Jersey met Croydon for the first time this season as the away trip just before Christmas was postponed when the thaw following the cold snap revealed that the clubhouse pipes had burst.

The clubs first met in January 2022 when Jersey won comfortably 6-0 at Springfield but two months later it was 2-2 at Croydon with Jersey twice having to come from behind to cancel out Nahum Green goals. Croydon finished 18^th but were never in danger of finishing in the bottom two positions.

This season Croydon are 12^th with a 9-2-10 36-47 record. In the F.A. Cup they took F.A. Vase quarter-finalists Peacehaven and Telscombe to a replay before going out at home. In the Vase they beat league rivals Banstead Athletic and then lost on “penalties” to A.F.C. Whyteleafe.

Following 207 minutes without a goal Jersey made three changes, two of them rotational. Jack Steel replaced the injured Jay Giles, Ben Le Rougetel returned for Joe Kilshaw and Francis Lekimamati swapped roles with Fraser Barlow. Kilshaw and Barlow were on the bench along with Frank Tobin, Jonny Le Quesne and substitute goalkeeper Pierce Roche. Nahum Green was not in the Croydon squad today but their two top goal scorers, Emiliano Lika (13) and Tyrone Pink (9) were.

A dull but mild (12C) afternoon gave way to light rain blown in from the Town end during the second half. Croydon won the toss and opted to defend the Town end with Jersey kicking off 12 minutes late after a slight delay to the visitors arrival.

Croydon drew an early save from Euan Van der Vliet before winning a penalty a couple of minutes later. Pink skipped past James Queree and moved in to the penalty area but stopped there only to have the recovering Queree bundle into the back of him. Lika took the penalty with an over-elaborate stuttering run up and placed it low left. Van der Vliet dived to his right to push it away and Luke Campbell hooked it clear.

After half an hour Queree put in a tantalising cross from the right to the near post but Lorne Bickley and Sammy Henia-Kamau both went for it with the result that David Boorer in the Croydon goal was not troubled. Croydon swept up to the other end with Khari Oriogun breaking down the right channel. A spectacular overstep gave him the space to pass inside along the six yard line to Lika at the far post to finish off. Two minutes later the same two combined with Lika shooting into the right side netting.

A corner on the right led to Jersey’s equaliser. It was overhit but Jack Steel, making his first start, picked it up twenty yards out beyond the far post. He put in a lob towards the right post where Luke Campbell held off the attentions of Hermes Mengi to put in a thunderous left foot volley. Boorer did well to get both hands to it but could only push it in to the top right corner. Jersey’s first goal for 248 minutes.
In added time Jersey took the lead. Adam Trotter and Luke Watson harried the Croydon midfield into error and Trotter on the half way line then played a cleverly weighted pass to Bickley. He set off down the left channel, rounded Boorer, and slotted in from a narrowing angle before a recovering defender could intercept.

In the second half there was little goalmouth action but there were three good chances. Just after the hour Watson played in Trotter down the right channel forty yards out. He advanced to the edge of the area and hit a cross shot which caught Boorer on the right knee and deflected on to the left post.

So rather than this sewing the match up Croydon were still in it and twice in two minutes they nearly conjured up an equaliser. Firstly, substitute Michael Redfearn cut in from the left and put a skimming cross shot just wide of the right post. Then with fifteen minutes remaining Pink produced a mirror image move from the right and just missed on the left.

The game petered out after that as Jersey gained three vital points with Croydon left rueing what might have been.

Jersey Bulls 2 (Luke Campbell 41, Lorne Bickley 45+1), A.F.C. Croydon Athletic 1 (Emiliano Lika 31) (Lika also had a penalty saved after ten minutes)

Attendance – 640

Programme – 24pp, £2

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, James Queree (c), Jack Steel, Sammy Sutcliffe, Luke Campbell, Ben Le Rougetel, Francis Lekimamati, Adam Trotter, Lorne Bickley (wore 16), Luke Watson, Sammy Henia-Kamau
Substitutes – 12. Frank Tobin (not used), 14. Joe Kilshaw (for Lekimamati 88), 15. Jonny Le Quesne (for Watson 65), 21. Pierce Roche (sub GK, not used), 23. Fraser Barlow (for Henia-Kamau 77)

Red/White/Red; GK All Green

Gary Freeman (Manager), Kevan Nelson (Assistant), Dan Seviour (Coach), Richard Hebert (GK Coach), Steve Martin (Physio.)

A.F.C. Croydon Athletic – David Boorer, Serge Ikudehinbu, Alfie Young, Abbas Agoro, Ibrahim Kallon, Hermes Mengi, Khari Oriogun, Junior Kaffo (c), Emiliano Lika, Jack Marney, Tyrone Pink
Substitutes – 12. Gerald De Graft (for Oriogun 84), 14. Michael Redfearn (for Agoro 64), 15. Will Grieveson (for Mengi 64), 16. Coye Walters-Hastings (for Kaffo 88), Jordan Boateng-Anderson (for Marney 77)

All Navy Blue (Yellow shoulders and trim to shorts); GK Pink / Black/ Black

Kevin Rayner (Manager), Ean (sic) Patterson (Coach), Gary Henry (GK Coach), Tony Pearson (Kit), Denis Lawton (Physio.)

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

A.F.C. Croydon Athletic (4-1-4-1 R to L) 1; 2-5-6-3; 4; 7-8-10-11; 9

Referee – Matthew Leaning (Surbiton). A 19 year old promoted mid-season so refereeing the Bulls for the first time having previously been seen on the line at Colliers Wood United and Walton & Hersham last season and Banstead Athletic this.
Initially with the Surrey Leagues and now in his third Combined Counties season.

Assistants – James Bird (Wycombe) on the dug-out side. Qualified in 1989 and has officiated in the Hellenic League until last season when the geographical re-structuring brought him in to Combined Counties territory. Visited Springfield for the Knaphill match in December 2021 and was also on the line at Wycombe Wanderers in March 2022 when we hosted Banstead Athletic.

Michael Oakes (Hillingdon) on the grandstand side. Was on the line at Springfield in March 2020 for the match against British Airways, the last before the pandemic lockdown. He has been officiating for 30 years, initially in the Middlesex Leagues and the last 13 with the Combined Counties.

Cautions – Francis Lekimamati (JB) 45, Hermes Mengi (AFCCA) 56

Corners – Jersey Bulls (3) 5; A.F.C. Croydon Athletic (1) 2

Player of the Match Award – Adam Trotter (for the third time in five matches)