This Saturday (21 May, 2pm) sees Jersey FA host Guernsey FA in the Close Finance men's Muratti Vase final - the first final to be played since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking ahead of the game, Jersey FA manager Martin Cassidy told Daniel Andrade what fans in attendance can expect...

How good is it to have the Muratti back?
Yeah, it is amazing. We were on a good run winning three in a row so it has been a big miss for all, but with Springfield Stadium getting worked on it should be a full house and a weekend to remember for all involved.

How important is it to push on from the Inter League Cup success last May?
I want to bring these players back into the mindset of how well we did at St George’s Park in May. I won’t move to far away from that squad as I have been working with them for four, five years. It is a strong squad, with the additions of a few new faces too. We have a game plan in place, so we are looking forward to playing Guernsey.

How many new faces are we expecting to see?
We had a provisional squad which included Conor O’Shea, Charlie Payne, Ben Le Rougetel (who has really impressed us when he has come back and played for the U21s and Jersey Bulls). Sammy Sutcliffe is another exciting youngster coming in. I also haven’t worked with Lorne Bickley before, so I am excited to do so. Getting it down to a final squad of 16 will be really difficult. 

A quick word for the fans – how important is it that they come down Saturday and Sunday?
The Muratti weekend is so special for all of the footballing community. There has been a lot of highs and lows this season for different reasons so it would be good to come together as one to support the lads and ladies on Saturday and Sunday. We want to put on a show, and both teams owe a good match as we have cancelled each-other out in recent games. I am sure our home support will be brilliant as it always is. 

How confident are you to get the win?
I am always confident in my players, and always confident we can beat Guernsey on our day. We have a game plan, and we know where we can hurt their very good team. That is the challenge of representing Jersey as manager and as players, and it is certainly one we will be up for. Winning this game means that bit more to both sides.