Jersey’s under18s made a statement on their first ever visit to Victoria Park, beating Guernsey 5-0 in the youth Muratti.
“It truly was a complete performance,” said the U18 Jersey manager Steve Coutanche.
“We knew it would be a battle to begin with, but the lads managed it really well.
“Once we got through that period, the team started dominating possession and creating opportunities.”
After winning 4-0 last year, the Caesareans were confident, with more focus placed upon the mental preparation of such a big occasion.
They showed no hesitation in swinging into action, with both sides earning dangerous chances within the opening six minutes.
After a contentious opening 20 minutes, Jersey’s Callum Gilroy stepped up to start the scoring, stabbing it in from close range to put the boys in red up 1-0.
That was just the beginning for the visitors, as Fergus Boyle put in a wonderful cross, presenting Gilroy with a glorious opportunity only four minutes later, but to no avail as Guernsey’s Auryn Le Tissier produced a good save.
The next seven minutes saw a barrage of chances for the reds, with Gilroy, Casey Nixon and Joey O’Toole all having a crack at goal, but Le Tissier remained resolute to deny the visitors.
Connor O’Keeffe starred in attack, adopting the play-maker role to set up opportunities with accurate passing.
It wasn’t if, but when, Jersey would score again though, with Stanley Dunne firing home a stunning strike from outside the box to double the visitors’ lead, making it 2-0 at the break.
After play resumed, the greens just couldn’t stem Jersey’s unstoppable rise, with O’Keeffe netting eight minutes after the restart to extend the lead out of Sarnian reach, capitalising off a brilliant run and assist from Dunne.
Tiago Duarte wasn’t given too much to do on the day, but was strong between the sticks, stopping whatever came his way.
The reigning champions never relented, with Nixon securing a goal of his own in the 68th minute to make it 4-0.
It went from bad to worse for the hosts, as O’Toole hit the back of the net to make it five, well and truly putting the contest out of reach in the 77th minute.
That was the final score, making for a dream Jersey debut on Guernsey’s new premier ground.
Guernsey U18 squad: Auryn Le Tissier, Ben Wilson, Charlie Patch, Emerson Nobes, Fin Patterson, Gil Hunter, Harvey Migasuik, Harry Hodgson, Henry Marsh, Jack Becker, Jimmy Montgomery, Leon Solano, Mason Prigent, Max Wall, Tyrese Kelly, Zach Gilman
Jersey U18 squad: Tiago Duarte (off 84), Ewan Brodie, Tomas Goncalves, Harry Davy (off 74), Fergus Boyle, Kyle Wilson, Stanley Dunne (off 80), Joey O’Toole (off 80), Conor O’Keeffe, Casey Nixon (off 69), Callum Gilroy
Subs: Max Stefanski (on 74), Will Yates (on 80), Nathan MacDonald (on 80), Evan Lees (on 69), Alfonso Freitas (on 84)
Player of the match: Stanley Dunne