A match originally scheduled for Saturday 1^st April but brought forward by the league as that is the F.A. Vase Semi-Final date. No need to worry on that score now.

The teams had met only two months ago in what turned out to be the last fixture before Christmas. Jersey had won 2-0 on a very cold afternoon with two goals in the last quarter of an hour from Lorne Bickley.

Alton have a complicated history, evolving from various amalgamations of clubs in the town. Alton Town, Bass Alton, Alton Town again, and Alton United Youth have all played a part in the current Alton, with two previous short spells in the Combined Counties League in 1982-84 and 2013-15.

They were transferred from the Wessex League at the end of last season so this was Jersey’s first visit to Anstey Park, on an artificial surface opened in December 2015. Alton are in 13^th place with a record of 7-7-13 36-55 but all the teams below them have games in hand. This season they went out of both the F.A. Cup and F.A. Vase at the first hurdle.

Jersey rotated three players. Joe Kilshaw, Jonny Le Quesne and Fraser Barlow started with Sammy Sutcliffe, Luke Watson and Sammy Henia-Kamau dropping to the bench where there were joined by Miguel Carvalho, back from his week-long trial with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Alton had six players, four starting, that had not travelled to Springfield in December and their substitute goalkeeper that day, Lewis Mees, was now their first choice.

On another chilly (6C) evening Jersey opted to change ends leaving Alton defending the playground end and to kick-off this Shrove Tuesday fixture.

Jersey dominated the first half, scoring twice and they could have had more. They played nice football, spraying their passes wide and looking for Lorne Bickley and Barlow, who combined well, in the middle.

An early chance saw Barlow set up Bickley whose his fierce drive was superbly tipped over by Mees. Four minutes later Kilshaw on the halfway line found Le Quesne in space on the left but his low cross across the six-yard box found no takers.

Most of the hosts thrust was provided by Louis Russell on the left but he got little change out of James Queree. He reached the byline once but his low cross was cut out at the near post. Their other line of attack was lone front man, the diminutive Siphesihle Mdlalose, but he was repeatedly caught offside.

The lead was gained just after the twenty-minute mark. Kilshaw won the ball in midfield and Adam Trotter threaded a pass to Bickley, who turned his marker Ed Dryden, and sent a crisp shot into to the top left corner of the net as Alton vainly looked for an offside decision from Kevin Batten on the grandstand side. This was Bickley’s 49^th goal and Jersey’s 349^th.

Ten minutes later another good interception by Trotter set up Bickley again on his right, but this time Bickley put his shot went just wide of the right post so missing out on setting two landmarks in one go.

Matt Benham then had the home side’s first attempt on goal but he was well wide of the left post with his twenty-five yard shot. Trotter again played in Bickley and he looked certain to score but his shot hit Mees, who had come out quickly, on the knee and rebounded to safety.

Three minutes before the interval Le Quesne on the half way line hit a long through ball. Bickley and defender Billy Wright ran alongside one another for the ball and a coming together saw them both topple over. The shaven headed referee, Jason Keen, decided it was a penalty, but that looked harsh, and Wright was cautioned.

Campbell took the penalty and hammered it high down the middle to double the lead as Mees dived to his left. This was Campbell’s 30^th goal and Jersey’s 350^th.

Upon the restart Alton switched their wingers with Russell now taking on Jack Steel who had earlier needed treatment for a kick in the head. In added time a good run down the right by Russell saw his cross met by a stretching Mdlalose at the near post six yards out. His shot just missed the right post and it proved to be the last action of the first half.

After the break Alton pressed forward more and the Bulls had to hang on a bit as the home side took the game to them, particularly after they introduced Trevor Caborn on the left wing just after the hour. He immediately looked dangerous and within a minute he had cut in from the left and from the edge of the box forced Euan Van der Vliet into a decent save diving to his left.

At the other end Mees then had to make a similar save from Barlow, except that it was a mirror image as he was diving to his right. Jersey made a double substitution, introducing Watson and Carvalho for Le Quesne and Barlow who had both recently returned from injury.

