Shetland put six past St Helena in Ynys Mon tournament opener
The Shetland football team registered a confidence-boosting win in their first group match at the Ynys Mon island games football tournament on Sunday. The Blues play again on Monday when they take on Guernsey in what is likely to be a much tougher test.
St Helena 1, Shetland 6
Kevin Main’s Shetland Islands team got their 2019 island games campaign off to a flying start on Sunday afternoon as they recorded an emphatic victory against the Atlantic Ocean islanders.
Played in a swirling wind, it was one-way traffic from the off. Shetland scored with their first attempt on target – Calvin Leask’s shot bobbling past Keith Yon in the St Helena goal.
Leask made it 2-0 minutes later, capitalising on a defensive slip-up to tap home and it was three in the 25th minute, Joel Bradley converting at the far post from a deep corner.
He repeated the feat soon after to make it four, although Helena did pull one back from the penalty spot – Brett Isaac sending Grant Wood the wrong way.
Robert Smith sent Shetland into half-time with a fifth goal, once more profiting from a set-piece.
The second half proved to be less of a spectacle in terms of action, though Leask went close to completing his hat trick, only to be denied by a spectacular save.
Yon in the Helena goal continued to thwart Shetland, flinging himself across the goal to keep out James Aitken’s stinging shot while at the other end, Helena offered nothing as an attacking force, with Wood hardly touching the ball.
Captain Richard Arthur did hit his side’s sixth goal minutes from time, meaning Shetland will go into their next game – Guernsey on Monday afternoon – on the back of a well-deserved win and full of confidence.
For reports and reaction from all the games see Friday’s Shetland Times.
Andrew Sherwood/Sports News Agency
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