Letter to the Editor:Chapeau to St Michel! |12 March 2014

St Michel United must be congratulated for their display against Zimbabwean outfit How Mine in the Caf Confederation Cup last Saturday when they came so close to securing an unexpected and memorable comeback ever seen on Seychelles soil. Despite losing out on aggregate scoreline 6-4, Ralph Jean-Louis's boys went out of the competition with their heads high and full of optimism for the future.

Their first half performance was excellent, bagging three goals and having a slight domination over their opponents. With them in control, everyone was expecting that crucial fourth goal to come in the second period to secure qualification into the next round. However, I believe, tiredness took its toll on the players during that half and the opponents enforced their defensive tactics.

How Mine had the upper hand after that 5-1 win in Bulawayo in the first leg. During the interval, I questioned myself as to "Where did St Michel go wrong in the first leg?" According to the club's statement, it was due to the long and tiring journey from Mahé to Bulawayo. I did not see much in comparison between these two sides on Saturday.

Despite having a mountain to climb, St Michel came into the return match in a positive frame of mind – play well and beat How Mine and they did just that! They gave a very good account of themselves namely their Malagasy trio – the consistent and resilient Jimmy Radafison, Hassan Aly and Jocelyn Fenosoa, who has been a big hit so far with some top finishes, while the much-improved Gino Melanie, the versatile Yannick Manoo and Trevor Vidot have also stood out with some excellent performances.

St Michel have certainly not disappointed the local public in this year's competition. Surely with a few adjustments, next time they could go a step further in the African Club competition.

I wish them well at the Union des Fédérations de Football de l'Océan Indien (UFFOI) but locally, they remain the team to beat!

Derek Pothin