2025 ISLAND GAMES: WESTERN ISLES 0:2 BERMUDA (MEN, DAY 1)

A gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon in Rendall provided the perfect backdrop to this match, which kicked off the action in Group C. Western Isles were cast as the group's whipping-boys before the tournament began, while Bermuda, represented in Orkney by their under-23 side, were amongst the favourites to win the tournament.

Bermuda started the game on the front foot, and kept up the pressure on the Western Isles goal for most of the 90 minutes, but they were frustrated during the first half by poor finishing and fine defending. Joshua Joseph had their best chance after 10 minutes, when he got on the end of a low Camaje Easton-Smith cross 8 yards out, only to side-foot the ball wide with keeper Jack Maclennan's goal at his mercy.

Western Isles played on the counter and showed some good approach play, but were unable to fashion more than a weak shot or two, leaving the vocal Bermudan goalkeeper Nathaniel Swan virtually untested.

The Hebridean defence had an excellent first half, but their good work was undone two minutes into the second half when Joshua Joseph latched on to a through ball from midfield, steamed through a defence which had evaporated in front of him, touched the ball twice, and the second touch was enough for him to guide the ball to the left of Maclennan to give his side the lead.

Andrew Armstrong missed a good opportunity to extend Bermuda's lead moments later before Maclennan denied Joseph by rushing out and smothering the ball just before the forward made contact. Western Isles couldn't take advantage of a melée following a corner on the hour mark, which ended with an attacker unable to turn and shoot before Swan dived in to retrieve the ball just in front of his goal-line.

The underdogs got a couple of shots in shortly after that through the impressive Luke Morrison and Sam Mackay, who saw his shot saved. Before they could trouble the Bermudan goal again, their opponents doubled their lead with just under 20 minutes to go, and it came from a defensive mix-up. The ball was headed past the stranded Maclennan by one of his team-mates and hit the crossbar, but Keyni Mills was first to react, pouncing to turn and fire the ball past the diving Maclennan.

Stephen Mutch fashioned a chance for himself just outside the Bermudan box after twisting and turning to get into position, but his attempt to reduce the arrears was unsuccessful with the ball going well over the bar. After a duel with DI Maclennan sent an inviting cross into the box, but the unmarked Luke Mackay could only graze the ball with his forehead and the chance was lost. 

Down the other end, Chance Eve, who had played well all game, had an injury-time opportunity to further increase his side's lead, but after going on a good run down the left and jinking his way into the box, he steered his shot inches over the bar. A Bermudan forward rounded Maclennan but couldn't steer a shot towards goal before Harry Bray got back to clear the ball.

A winning start to the tournament for the favourites, then, and manager Barry John Nusam was pleased enough with his team's performance after the game, saying that the Island Games was the first time that the current squad had been involved in a tournament, that they would be taking things game by game and hoped that his team would learn from being involved in the Games. They certainly looked to be a bright, ebullient and cohesive unit and will be a handful for any team they meet during the remainder of the competition.

Western Isles boss Eric MacLeod, meanwhile, said that he was delighted with the way his team had played, especially with their first-half performance. His defenders were excellent as a unit, and comfortably kept Bermuda at bay for long periods. The defeat virtually ensured that they would not be challenging for a place on the podium, but the team's display against one of the favourites to win Island Games gold would surely have given hope of a repeat performance against Ynys Môn on Monday.

WESTERN ISLES:

1 Jack MACLENNAN; 2 Donald MACLENNAN, 3 Harry BRAY, 4 Josh SMITH, 5 Eachainn MILLER, 6 Angus MACDONALD, 7 Samuel MACKAY, 8 Luke MORRISON, 10 Stephen MUTCH, 11 Michael JONES, 16 Robert JONES

BERMUDA:

12 Coleridge FABLER Jr.; 2 Andrew ARMSTRONG, 3 Brighton MORRISON, 5 Josj DUBLIN, 10 Joshua JOSEPH, 11 Hayden DILL, 13 Adrian TROTT, 14 Jace DONAWA, 15 Amir DILL, 16 La Zai OUTERBRIDGE, 20 Caleb McDOWALL

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks to the staff and volunteers at Rendall for their assistance and general good nature. They're a fine advert for the district, indeed. Thanks, too, to the match officials for their assistance.

