As the new season gets closer we caught up with the man who masterminded last years promotion, Jordan Reynolds.
Last season was an amazing success, what do you think gave you the edge?
There are many factors that contribute to a successful season, hard work, commitment and even luck. We had a fair amount of all of that, but overall, we were consistently able to adapt our game to find a winning formula in games.
We assume the team had a well-earned rest over the summer?
If only! The boys have had 5 weeks off and are were back into pre-season in July. Pre-season is an important time for the team, a time where we start to make the big gains ready for the 18/19 Nat 2S season.
How do you think the team will respond to last years promotion?
The players and coaching staff are excited about the opportunity to compete at such a high level. National 2 will definitely be a higher standard than we have ever played before, but that just means we need to work harder and embrace the challenges ahead.
How are you planning to deal with the travel challenges for next year’s fixtures?
Travel has always been the nature of the beast when playing for Guernsey, if you want to play sport at a high level then crossing the sea comes with it. Fortunately, our players have had some practice over the years, but National 2 will offer up a few different obstacles than before. There is the possibility of having a few stay-over games in places like Bristol, although not ideal there are many worse places I could think of for us to be staying in.
Guernsey Raiders kick-start their season on the 1st September against Old Albanians. The first home game of the season is the following week against Worthing. Fletcher Sports is the only place to get official Raiders merchandise. Available online and in-store.