Within a minute of this Caborn was adjudged to have been brought down by Ben Le Rougetel on the left byline. Matt Benham whipped in the free-kick towards the near post and a header was glanced in from close range. The goal was credited to Scott Sanderson by Alton but it probably went in off Campbell.

Three minutes later Benham himself reached the left byline and put in a low cross which ricocheted off Campbell again. Fortunately, it then hit Van der Vliet, cannoned back to Campbell and was eventually cleared.

The Bulls were under the cosh and still had twenty minutes to resist the re-invigorated hosts who were applying relentless pressure.

Nevertheless, Jersey still looked useful on the break when they launched their sporadic counter-attacks. In the last quarter of an hour Kilshaw, Watson and Trotter all received cautions as they defended resolutely and Henia-Kamau was brought on for Lekimamati with Carvalho consequently swapping flanks to the right. Alton rang the changes too and utilised their complete bench as they sought a way through.

In the last minute of “regular” time a long throw from the grandstand side by substitute Liam Knight was misheaded by Campbell across his own penalty area. Caborn looked to seize upon it but under pressure from Queree he blazed over.

In the second added minute some Carvalho trickery near the right corner flag set up Bickley in space ten yards out but his sidefooted shot was too careful and Mees was able to save at the foot of his left post.

The classic “match of two halves” saw the Bulls survive to extend their unbeaten league run to ten matches. Jersey’s last league defeat was against Badshot Lea at Springfield and the return match at Wrecclesham on Saturday is the next fixture. A ”six pointer” which Raynes Park Vale, the third of the title contenders this season, would probably prefer Jersey to win in order to help cement their current top spot.

Alton 1 (Scott Sanderson 67)
Jersey Bulls 2 (Lorne Bickley 21, Luke Campbell pen 44)

Attendance – 156

Programme – 28pp £1

Alton – Lewis Mees, Archie Larkham (wore 17), Matt Graham (c) (wore 16), Matt Benham, Billy Wright, Ed Dryden, Siphesihle Mdlalose, Louis Russell, Scott Sanderson, Luke Perkins, Richie Hunter

Substitutes – 12. Trevor Caborn (for Perkins 62), 14. Jack Fowler (for Sanderson 75), 15. Liam Knight (for Hunter 82), 2. Jamie Phillips (for Graham 77), 18. Oli Page (for Mdlalose 87)

White (Black shoulders)/Black (White trim)/Black; GK All Yellow

Kevin Adair (Manager), Leigh Keddle (Assistant), Graham Purser (Coach), Adrian Brice (Coach), Rosie Miron (Physio.)

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, James Queree (c), Jack Steel, Ben Le Rougetel, Luke Campbell, Joe Kilshaw, Francis Lekimamati, Adam Trotter, Lorne Bickley (wore 16), Jonny Le Quesne, Fraser Barlow
Substitutes – 12. Sammy Sutcliffe (not used), 14. Luke Watson (for Le Quesne 66), 17. Miguel Carvalho (for Barlow 66), 19. Sammy Henia-Kamau (for Lekimamati 82), only four substitutes

Red/White/Red; GK All Green

Gary Freeman (Manager), Kevan Nelson (Assistant)

Formations
Alton (4-1-4-1 R to L) 1; 17-5-6-16; 4: 11-9-10-8; 7
Jersey Bulls (4-1-4-1 R to L) 1; 2-5-4-3; 6; 7-8-10-11; 16

Referee – Jason Keen (Farnborough) – his first Jersey match

Assistants – Matthew Funnell (Camberley) on the dug outs side and Kevin Batten (Basingstoke) on the clubhouse side. The first Jersey match for both of them. Funnell is also due at Springfield for the Colliers Wood United match on 25^th March.

Cautions – Billy Wright (A) 43, Joe Kilshaw (JB) 74, Luke Watson (JB) 84, Adam Trotter (JB) 90+2

Corners – Alton (0) 1, Jersey Bulls (2) 4

Player of the Match Award – James Queree