ORKNEY MANAGER SENSES A CHANCE TO MAKE HISTORY

It is very easy to dismiss competitions such as the Island Games as an irrelevance, especially in this day and age when the football world's attention is firmly fixed on the exploits of those nations, clubs and players at the top table. But, with the 2025 edition of the tournament about to kick off in Orkney, anticipation in the archipelago just to the north of the Scottish mainland has reached fever pitch, and the locals turned out in force to watch the opening ceremony and athletes' parade through the islands' main town, Kirkwall, yesterday afternoon.

Ten islands will be taking part in the men's tournament at the Island Games, and twelve in the women's competition. The hosts will be represented in both tournaments, and the manager of the Orkney men's side, Charlie Alway, is hoping that home advantage will see an upturn in fortunes for Orcadian football.

Alway, a native of Bedfordshire, and his wife came to Orkney around twenty years ago, basically for a change of scenery, and he found himself getting involved with the island team via a fairly unusual route. He spoke to PFB about this and much else in the run-up to the Island Games.

"I’ve been up here in Orkney for about 20 years, and got involved with the local football scene and, through one thing and another, got involved via commentating and, refereeing and managing in the [local] leagues for a few years and I sort of picked up the Orkney job. 

"Myself and my assistant Colin “Paddy” Kilpatrick have been managing Orkney FC for the past ten years; first of all, we started off by entering a few cup competitions before we joined the North Caledonian League about ten years ago. 

As in most northern regions of Europe, most football in Orkney itself is played during the summer months, but Orkney FC bucks that trend. Alway: "We play in the [North Caledonian League in] winter, but the summer football is a slightly different entity. It’s like the international scene in the local world.

"We’ve got the North Caledonian League from August through Easter, with twenty-four games, and in the summer we [Orkney] play three games: Caithness, which is a county just across the water from us; Wick Academy; and Shetland. So, Orkney basically play three annual games against our nearest neighbours, and those are often1 the only three games we play every summer. Every second summer, we’ve got the Island Games.

Most of the Orkney squad taking part in this yesr's Island Games play for Orkney FC during the regular Scottish season and for a local team during the short summer season. For some of the players, that is a case of biting off more than they can chew, but Alway remains philosophical about it, and doesn't hold it against them.

"Between Orkney Football Club in the winter and [Orkney] in the summer, there’s probably about 75 per cent crossover. So, there’s a few guys who because of their jobs can’t commit to playing in the winter, and then there’s Wick Academy, the local Highland League club which plays at a level above us. Our captain and our best young player play for them, so I typically lose my best players from the North Caledonian League every year.

"That’s the pattern of development we have, that’s our opportunity ladder, and that’s just the way the world is. We just have to wish them well. They still have to train with us because of the travel. We get the benefit of a better player in our training pool helping everyone else get better.

"Typically, because of the amount of travel they have to do, the guys only stick it for about four years, as they basically have to go away on a Friday night and come back on a Sunday, home or away. Even the most dedicated lads do a four-year cycle of that and they’ve had enough.

Alway and Kirkpatrick took charge of Orkney after being in the hotseat at Orkney FC for a number of years, and the opportunity came after a dramatic defeat for Orkney against theor biggest rivals Shetland. 

"Paddy and I were taking care of the winter job, until three years ago. The most important game in the local calendar is the [Milne Cup] game against Shetland - that’s our local rivalry; it has been played over a hundred times and it’s important to the local footballing community. There are great links between Orkney and Shetland, as you can imagine; rivalry, friendship, all that sort of stuff.

"Three years ago, we lost 8:0, which was unprecedented and a shock to the system because the year before, we’d beaten then 2:1. This was bit of a seismic shift, and then Paddy and I got appointed to the summer job as well as the winter job after the [Orkney FA] asked the players [for their opinions]. 

The players asked for Alway and Kirkpatrick to take over the Orkney side, and the Orkney FA agreed to this, which, as Alway said, brought "a bit of continuity."

The two gentlemen's first assignment in charge of the Orkney team saw them lead the squad which went to Guernsey for the 2023 Island Games. Alway saw it as a generally positive experience: "We didn't do too badly. We drew 2:2 against Greenland which was a good result because Greenland were seeded, we lost 2:1 to Bermuda, which was also a good result as they are a talented nation, we beat the Norwegian side Frøya, and in our placement game, we lost 2:1 to the Isle of Man, which, in our world was another good result.

