Above you will see our squad that topped off the club's comeback season by winning the 2010 Stranger Charity Cup defeating a gallant Sylvans side 1-0 at the Corbet Field. Back row, left to right – Vijay Wiltshire (capt.), Danny Marquand, Luke Graham, Craig Farnham, Tom Creed, James Ashplant, Damien Le Tocq, Ben Duff, Tom Jenkins. Front – Jacques Ogier, Gus Mackay, Ricky Moore, Etienne Le Prevost, Aaron Gallie and Sam Le Huray. Picture courtesy of the Guernsey Press. Orders available.
It has been a long, hard but fruitful season in which the club has delivered what they set out to which is, primarily, to develop footballers.
The board of directors congratulate the squad for their efforts and the marvellous achievement of winning the Stranger Cup.
Guernsey Athletics are local football's newest and, we would say, most ambitious club, carrying the game of one of the island's founder football clubs back in the late 1890s: Guernsey Athletics, hence the Back to the Future logo you will see on certain pages on this site. We are very grateful to have the support of superb sponsors in Clydesdale Bank International and the men behind 'Tics II' aim to provide something new and very different for the young footballers of Guernsey.
WEDNESDAY 28 JULY
SQUAD NUMBERS ANNOUNCED
Kit director Derek Webb was on hand at training tonight to hand out the extensive individual kits for each member of our squad.
The bag includes up to 10 items of clothing and comes free of charge to all players.
Among the recipients were new signings James Gale, a defender from the UK who is working here as an accountant, and former Bels junior Mark Rosamund.
We welcome both men to the club and head coach Steve Ogier is pleased to have them on board.
THURSDAY 22 JULY
MORE PRE-SEASON GAMES LINED UP
TICS have added two more friendlies to their pre-season schedule.
On top of the two tour games in the Norwich area the club will travel to Jersey for a game against our Clydesdale counterparts, Jersey Scottish on 21 August.
Between these two games on Saturday (14 Aug) we play Sylvans at St Peter's in a 2pm kick off.
SKIPPER GETS 21-DAY BAN
Vijay Wiltshire will miss the Rawlinson Cup first round match against Rovers and, should we win, the semi-final five days later after GFA confirmed our skipper will be banned for 21 days from Monday 30 August.
The ban is a result of Vijay's out of character red card in the end of season league match against Sylvans.
Russel Smith, who was involved in the same incident, received a 35-day suspension.
TUESDAY 20 JULY
FIXTURES CONFIRMED
Following a meeting of GFA clubs to discuss the draft fixture list TICS can confirm that the dates originally issued and the ones which appear in our FIXTURES page remain unchanged.
To be added, will be the Dorset Senior Cup dates which will appear when the draw is made soon.
The most likely date for our first round game is Saturday 2 October or, if away, in the previous midweek.
PATIENCE A VIRTUE
It's been a quiet summer to date for Tics on the signings front, but that does not mean that the management don't have something up their sleeve. They have... it's just that something take time. Patience is a virtue you know.
By the time Derek Webb, the club kit director, returns from his Mediterranean cruise for next Wednesday's session, the management will be much closer to revealing our hand for the coming season. Watch this space...
Meanwhile, pre-season training continues.
New player-coach Gus Mackay is back from his hols, Miles Pengelley is finishing his own summer break and head coach Steve Ogier is looking at a few potential new recruits.
St Sampson's High School's excellent facilities will be the venue for all pre-season training this summer when it gets under way THIS WEDNESDAY from 6.30pm sharp.
See the first draft of 2010-11 fixtures on the fixtures page.
SATURDAY 10 JULY
FIXTURES RELEASED
Tics will start their second Division One campaign at home to Vale Rec on Saturday 25 September.
The game will be the very first played in the top flight this season, the league programme delayed due to the island's UEFA Regions Cup commitment.
Before the opening league game Tics have the following cup fixtures, all of which are subject to confirmation:
Sat 28 August: Jeremie Cup quarter-finals v. North or Trinity.
Mon 13 Sept: Rawlinson Cup quarter-final: v. Rovers at Track.
Sat .18 Sept: Rawlinson Cup semi-finals.
Wed 22 Sept: Rawlinson Cup Final.
