhead there is an immediate chance for revenge when the two old foes meet tomorrow night in the semi-final of the inaugural Cherry Godfrey Cup.
Defeat in May was a bitter pill to swallow for Chad Morris and his group, especially for captain Libby Barnett in her last-ever Women’s Muratti, having won all nine to that point.
But her words following the 2-0 loss were that it was “about resilience now” and the pragmatic stalwart of Jersey Women’s football left us with the poignant message that “the lows of football are just as important as the highs”.
It was a true shock for Jersey, who had made the fixture their own since 2008.
Needless to say, the memories are still raw for the Caesareans, but tomorrow offers a rare opportunity to right those wrongs, and it would appear that the Reds are more than up for the challenge.
Manager Morris said: “If I was a betting man, I would have put money on this fixture coming out of the draw.
“It is the biggest game in Channel Island football and it’s the match that everyone from both here and in Guernsey wanted to see.
“When we told the players at training on Monday, they were all absolutely buzzing and cannot wait to get out there.
“There have been around six training sessions, as well as three sessions with our performance coach, Jimmy Kelly.
“They are looking really sharp and ready to go.
“We are hoping to see a big crowd at Springfield tomorrow to support us in our semi-final.
“The girls love playing in front of our fans and take great pride in performing in front of local support.”
The showcase tournament also features Isle of Man and Isle of Wight, who square off tomorrow at 5pm before the Channel Island duel.
The final is scheduled for 3pm on Saturday, with the third and fourth place play-off starting at 10am.
All fixtures will be played at Springfield Stadium.
For updates during all matches, please follow @JEPSport on X.
Jersey FA Women: Sara Luce, Summer Watkins, Ana Malta, Tiffany Sundby, Sofia Rodrigues, Holly Muirhead (c), Daniella Da Silva, Poppy Benest, Hannah Lynam, Ella Docherty, Emily Le Page, Leah Morris, Roisin Flynn, Aine Ruth, Lauren Trachy , Ella Brennand, Lara Couvert