"Frøya and the Isle of Man are both drawn in our group again this year, which is quite nice. Our boys have looked at both those teams; we beat one of them by a goal and lost to the other by a goal, so we feel as though we should be competitive against both of them again."

Alway is quite hopeful that Orkney can improve on their best-ever result, especially as they are enjoying home advantage and are thus seeded. "What that means, on paper", contended Alway, "is that one team is better than us and another are where we would normally be. Isle of Man are better than us, Frøya would be the minnows Hitra are where we would normally be, and the Isle of Man, who are in Pool B, would normally be better than us, but they are unseeded.

"On that basis, we have the opportunity to get out of the group in a way that we have never had before. Every time we've played before, we have had to try and beat two teams that are better than us to try and get out of the group. Normally, that's very unlikely. Of course, it's possible, but its unlikely. 

"Our window of opportunity is enhanced by: A, we're at home and are seeded, and B, there are only three groups. One of the second-placed teams can progress, so we have a chance of getting out of the group if we do ourselves justice. It would be the first time Orkney have ever [qualified for the semi-finals].

Alway was cautiously positive about this team's chances of progressing to the last four, but he said that the locals were expecting more: "The expectation of the local footballing public is that we should be getting out of the group. Anything else would be seen as a missed opportunity, disappointing. 

"The players and I think we're in with a fighting chance. Once we [theoretically qualify for the semi-finals], the chances are we would be up against Anglesey, the Isle of Man, teams from islands with three or four times the population of Orkney.

"We'd have to perform incredibly well to get a result against one of them. The players aren't under the pressure of having to win the tournament because they're playing at home, but getting out of the group would be deemed to be a good thing to have done."

Orkney's women's team will be playing at the Island Games for the first time, and Alway noted that expectations for them are somewhat lower than for the men's team, and they're also a much younger squad compared to the one under his tutelage.

"It's their first Island Games; they're a fairly new team, a fairly young team and their best player is heavily involved im the athletics as well. She's a young sprinter, maybe about 17 years old, so she may be fatigued after running in the 100 and 200 metres and therefore not always available. They've got Frøya, Gozo and the Isle of Man as well in the group. They might br competitive in the first two games, but the Isle of Man would be a challenge.

"The girls play in the Highland League, and are mid-table, maybe potentially top four. They are a bona-fide women's team, but this will be their first Island Games. Apart from maybe three players, the average age of the squad would be about 20 and haven't played against a team of the calibre of the Isle of Man.

"Apart from two young lads, who are excellent, the vast majority of my players are between 22 and 32. There aren't many old men and young boys, and around fifteen of them have played before in the Island Games, so they're in a different space to the lassies."

One of of the two young players in the men's team Alway referred to is George Ewing, who plays for Wick Academy during the regular season and East United during the local season, and the Orkney manager reckoned he would be one to watch at the tournament: "He's 17, he's quick, he's sharp. He's not particularly flashy, but he does the simple things very, very well. His sister, Jess, is about two or three years older than George, and she'll be playing on the right wing for the women's team."

He mentioned a number of other players he hoped might influence matters on the pitch, including some real characters: "We've got Liam Delday from Thorfinn Kirkwall who played in Anglesey [at the 2019 Inter-Island Games], who's a bit of an idiosyncratic-looking player, a Pat Nevin-type who moves from side to side as much as up and down the pitch. He's a very effective player; when he reached a hundred games for Orkney FC, he scored his seventy-first goal that day.

"We've also got a couple of big, strong, traditional centre-forwards who will be sharing no. 9 duties: Jamie Flett from Stromness, who scored three goals for us in Guernsey, and Toby MacLeod, who's one of these guys who've got the big hair, the dreadlock-style look. They're both big, physically imposing guys with character. They're full of themselves and full of the joys of life [laughs].

"There's also the captain, Owen Rendall, who plays for Wick Academy, and he'll be in central midfield. He's an old-fashioned tackling, breaking the game up, setting up attacks type of guy. Big, strong, not really a footballer but jist someone you want in a football team. He's really good, and his sister, Amy Pickles, will be playing centre-back for the women as well if she's back. She's just had a baby, about six weeks ago. She's probably their best defender.

