Belgrave Wanderers fell to a second consecutive 5–0 defeat on Tuesday night, but the scoreline again fails to capture the full story of a bruising, rain-soaked evening under the lights. With Nick Ogier drafted in late to replace Josh Tugby (flu) and a return to a back four, the Wanderers entered the night already stretched. There was positive news with Louis Pang making a welcome return to the bench, but the squad was hit hard: four players were carrying colds and flu, and Ben Ogier was playing despite not being fully recovered from a difficult tooth extraction. Conditions were against both sides, but the driving rain and heavy surface made it an uphill battle from the start.

Weather didn't stopped the pitch getting a cut and marked early Tuesday morning

A Tough Start — and a Tough Lesson

​Signs of Life After the Break

From the Touchline — Chris Le Friec

“It was a free hit from us. I told the lads there was no pressure — just perform and build good habits for Saturday.”
“North are a good side. They move the ball well, they’ve got depth and quality. But the gap between us isn’t huge. What kills us is giving teams head starts and making basic decisions that put us under pressure.”
“Everyone got minutes and I was pleased with each of them. You often lose momentum with multiple changes but actually, we grew into the game before it went out of sight.”
“We saw passages of play straight from Thursday’s training session — which was pleasing. And we also saw things from a horror movie.”
“Huge credit to the six lads who were sick and still played. Now it’s about resilience, learning, and applying training into 90 minutes on a matchday.”

Looking Ahead

After a tough defeat last week, the Wanderers made several changes to the lineup in search of a response. Jack O’Neil switched to left wing-back, Selby Breaton moved to the right, and Cameron Le Pelley earned a deserved start after impressing in training. Callum Wallace also stepped into a more advanced role up top. The sun was shining and conditions were perfect for football at the Corbet Field — a great setting for a reaction performance. Belgrave started brightly, keeping the ball well in spells, until the turning point arrived on 17 minutes. A penalty was awarded for a close-range handball — one of those calls that splits opinion. It looked to have bounced off the arm, but the referee pointed to the spot, and Rec made no mistake from 12 yards. That early blow seemed to knock Belgrave’s confidence. Half-chances from Wallace, O’Neil, and Foss came and went without truly testing the keeper, while Vale Rec stuck to their direct and effective game plan. A long ball over the top undid the Bels backline again as Rec doubled their lead before half time. At the break, there was an honest conversation in the dressing room about how to deal with Rec’s approach and how to play to our own strengths. The players responded well initially in the second half. For a 10-minute spell, Wanderers looked dangerous — with several chances created down the right through Selby Breaton and Luke Staples. Zak Chatterton’s header flashed just over from a teasing delivery, and moments later a Ben Ogier free-kick was inches away from finding the head of Lewis Germain. Callum Wallace then came closest to pulling one back, cutting inside onto his left and crashing a curling effort off the bar — agonisingly close. Despite those positive moments, the game slipped away late on. Pushing forward left gaps, and Rec punished the Wanderers with three quickfire goals — the result of poor decision-making and defensive lapses. A tough afternoon all around, but signs of better energy and fitness late in the game. Now comes a well-timed week off before back-to-back fixtures the following week. Time to reset, regroup, and refocus.

Lewis Battle and Seb Skillen Captain Lewis Germain in action Pictures taken from Ian Gavet. See his website for galleries and services Starting line-up - Tugby, Breaton, Germain, Ogier, Le Pelley, O'Neil, Chatterton, Staples, Battle, Foss, Wallace subs- Irwin, Marsh

​From the Touchline 🎙️

We actually trained so well on Thursday, but we’re struggling to apply our game plan in a match environment. The penalty on 17 minutes was one of those – no real complaints, but it came at a bad time after we’d settled into the game. We know there’s a mentality shift when we concede, and that quick double hit us hard.
We had the tools to hurt them – we just didn’t execute. It feels like we fix one thing and something else breaks at the moment. I can’t fault the work rate or determination, but we need more pride on the ball and belief in ourselves – individually and as a collective. The loss hurts, but we know the issues and what we need to address as coaches and as players. Credit to Vale Rec – they were clinical today.

Priaulx League | KGV | Saturday 4 October

We were all disappointed with the first half. We wanted to have a fast start and got the opposite. Until we equalised we hadn’t found a rhythm on the ball and our transition wasn’t good enough when we lost it.
The second half was superb — I’ll admit we rode our luck at times, but that’s football. I think overall a draw was a fair result. The players know that if they’d worked as hard in the first half as they did in the second, we might have put the game to bed by halftime.
The positives are there: we’ve got our first points on the board, and we’re looking up. Beyond ourselves and Rangers there isn’t a huge gap, and I truly believe our first win is coming

First Half: Bright Start, Hard Work

Second Half: Key Moment Slips Away

Coaches Takeaway

We want a result, we want a win. The dressing room are angry and annoyed — and I get it. I’d be more worried if they rolled over and accepted it, but that’s not what this team is about. They want to win and they are hungry.
We have to remind them that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Although it’s tough to accept, progress is happening game by game — visually and mentally. I applaud their efforts, and we will improve next week in areas and over the next month.