A full list of Tics games is now available on the fixtures page.
Note: They do not include the Clydesdale International Tournament dates for which have yet to be confirmed.
SUNDAY 4 JULY
GUS APPOINTED PLAYER COACH
Our former Oxford United youth team captain, Angus 'Gus' Mackay (Pictured right) has been appointed Tics' player-coach role for the upcoming season.
He will assist head coach Steve Ogier with training as well as, we hope, continue to establish himself as the island's best central defender.
Meanwhile, Tics are close to announcing some significant signings. Watch this space ...
SATURDAY 3 JULY
CHANGING COUNTIES
TICS are pleased to announce that they have been accepted 'in principle' to play in this season's Dorset Senior Cup.
One or two loose ends still need to be tied up but the chance to compete alongside the best clubs in the county is a very appealing one for the Tics.
The date for the first round is the first Saturday in October.
This great news comes a day after the confirmed loss of fringe players Craig Farnham and Damien Le Tocq to Bels.
Tics wish them both the best of luck and thank them for their efforts over the second half of last season after they joined for St Martin's.
TUESDAY 29 JUNE
CUP DRAWS
TICS today learned who they play in next season's Stranger and Jeremie Cup competitions.
In the Stranger, which we hold of course, we play Sylvans, the side who we beat 1-0 in last year's final.
No date has been set for any of the Stranger games at present.
In the Jeremie, we have received a bye into the quarter-finals where we will face the winners of the North v. Trinity first round game.
The quarter-final will be played on Saturday 28 August.
WEDNESDAY 23 JUNE
NEW DEAL... SIMPLY THE BEST
Nobody should doubt that Guernsey Athletics FC have the best sponsors imaginable at domestic football level.
Clydesdale Bank International Bank this morning extended their backing of the club for another season, their six-figure cash injection being supported by confirmation of a second Clydesdale International Tournament early in 2011 which will again feature opposition from the Clydesdale Scottish Premier League.
Confirmation of which Scottish sides will play in Guernsey second time around is some time away but it cannot and should not be ruled out that Tics could be playing the giants of Glasgow Celtic and Rangers, as well as our friends from across the Russel, Jersey Scottish.
At this morning’s press conference director James Blower gave details of a two-match pre-season tour to Norfolk in early August, and that Tics are pursuing a place in either the Hampshire Senior or Dorset Senior Cup this coming season.
Tics head coach Steve Ogier said Clydesdale’s support in both financial and logistical terms, had helped make his job that bit easier in the regeneration of the club.
‘It’s fantastic what they are doing for us and once again we will be able to offer our young squad a challenging and inspirational non-league fixture list where they can put themselves in the shop window.
‘I can’t thank them enough. We have been able to offer so much more and any club would be a more attractive proposition to join with a backer such as Clydesdale.
More to follow from the conference later
PRE-SEASON TRAINING
The club have announced that full training for what promises to be an exciting second season, will start on Monday 14 July.
As per last year the club will train on Mondays and Thursdays from 6.30.
In the meantime, our head physio and conditioning guru, Mike Thomas, will continue his non-compulsory light training and introduction to the real hard stuff, each Monday evening at Saumarez Park.
PLANS FOR 2010-11 SEASON
A two-match pre-season tour to the south of England and a second season in the Hampshire Senior Cup are among the plans for Tics next season.
The club’s footballing management committee of coaches Steve Ogier, Kevin Graham, Mike Thomas and Rob Batiste have been discussing personnel and objectives for the second campaign and rest assured the club intend to build on the efforts of this first year.
Watch this space over the coming weeks for updates as they happen and, we hope, some exciting surprises.
SUNDAY 25 APRIL
STRANGER VICTORY... NEW PAGE TO CELEBRATE
An 85th minute goal by Craig Farnham clinched Tics a 1-0 win in this afternoon's Stranger Cup final at the Corbet Field,
We were far from our best but kept a clean sheet to win the trophy for the fourth time all told, 88 years after the first occasion.
Goalkeeper Tom Creed was named man of the match.
A full report and pictures ARE NOW AVAILABLE in the new STRANGER 2010 page ... see top bar.
More pictures and reaction to follow in the coming days