"We've also got Dan Hourston [Kirkwall Hotspurs], who comes from the island of Papa Westray. He captained the team against Bermuda at the last Island Games, which was nice when you consider he comes from an island with 75 people. [He also played in the first round of this year's Parish Cup competition with a couple of brothers and his father as their Papa Westray, or Papay, team made their bow in the competition.]"

The Orkney squad, big hair fans, Pat Nevin clones, new uncles and all have been busy preparing for the Island Games over the past few weeks. They started off by beating Western Isles by 3 goals to 1, then lost to Caithness on penalties after a 1:1 draw and most recently lost 2:1 against a Wick Academy side containing George Ewing.

They have also employed the services of sports psychologists and sports nutritionists in the hope of obtaining that extra edge, and the players have been doing extra training under their own steam, so they have been nothing if not thorough in their preparations. 

"I've been around most of these players for the past ten years, and I have a pretty good relationship with them. They're guys I trust as players and as men. We had an original squad of thirty-two players, and the first sixteen pretty much pick themselves, but you could have picked any four of the other sixteen, they're all good players. 

"But, you've got to get the balance right. It isn't about picking the best twenty, it's about picking the right twenty. We've got a fair chance of having a good crack at it. We aren't going to rip up any trees, but we aren't going to throw up on our own feet, either."

ORKNEY SQUAD

GOALKEEPERS

1 Liam VALENTINE (Kirkwall Thorfinn); 23 Cameron McCONNACHIE (Stromness Athletic)

DEFENDERS

2 Daniel HOURSTON (Kirkwall Hotspurs); 3 Jason SCOTT (East United); 4 Owen RENDALL (Kirkwall Hotspurs); 5 Wayne KIRKNESS (Kirkwall Thorfinn); 14 Lee RENDALL (East United); 15 Aiden DREVER (East United); 17 Kyle DREVER (Kirkwall Hotspurs); 18 Connan RENDALL (Kirkwall Rovers); 19 Jimmy CRAIGIE (Stromness Athletic)

MIDFIELDERS

6 Callan JESSIMAN (Stromness Athletic): 7 Joe WILSON (Kitkwall Hotspurs); 8 Jay FOUBISTER (Kirkwall Thorfinn); 12 Steven HELLIWELL (East United); 16 Liam DELDAY (Kirkwall Thorfinn); 20 George EWING (East United)

FORWARDS

9 Jamie FLETT (Stromness Athletic); 10 Toby MacLEOD (Stromness Athletic); 11 Owen YOUNG (Stromness Athletic)

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks to Charlie Alway for his time and patience; squad-list correct as of 26 June.

GREENLAND AND RUTKJÆR SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS, BUT THE BALL ROLLS ON

During the first week of June, Greenland's national football team went on a week-long tour of Denmark and Germany, and played three games against local opposition, winning one, drawing one and losing the other. It was a tour which had left manager Morten Rutkjær feeling very content indeed before the team left for home on 7 June, and they were all looking forward to going to England for a short training-camp in the first week of October. 

The national football association, the KAK, had been sounding out possible opponents - including national sides from within CONCACAF - and venues for at least two matches during the training-camp, which the KAK had been hoping to hold in or around London.

Three days later, however, the KAK's plans had been thrown into disarray after news had been received from CONCACAF's Extraordinary Congress that their application for membership of the organisation, which had been submitted in May of last year, had been unanimously rejected by CONCACAF's forty-one member associations.

CONCACAF's decision raised a wave of sympathy amongst football fans the world over, and a deal of curiosity amongst still more. There was also anger at the way the Greenlandic FA's application had been summarily dismissed in a terse statement, which had been issued without containing any explanation of CONCACAF's decision. It brought back memories of the Gibraltar FA's treatment by both UEFA and FIFA's from the late 1990s until their belated admission to both organisations in 2013 and 2016 respectively.

Rutkjær, a native of Denmark who has been in charge of the Greenlandic national team since 2021, told PFB the weekend after CONCACAF's decision: "We were surprised..we were shocked. We didn't expect to become member at the first time [of asking]..we expected them to say that we have to work on the football pitches or to change something before we can become a member, but they did not mention anything to us. they just sent an e-mail saying: 'You can not be a member of CONCACAF. Goodbye, good luck.'