Key Takeaways

First Half

Second Half

Coaches Reaction

We set up to match them. Our work rate was good, and we were hoping to make it into half-time at 1–1 after facing the wind. Again, basic, simple errors are our undoing. We had so many changes to a squad with only two subs – one of whom was injured himself. I can’t fault their effort, I just can’t help wondering what the outcome might have been with a full complement. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
With unavailability comes opportunity, and young Simi took his goal incredibly well. I feel like a broken record, but we are improving.

Priaulx League | The Track | 2 September 2025

First Half

Second Half

Coaches Reaction

I asked the team to build on the first 45 minutes against St. Martins, and in the main I take the positives. I can see we are a different team from last year. Louis was fantastic — he ran an experienced Rec defence ragged all night. They didn’t want to go near him, and there’s plenty more to come from him.
But I’m bemused by the errors we made. I summed it up to the players using the word ‘chaos.’ It’s like we do the hard things well, and then shoot ourselves in the foot with the basics. We have to be more decisive. My final message was crystal clear: we need to know when to play and when to go direct. Otherwise, we’ll keep ending up with unfair results like this after decent performances

Final Word

​We got off to a flyer when Zak Chatterton struck within 5 minutes after lovely build-up play saw Reese Jackson beat his man and whip in a cross that Zak met with a perfectly timed run and header into the bottom corner. Pang doubled the tally in similar fashion – this time Brad Foss broke down the right and drilled a ball across the deck for Pang to sweep home. There were shouts for offside but referee Steve Hutchonson waved them away.

Zak Chatterton got us off to fast start. Photo courtesy of Andy Dovey

Louis happy with his first goal at the Track. Photo courtesy of Andy Dovey

CF hit back, capitalising on poor passes into areas we didn’t need to go, and they fired in a rocket for their second. Half-time: 2–2. The second half saw more great play from Reese to beat his man before his cross hit a defender’s hand. Penalty given – Brad Foss made no mistake, smashing it home for 3–2. Our fourth came from the arrival off the bench of Callum Wallace, who finished superbly into the top corner after a slick move. Wallace was at it again minutes later, powering in a header from Jack O’Neil’s overlapping cross. To round things off, our youngest player, Simeon Marsh, was played through and calmly rolled the ball into the corner for 6–3.

Coaches reaction

A good win last night. Plenty of positives with plenty to work on. Monday vs Saints will be a different test entirely. We are making progress – at times last night we looked like how I want to play. I thought the lads really are buying into the way we want to play. There were some standout performers and some strong finishers. We said at half time (2–2) we were involved and responsible for all the goals. Good play and combinations created ours and poor decision making with the ball whilst under no pressure caused theirs. Take nothing away from CF – they never stopped pressing and giving us things to think about. Pleased with a win, yes – but fully aware we need to level up further.

Belgrave Wanderers 0–X Vale Rec
Spirit Cup – Final Group Game
Saturday 2nd August 2025

Eight Changes and a Return for Germain

Head coach Chris Le Friec made eight changes to the side, giving several players a fresh opportunity and handing a debut to young goalkeeper George Fern. It was also a welcome sight to see Lewis Germain return to the pitch, getting his first minutes back. From the opening whistle, Bels were bright and proactive, especially during the first 15–20 minutes. There was a clear improvement in build-up play, and the team looked organised and difficult to break down early on.

Lewis Germain on his return. Images courtesy of Ian Gavet photogtaphy

​Pang Impresses Up Top

​Debut minutes for Fern, and Lessons at the Back

Jack O'Neil was under constant pressure all afternoon from Ty Kelly. Images courtesy of Ian Gavet photogtaphy Zak Chatterton got more minutes in a new look midfield. Images courtesy of Ian Gavet photogtaphy

With Bradley Foss and Selby Breton both unavailable it was otherwise a different Bels from one week ago. There were minutes for 17-year-old George Fern between the sticks and showed real maturity on his senior debut. While Vale Rec eventually broke through, exploiting spaces with clever third-man runs and interchanges, veteran goalkeeper Adam Gontier made a number of solid stops and remained composed throughout. ​The team goal was clear: build on previous shape, stay compact, and create chances. While Bels weren’t able to get on the scoresheet, there were glimpses of what this group is capable of.

We wanted to build on our structure and get on the scoresheet today. In spells, we did that — we just couldn’t find the finishing touch.

​What’s Next?

📅 Saturday 27 July 2025
🏆 W.A. Paul Trophy Final – Second Leg
📍 Le Couvent, Jersey
📊 Aggregate: Rozel Rovers 20–2 Bels.

“In football, you get reminded very quickly if you don’t do the basics right — and we slipped into old habits,” said Head Coach Chris Le Friec.

​“We were taught a lesson. It’s a hard one, but if we take it the right way, it can be a turning point. The positives? A goal for a young lad, a debut assist, and more minutes banked. But we have to raise our standards — and we will.”

Date: Tuesday 22 July 2025
Competition: Spirit Cup (Group Stage)
​Venue: Vicotria Park

​Assistant Coach Liam Chainey shared his thoughts post-match:

I believe we created some very good opportunities and looked threatening at times. Out of possession, we defended well in patches against a strong North side who kept the ball for long spells. A few of the new lads impressed again, which is really encouraging. There are plenty of positives to take — we’ll keep building, keep learning, and make the most of our time on the training pitch.

Final thought