Fleet, situated in North Hampshire, is right on the border of the Wessex and Combined Counties Leagues’ territories. Fleet Spurs, whom Jersey met in their first two seasons, are situated just over a mile north-east of Fleet Town. Last season Spurs, after four seasons in the Combined Counties, returned to the Wessex. However, at a level higher, tonight’s opponents, Town moved in the opposite direction.

For the past twenty seasons Fleet Town have usually featured in the Isthmian or Southern Leagues but after eight seasons struggling against relegation from the Southern League they finally succumbed to the drop in 2019. They then spent two mid table seasons in the Wessex League Premier Division before being transferred to the Combined Counties League.

Last season was one of struggle and they finished 16^th, just above the relegation places, with a 12-2-24 59-85 record. Jersey did the double over them, 3-0 at Fleet in mid-December and 3-0 again in the last league match of the season at Springfield.

This season they are again in 16^th place with a record of 5-4-11 24-41. They went out to Newport (IoW) in the F.A. Cup but beat Wantage Town in the F.A. Vase before going out to league rivals Colliers Wood United.

After a reasonable start in the league with seven points from four games they then went thirteen games without a win until winning their last three. In mid-November they appointed Jermaine McGlashan as their new manager. The former Cheltenham, Gillingham and Southend player brought in a raft of new players and not one of those Jersey met on the last day of April are still in the squad. Two more teenagers came in on loan in the day before the match, Charlie Morgan from Sutton United and James Gorman from Aldershot Town. Both went straight into their starting line-up.

Jersey were missing their captain, James Queree, due to work commitments, whilst Jonny Le Quesne and Jake Prince, both injured against Romford, were still out too. In addition, Sammy Henia-Kamou had been invited for a trial with Fulham. Robbie Scott was not included in the pruned down travelling squad but his younger brother, Harry, a striker was added to the group for a potential senior debut and Jack Steel came in too.

Ben Le Rougetel replaced Queree in the back four and Kamen Nafkha was the only other change, coming in for Joe Kilshaw, to the team that started against Sheerwater on Saturday. Kilshaw moved to the bench alongside Scott, Steel and Sammy Sutcliffe.

A still 8C greeted the teams with Fleet Town winning the toss and electing to change ends. Therefore, Jersey kicked off attacking the Crookham Road end to the east of their tree lined Calthorpe Park ground.

After only four minutes Francis Lekimamati curled a twenty-five yard free kick towards the top left angle which brought a good save out of the appropriately named Fleet ‘keeper Callum Smart.

Nafkha later saw a shot deflected for Jersey’s first corner before midway through the half Miguel Carvalho saw a shot saved by Smart and then just a minute later he put another just wide of the right post.

Jersey took the lead on the half hour. Luke Watson fed Adam Trotter right of centre and the latter’s intended pass for Carvalho on the left went over him but was inadvertently knocked back towards the centre by Fleet’s right back, Momodou Jallow. Lorne Bickley hit it first time from the edge of the box and Smart diving to his right did well to get a hand to the powerful shot but could only deflect it into the top of the net.

Before half-time Fleet’s on loan centre-back Gorman picked up a knock and after attempting to run it off for five minutes had to accept being replaced by the burly Kayode Conteh shortly before the interval.

The first period was stop/start with Jersey’s patient build-up being met by the long ball tactics of the hosts attempting to test the defensive composure of the Bulls.

Fleet came out more purposefully at the start of the second half with Omreiki Myles soon cautioned for stopping a Carvalho break. Trotter made a run from the half way line before passing to Bickley who sidestepped a defender but his shot was straight to Smart. The ‘keepers clearance went straight to Watson who returned it immediately for Carvalho to try his luck but again Smart was not seriously extended.

Just before the hour Trotter intercepted a Fleet pass and was breaking over the halfway line when he was caught by Myles attempting a tackle. Myles gained another caution and so Fleet had to play out the match with only ten players.

Fleet soon replaced Jack Arnold with Cameron Lewis-Brown as they adjusted their formation. Campbell, captain in the absence of Queree, was cautioned for something that was unclear to the spectators and Carvalho injured an ankle which caused him to be replaced by Scott ten minutes later as the teenager became the 72^nd senior Bull.

Scott soon put in a good shot on the turn which Smart pushed away and Bickley following up could not get sufficient angle on the rebound to avoid Smart. From the subsequent Lekimamati corner the ball reached Trotter on the edge of the box and his flick on to Campbell was handled by a jumping Nathan Rogers as Campbell attempted to lift the ball goalwards. Campbell thumped the penalty in to the top left corner with Smart going the wrong way.

Jersey immediately brought Kilshaw on for Nafhka and later Steel replaced Giles before Fleet had their best scoring opportunity in the fourth added minute. A superb through ball from the halfway line split the defence. Rogers in the right channel ran on to it but Van der Vliet “stood tall” on the edge of the box and the shot cannoned

off his chest for Fleet’s second corner of the match in the last meaningful action.

Fleet Town 0, Jersey Bulls 2 (Lorne Bickley 30, Luke Campbell pen 81)

Attendance – 225

Programme – £2, 24pp (T.B.C.)

Fleet Town – Callum Smart, Momodou Jallow, Oliver Downs, Charlie Morgan, James Gorman, Tom Wensley, Omreiki Myles, Nhoj Witter, Louis Blake (c), Nathan Rogers, Jack Arnold

Substitutes – 12. Cameron Lewis-Brown (for Arnold 61), 13. Harvey Keogh (sub GK, not used), 14. Kayode Conteh (for Gorman 43), 15. Mohamed Amghar (not used), 16. Fareed Hakem-Habeeb (for Witter 76)

Light Blue (Navy Blue Sleeves)/Navy Blue/Navy Blue; GK All Green

Jermaine McGlashan (Manager), Elliott Hunt (Assistant), Dease Kerrison (Ciach), Olivia Boulton (Physio.)

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, Frank Tobin (wore 12), Jay Giles, Ben Le Rougetel, Luke Campbell (c), Kamen Nafkha, Francis Lekimamati, Adam Trotter, Lorne Bickley (wore 16), Luke Watson, Miguel Carvalho

Substitutes – 14. Joe Kilshaw (for Nafkha 82), 15. Jack Steel (for Giles 88), 20. Harry Scott (for Carvalho 75), 23. Sammy Sutcliffe (not used), only four substitutes

Red/White/White; GK All Yellow

Gary Freeman (Manager), Kevan Nelson (Assistant)

Formations
Fleet Town (4-4-2 R to L) 1; 2-5-4-3; 6-10-7-8; 11-9
Jersey Bulls (4-1-4-1 R to L) 1; 12-4-5-3; 6; 7-10-8-11; 16

Referee – David Payne (Woking) his first Jersey match

Assistants – Steven Anderson (Arborfield, near Wokingham) on the dug-out side, who was at Springfield in mid-October for the Balham match, and Paul Gaskin (Reading) on the grandstand side who, like Payne, was making his Jersey debut

Cautions – Myles (FT) 47 & 59 (dismissed), Campbell (JB) 63

Dismissal – Myles (FT) cautions 47 & 59

Corners – Fleet Town (1) 2; Jersey Bulls (2) 4

Player of the Match Award – Adam Trotter