"We received another e-mail from CONCACAF today saying that they had done everything by the book; they asked the members in CONCACAF to choose if Greenland should become a member or not, and forty-one members stuck their hands in the air and said that they didn't want Greenland to become a member of CONCACAF.

"CONCACAF will not change its decision. That's the first thing. But right now, we ask the world..this is not a victory for football, because FIFA said that they want every country to play football against each other and they want to spread football to every place on Earth. But, they respect the decision from CONCACAF that Greenland cannot play international matches against other countries. It is a big failure for football that, right now, Greenland cannot play against UEFA members and, right now, they can't play against CONCACAF teams. They can't play international matches against other countries, and that is a disaster.

"Small countries have big problems when they try to join FIFA, CONCACAF and so on. They haven't a chance of joining. CONCACAF haven't treated Greenland very well at all.

"But, right now, Greenland is ready. We are ready. We have talked to politicians in Greenland and we will build airdomes so we can play throughout the year. We have a good economy, and we want to go and play CONCACAF teams in the first years, so what is the problem?"

"At the minute, we are very surprised and a little bit angry. We don't know what we should do, because there's no way for us to play football matches against other countries. That's a disaster."

One thing going in the KAK's favour is that they can still take part in the Island Games, although they were not drawn out of the hat to take part in this year's edition, which kicks off in Orkney, Scotland, at the beginning of next week. Participation in the tournament is always something to look forward to, but that isn't enough for Rutkjær and Greenland's footballers. 

"Yes, we can play in the Island Games, but we have big ambitions. For Greenlandic football, the Island Games is perfect, but we want to play World Cup matches. We want to be part of something bigger. We can play in the Island Games, but we want more.

"During the past 48 hours, we [the KAK] have talked and asked ourselves what we can do now, but I hope that Greenland will go further with football. It's very important for the people of Greenland. They really love football. Twelve per cent of the population is playing football. That's a very high percentage. I hope that the KAK will succeed with a positive attitude to playing football. Now we are part of the Island Games, and we will try to [hold] our own tournaments, if we can.

"We hope we can play against other countries and show the world that we are ready, that we have a good national team, that we have talented young players who really want to play for their country. So, right now, it's very important to send a message to the world that we're still working hard, that we're still on a journey with this country and we want to build up football in Greenland.

Since CONCACAF's decision not to allow Greenlandic football's governing body a seat at their table, there has been a world-wide explosion of interest in the game there, especially on social media. Rutkjaer used the Greenland national team's Instagram account as an example of this.

"Three days ago, our Instagram profile had 2000 followers. Today, we have 70000 followers from all over the world. Now, we are going for 250000 followers, because I have had so many mails and messages from all around the world who said 'It's totally crazy! We love Greenland, we want them to be part of something'. So, right now, the world is with us. 

"Two days ago [12 June], I was on CBS [their Sports Golazo network's Morning Footy programme]. For a big game, 200 million people watch CBS, but on that day, 20 million people saw the interview with me. It was crazy."

There has been an increase in interest in the UK in Greenlandic football since the announcement was made that the KAK intended to visit England in October. Following CONCACAF's announcement, there is uncertainty as to whether the trip will still go ahead. Rutkjær: "I really hope so, but now, we are in a new situation for Greenland and what I hope for in the next 14 days is that we know what we shall do. But, I hope we will [be able to go to England] in October."

There was disappointment in Greenlandic football circles at CONCACAF's decision, especially as it has thrown the KAK's short-term plans up in the air, but Rutkjær remained hopeful for the future: "We want to build up football in Greenland. We can do so many things to build up football so that it will be much better, for the youth and so on. Greenland has a long way to go to being a good football country, so we have to look inside and ask: 'How can we do it better?' Again, we hope to remain part of the Island Games, and then to play some international matches if we can."

US president Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire to bring Greenland under American control, by hook or by crook. CONCACAF did not provide any reasons for their refusing to admit the KAK to the organisation, and a number of observers have wondered whether the American government had put political pressure put on CONCACAF's forty-one members to deny KAK membership. 

