Roger North, who has run the Island's football development centre for the last 19 years. It has been an official Portsmouth FC centre for the last five years.
FOOTBALLLONG-STANDING football coach Roger North has insisted it is business as usual, despite his established development centre being axed by Portsmouth FC.
Mr North, 71, has run the centre for the last 19 years — the last five officially tied to Portsmouth — and was one of the 85 members of Portsmouth staff to be made redundant last week, meaning the club has officially cut its ties with the Island.
And there was a double blow to the North family when his son, Andrew, Portsmouth’s under-13s assistant manager, was also released from his contract.
"I understood I would go," he said. "But then I heard who they were keeping on — some of the younger coaches with nowhere near as much experience as me. I was originally very angry. I’ve calmed down a lot now," he said.
"The biggest problem for me is that my boys are not going to have the opportunity to progress any more, unless I organise something else..
Among the Island footballers who have progressed through the centre to bigger things are Lewis Buxton, now of Sheffield Wednesday, Sean Cooper, now at Bournemouth, Adam Holbrook, Aaron Cooke and Gary Silk.
Doncaster Rovers striker James Hayter also spent some time training with Mr North, and there are currently 11 Island youngsters on Portsmouth’s books.
Included in that 11 are George Colson, Elliott Wheeler and Dan Butler, all aged 15, who have recently been offered two-year apprenticeships.
It was the first time the centre had three players of the same age group accepted at the same time.
Mr North said: "That was a massive achievement for the lads, and showed we were doing something right."
He insists he has no intention of stopping the centre, and plans to run it under his own name, as it was when he first started it.
"Whatever happens I will always run the centre regardless," said Mr North.
"I am purely interested in developing young Island footballers. I have got to make sure that the boys are in the right.
"But I am probably best out of Portsmouth now."
Reporter: sport@iwcpmail.co.uk