Eighteen homegrown players start between Manchester 62 and Bruno Magpies

Saturday saw Manchester 62 play against Bruno Magpies — two sides arriving at this match through very different pathways, but resulting in a match in which the most homegrown players were seen on the turf this season.

Bruno Magpies had come into the match following a decision by head coach Terence Jolley to focus on homegrown players this season, even though results had not gone their way in the first round.

For Manchester 62, it was a very different reason that led them to this point. Unpaid wages for several months had already caused a massive exodus of senior players, technical staff and coaches, with reports in the Gibraltar Chronicle and other outlets highlighting their troubles over the past weekend.

Whilst reports in UK papers stated that senior players had continued training and playing without wages, this was not quite the case. For several weeks now, Manchester 62 had been fielding a predominantly Under-18 and Under-16 side after senior players walked away from the club.

As some experts pointed out, senior players were already understood to have taken action in response to the unpaid wages crisis. Using FIFA regulations, players indicated their intention to leave the club due to unpaid wages and sought to sign for other clubs. Several players have already announced their departure and signed elsewhere — including with Bruno Magpies.

FIFA regulations allowing for mid-season transfer if players can evidence not having been paid for at least two consecutive months.

The latest blow was the departure of the club’s head coach and technical staff, leaving the door open for former national team coach Allen Bulla to take over the team on a voluntary basis. Mr Bula also having called out on social media prior to his appointment for senior players and coaches to “at least wait” for the winter transfer window before departing so as to assist the youth players called upon now to take the role in the senior team.

His arrival brought some semblance of stability at Manchester 62, at least on the field. With the club finally fielding a team with ample substitutes on the bench — something that had been lacking. At least two senior players, both Spanish nationals, also volunteered to continue playing to support the team through what is a major transitional period.

Manchester 62 had to close down space in front of goal early on, with Bruno Magpies showing their strength against what was predominantly a youth side.

Bruno scored their first after sixteen minutes through a cross from Del Rio to the far post, which was driven in with ease.

It took Manchester 62 until the 21st minute to enter Bruno Magpies’ half.

Still wearing their concussion-prevention headgear — which Manchester owner Michael Mansour had heavily promoted — Manchester 62 once again found themselves tracking back.

Youngster Recagno showed his quality with a great save from a Borge volley on 22 minutes.

For the local football supporter, while the match was not the high-quality fixture many had anticipated at the start of the season, the presence of so many homegrown youth players on the field was an ironic blessing for Gibraltar football.

At a time when league clubs have reduced the homegrown minimum to three — and most clubs use that as their ceiling — the departure of many of Manchester 62’s senior foreign players opened the door for youth players to gain valuable senior football experience. Every match is an important contribution to their development at a time when youth football has been hampered by a reduced Intermediate League and the diminishing focus on youth development at some senior clubs.

Although on the back foot, Manchester 62 showed resilience. Bruno Magpies, confident in their approach, looked to enjoy their game as they searched for their second.

Nerves and intense pressure from Magpies led to several clear mistakes, gifting possession back to Bruno. However, the second goal still did not come easily.

Bruno keeper Harry Victor made his first intervention on 37 minutes when veteran Antwi found space and struck a powerful effort towards goal — the first attempt from the Reds.

The first half ended disappointingly for Bruno Magpies, who went into the break with just a solitary goal.

The second half started the same way the first ended — Bruno dominating possession and looking for a way through.

Learning quickly that mistakes were costly, Manchester’s youngsters tried to maintain their defensive shape.

Del Rio had a chance on 56 minutes but the ball arrived too close to him for a clean attempt, sending it wide from close range.

Del Rio and Borge remained two key players driving Bruno forward.

Youngster Recagno was again busy protecting his goal. The young goalkeeper, through this crisis-hit season at Manchester 62, has emerged as one of the shining lights with his performances — potentially challenging his counterpart at the other end for positions in national youth squads.

He is taking opportunities that would otherwise not have materialised, as Manchester had started the season with Ruiz Canto before the internal crisis fully surfaced.

Leon Clinton struck just inches wide from outside the area in the 63rd minute as Bruno continued their search for a second.

As the minutes ticked away, Manchester’s young team looked increasingly vulnerable as tiredness crept in. Lacking the quality to create through the middle, the youngsters found themselves tracking back immediately whenever they tried to push forward.

Even so, they maintained a close defensive line, preventing Bruno from getting too close to Recagno’s goal — offering a glimmer of hope that they might find a late surprise in the final fifteen minutes.

It was not to materialise. As had happened against Mons Calpe, Manchester faltered offensively towards the end, though they kept a more compact defensive presence.

In the 75th minute, Manchester won their first corner, quickly followed by a second after Bruno cleared their lines.

Wasted at the near post, it allowed Del Rio to attempt a quick counter, only to be caught offside.

A free kick in the 78th minute, just outside the Manchester area, saw Anthony Hernandez float the ball across goal. Although Recagno was forced into a save to prevent a header, Bruno were again caught offside.

Moments later, Recagno blocked with his feet at the near post as Bruno came dangerously close.

The pressure continued before Manchester finally earned some breathing space with a clearance. They then worked hard to keep Bruno out, blocking another attempt moments later, with Recagno gathering the follow-up securely.

The match, which had seen little tension, time-wasting or fouls, saw just a couple of minutes of additional time due to substitutions.

Although Bruno continued searching for their second, they were met by a closed door. For Manchester 62, a 1–0 defeat was a positive outcome at a time when the odds were stacked against them.

For Bruno, although disappointing in terms of goals scored, the match halted the recent drop in points and gave them a chance to rise above Manchester 62, with whom they had been level on points at the start of the day.

Whilst Manchester 62’s future remains uncertain, with the present owners still looking for investors, local football officials have already signalled they are keeping a very close watch on how things progress. Various options are being explored to safeguard one of Gibraltar’s historic clubs.

The club — with its website closed, YouTube influencers gone, senior players departed, coaches changed, and the squad held together by 16–18-year-olds and a handful of veterans — continues to drop down the table. However, the actions of those on the field deserve praise: doing what others did not and trying to secure the club’s future in the Gibraltar Football League.

Saturday’s match saw, for the first time in many years, 18 homegrown players on the field in a league fixture. Even though it stemmed from crisis, it was nevertheless a welcome sight for local football. Also an indicator of how things could become in local football if investor confidence in Gibraltar league football wanes in the future.