While both players can look back on their inaugural Nations League campaigns with a lot to be proud of, West players Jack Sergeant and Jamie Coombes – as well as the rest of the Gibraltar squad – may look back at the last week with a tinge of regret. While winning their group was never really on the cards heading into this break (two wins were needed, one away at a Macedonia side that had only dropped points once in the campaign), back to back victories entitled them to view the fixtures with some hope if not expectation.

Jack Sergeant – still yet to pull on a West shirt this season – played the full 90 of both fixtures, while Jamie Coombes could only made the bench. Both, though, would’ve been encouraged when Tjay De Barr gave them an early lead against Armenia. An equaliser quickly followed, before a3 goals in 6 minutes after the break took the game away from Gibraltar. A 6-2 loss may have not been a fair result on the balance of play, but a lack of experience showed when the pressure was put on by their more learned visitors.

Today's Gibraltar Starting Lineup:#NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/Zym3YvfI31

— Gibraltar FA (@GibraltarFA) November 16, 2018

Travelling to Skopje for their final fixture, Jack Sergeant retained his place at right back against league leaders Macedonia. The statistics tell their own story, as a team that could easily hold their own in the divisions above made sure of their promotion with a 4-0 win. Conceding 35 shots and 82% of possession, this was back to earth with a bump for Gibraltar. As minds drift back towards the usual grind of European Qualification, all in the side should feel more well equipped to perform on the international stage. We look forward to welcoming Jamie and Jack back to Brookburn Road soon – both should be proud of all they’ve achieved over the course of this campaign.

Full time in Skopje

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— Gibraltar FA (@GibraltarFA) November 19, 2018