PFB put this to both the US Department of State and CONCACAF - the Department of State were also asked for their thoughts on the KAK applying for CONCACAF membership in the first place, and their application's eventual rejection - but has as yet received no response from either body. 

Rutkjær was also asked for his thoughts on the subject, and he repeated what he told CBS' Morning Footy programme a couple of days before this interview:

"I don't know. As you know, I am a football coach. I know a lot about playing football, but I don't know anything about politics. I don't know..maybe, but I can't answer that. You never know in this world. Football and politics are not good together. So, maybe, maybe not. I don't know, but I don't think so."

As mentioned earlier, Rutkjær and his charges had just completed a tour of Denmark and Germany a couple of days before CONCACAF's decision, and he was extremely positive about how it panned out: "It was a very good experience for us", he said, "because we had a high level for the first time in my time as national coach, and we played with a lot of young players. 

"We didn't expect anything from this trip, as we were due to have a training camp in Nuuk a couple of weeks earlier which was cancelled because of bad weather. But, when they arrived in Denmark, they were fit, they played very well, they understood my thoughts as a coach, so I was so happy. and we thought 'Yes, we're on the right road.' The Tuesday after, we got the news from CONCACAF. It was terrible."

During the Greenland team's tour-slash-training camp, they played three matches: they began with a 2:1 defeat against Danish fourth-level side Skaerbaek BK, and followed that up with a 1:1 draw against Superliga side Silkeborg's reserves, and finished off the tour by defeating a Sydslesvig (South Schleswig) selection in the German town of Flensburg by 4 goals to 3. 

Who stood out for Greenland as far as Rutkjær was concerned? "Søren Kreutzmann was very good, Rene Eriksen Petersen, Thomas Høgh, and Milo Biilmann, who plays for KÍ Klaksvík..they all played very well." 

Progress is being made on the pitch, if not off it, and Rutkjær and the Greenland team seem to be very happy together. However, his contract ends this month, and, although the KAK have offered him a new contract, th the time of writing, he is still waiting to see how things pan out but hopes to attend the final stages of this year's national championship, which will take place in Nuuk at the end of this month, a little earlier than usual.

"They have offered me three more years, but now it's a new situation and I don't know what the KAK want to do now, but I hope to stay. I want to fight, I really want to be a part of Greenlandic football. We are like a family. I have a wonderful wife and two wonderful sons. The Greenland players and everyone in the KAK, they are like part of my family."

One hopes that, for the sake of football in Greenland, Rutkjær's extended family doesn't break up any time soon.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks to Morten Rutkjær for his time and patience, and for supplying the photos used in the article, which were taken by Mikkel Tholstrup Dahlquist on behalf of the KAK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WESTERN ISLES LOOKING FORWARD TO THE ISLAND GAMES

The 2025 Island Games will take place in Orkney next month, and the Western Isles will be sending teams to take part in both the men's and women's football tournaments. The Hebrideans first took part in the Island Games in Shetland in 2005, and began well, finishing in third place in both that tournament and the following, which was held two years later in Rhodes. 

However, since then, they have gone backwards, finishing between eighth and twelfth place in every tournament they have taken part in since, including the unofficial Inter-Island Games, which took place in Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in 2019, where they finished in ninth place. Last time out, in Guernsey, they finished in eleventh after beating Menorca in the eleventh-place play-off.

Eric Macleod has been overseeing the Western Isles men's team since February 2012, and, including the 2019 Inter-Island Games, this year's tournament will be his fifth at the helm. Macleod has been involved with football in the Western Isles for many years, but, club-wise, he has only ever represented Stornoway Athletic, the region's oldest club, which was founded in 1891, on and off the pitch.

His own journey started aged 10 with Athletic's youth wing, the Acre's Boys Club, and he progressed through every age group up to and including the first team. Unfortunately, his playing career came to a premature end when he suffered an ankle injury, aged 28. He has spent most of the intervening thirty-four years coaching Athletic's youth and adult sides, and has had two spells in charge of the first team.

Nowadays, though, he devotes his time solely to the Western Isles men's team, and five of last year's Stornoway Athletic title-winning side will be among the eighteen players donning the yellow shirt in Orkney. 

