FC Isle of Man to host league leaders Vauxhall Motors

Paul Jones thinks players could thrive on underdog status

After two weeks off, FC Isle of Man return to action at The Bowl tomorrow (21 January) and face arguably their biggest test to date.

The Ravens - who're still searching for their first points of 2023 - take on NWCFL Premier Division leaders Vauxhall Motors at 6pm on Saturday evening.

FC Isle of Man's interim manager, Paul Jones, knows the task will be tough against a side who've only lost four times in the league all season.

But he thinks his players might relish the tag of being underdogs and told Manx Radio how it's been to have an extended break between games:

Come tomorrow, it'll be two weeks since the Manx side's last outing after their fixtures last week against Squires Gate and Longridge Town were postponed due to poor weather.

FC Isle of Man's first two outings of this year ended in home defeats to Burscough (2 January) and Kendal Town (7 January).

As a result, the hosts currently sit 17th in the NWCFL Premier Division standings after 26 games and just five points above the relegation zone.

However, the last time the Ravens faced title-chasing opposition they emerged victorious in a 1-0 win away to high-flying Avro on 28 December.

Meanwhile, their opponents this weekend, Vauxhall Motors, currently sit top of the league - 31 points ahead of FC Isle of Man and having played a game fewer so far.

They've lost just four times in 25 league fixtures, winning 18 times.

'The Motormen' also come into this weekend's clash on the back of an impressive 3-0 win over second-placed Wythenshawe Town on Tuesday night (17 January).

The last time the Ravens and Vauxhall Motors met was back on the 20 August at the vanEupen Arena, with the Wirral-based side emerging 2-1 winners.

FC Isle of Man vs Vauxhall Motors takes place at The Bowl this Saturday (21 January), kicking-off at 6pm.

Manx Radio will be providing full live match commentary on our AM1368 and Digital platforms.

FC Isle of Man team news

New signing Eoghain Sherrard comes straight into the fold and is included in Paul Jones' 16-man squad for the visit of Vauxhall Motors.

There's a first call-up of the season for defender, Ryan Burns, whilst fellow defender Phil Kelly and young midfielder Tiernan Garvey are also ushered back in this week.

FC Isle of Man squad vs Vauxhall Motors

James Rice, Ryan Burns, Karl Clark, Jacob Crook, Jamie Corlett, Phil Kelly, Eoghain Sherrard, Alex Maitland, Tiernan Garvey, Charlie Higgins, Ronan McDonnell, Kyle Watson, Ste Whitley, Tom Creer, Furo Davies, Frank Jones