Macleod briefly shared some of his thoughts on the upcoming tournament with Pat's Football Blog early last month, and began with the withdrawal of one of the Western Isles' group rivals, Menorca.

"We have been drawn in the same group as Ynys Môn and Bermuda. Menorca were originally in our group but they have since pulled out of the football competitions. [The Menorcan Island Games Association withdrew both their men's and women's teams from their respective competitions in early January due to financial constraints.] 

"We were disappointed that they pulled out as we are now looking at playing one game less which, although is easier to manage in terms of player fatigue, is still frustrating in terms of the overall experience; we want to play as many matches as we can."

Macleod was under no illusions about the task facing his team after being drawn against two old advesaries, but he remained positive: "It is a tough draw, with both Ynys Môn and Bermuda being finalists and semi-finalists, respectively, in Guernsey. We have played Ynys Môn before and lost 2-1 so we know it will be another very tough match for us, but we are very much looking forward to it. 

"I watched about 20 minutes of Bermuda in Guernsey and I was very impressed with their athleticism and technical abilities, so we will have to perform to the very best of our own capabilities to be able to compete in this match. Fourteen of our squad from Guernsey will attend Orkney."

The Western Isles team which took part in the 2023 Island Games (Photo: Western Isles Island Games Association)

The team have been holding training sessions and will be playing friendlies in the run-up to the Games. According to Macleod, they will be approaching the tournament in a positive frame of mind.

"Our preparations have started and we play Orkney, the hosts, in one of our preparatory matches in June so it is going to be a very busy few months for us all," he said. "We are just really looking forward to heading to Orkney, our northern neighbours, and giving a really good account of ourselves, and I am sure that we will do that."

The Western Isles women's team, meanwhile, will be looking to go one better than their performance in Guernsey two years ago, when they surprised friend and foe by finishing runners-up. Their tournament began by their thrashing both Ynys Môn and Guernsey in the group stage, and they went on to dispose of Menorca in the semi-final before losing 4:0 to Bermuda in the final. 

Almost all of the players who were in the Western Isles women's squad in Guernsey were selected for the forthcoming tournament in Orkney, which begins on 13 July. An interesting group stage awaits them, as they were drawn together with Ynys Môn, Menorca and Hitra in Group 3. Much will be expected of manager Ewan Macleod's team this time around.

                            

WESTERN ISLES SQUAD INFORMATION (correct as of 17 April) 

MEN'S SQUAD

Harry BRAY (Tong); Michael JONES (Stornoway Athletic); Robert JONES (Stornoway Athletic); Dominic MacAULAY (Eriskay); Angus MACDONALD (Point); Euan MACDONALD (Melbost); Ross MACDONALD (Barvas); Luke MACKAY (Borve); Sam MACKAY (Borve); Robbie MACKENZIE (Carloway); Calum MACLENNAN (Gress); DI MACLENNAN (Carloway); Jack MACLENNAN (Stornoway Athletic); Eachainn MILLER (Carloway); Luke MORRISON (Stornoway Athletic); Stephen MUTCH (Back); AJ NICHOLSON (Barra); Josh SMITH (Stornoway Athletic)

MANAGER: Eric MACLEOD

ASSISTANT MANAGERS: Domhnall MACKAY; Graeme MILLER

WOMEN'S SQUAD

Krysta BRAY (Tong); Natalie CAMPBELL (Stornoway Athletic); Ann-Louise MACKENZIE (Back); Rosa

 MACKENZIE (Stornoway Athletic); Katie MACKINNON; Kirsty MACLEAN (Stornoway Athletic); Beth MACLEOD (Borve); Jessica MACLEOD (Harris); Sinéad MACLEOD (Stornoway Athletic); Shana MACPHAIL (Tong); Emma MACSWEEN (Tong); Grace MARTIN (Laxdale); Lisa MASON (Bragar); Kyla McMURDO (Back); Amanda NICOLSON (Point); CAITRIONA O'CARROL (Barra); Eleanor SMITH (Tong); Maimie ZIMMERMANN (Back)

MANAGER: Euan MACLEOD

ASSISTANT MANAGER: Hannah MACLEOD 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks to Eric Macleod for contributing to the above article. Other information was gleaned from Facebook and Wikipedia. Any errors or omission shall gladly be corrected upon notification of same.