The Knaphill club was founded in 1924 and originally played its home games at Waterer’s Park, a site which had been given to the local council by Anthony Waterer. In 2004 they moved to their present home in Redding Way although their reserve team continued to play at Waterer's Park. Floodlights were erected in 2011 together with a fifty-seat stand. Another fifty-seat stand was added in 2015 together with a small covered terrace.

They became members of the Surrey Intermediate League, winning the league title in 1936. However, by the 1970s the club was playing in the Woking League. They went on to win the Premier Division, League Cup and Charity Cup treble in 1979. The following season they were runners-up and retained both of the cups.

Knaphill then returned to the Surrey Intermediate League in Division Three. Two more promotions took them to the Premier Division where they finished second. Winning the League in 2007 gained them promotion to Division One of the Combined Counties League.

Finishing third in 2014 saw the club promoted to the Premier Division. In 2018 they won the Premier League Cup. In the league they have generally finished in the upper middle part of the table with a best of fifth in 2016.

Last season they ended up eleventh with Jersey winning 2-1 at Springfield in December. That was after Euan Van der Vliet was dismissed for handling the ball outside his area. The ten players won thanks to a Lorne Bickley goal after own goals for both sides. In the return at Knaphill in March it finished 1-1 with a late Kieran Lester goal being nullified by an even later one from their striker George Pilbeam.

This season they lie sixth with a 9-3-2 20-13 record and are unbeaten in their last eight league games. They won at Alford before losing at Chichester City in the F.A. Cup and they went down to Western League Ashton and Backwell United in the F.A. Vase. Egham Town, who are currently fourth in the Northern Section, put them out of the Surrey County Cup but they beat high flying Badshot Lea, on penalties, in the Combined Counties League Cup.

Jersey made four changes to last Saturday’s starting team at Fisher. John Lloyd came in for the injured Jay Giles and Harrison Moon replaced Miguel Carvalho, suspended after being dismissed at Fisher. Jonny Le Quesne and Sammy Henia-Kamau “rotated” with Ruben Mendes and Jake Prince who returned to the bench.

Joining them there were Joe Kilshaw, for his first game since mid-September after picking up a bad injury in the first match of the U.E.F.A. Regions Cup in Italy, and Sammy Sutcliffe who had missed the three away games since our last home match against Frimley Green three weeks ago.

Knaphill still had seven players in their squad from that which had met Jersey in March. They made four changes to the team that won 3-0 at Frimley Green last week. Aaron Burchett and Zaccharius Horkan returned to the team with Luis Lindsey and new face Sebastian Karczewski elevated from the bench. Making way were Joe Dyett, Stacey Thripp, Reece Brewster and Daniel Bone with the latter on the bench together with William May and Tony Trinder.

The temperature at the start was much colder (12C) than recently with it dropping to singles figures (9C) by the final whistle. Jersey kicked off attacking the Town end.

From the start Knaphill adopted the same tactics as Tadley Calleva and Balham in defending deep and in numbers as well as slowing everything down. It did not make for an entertaining afternoon. It meant that Jersey needed to score first in order to make Knaphill change their emphasis. Unfortunately, it fell to Knaphill and they defended their lead resolutely. Credit to Knaphill for having a plan and executing it.

Jersey forced an early corner and shortly afterwards a half-hearted appeal for a penalty was waved away by referee James Hall when Adam Trotter went down in the area.

From the consequent goal kick to wide on the left Frank Tobin had his clearance intercepted. The ball was passed forward to Luis Lindsey only for him to be tackled Ben Le Rougetel. However, it rebounded off Lindsey and unluckily looped over the five defenders surrounding him to George Pilbeam who was unmarked on his right.

Knaphill’s leading scorer read the spin of the ball well, chested it back across to the left which wrong footed Lloyd, Campbell and Queree as the three defenders came to close him down. He did not snatch at the opening and calmly side footed it past Euan Van der Vliet from six yards for his ninth goal of the season.

Harrison Moon put a chip from an awkward angle over Jos Barker’s bar after a quarter of an hour but Jersey saw little of the opposition goal for the next twenty-five minutes. Indeed Pilbeam “scored” again seven minutes before half-time when he slid in at the far post to finish off Jack Williamson’s diagonal cross from the left. However, Gareth Mays flagged to indicate a marginal offside. Soon after that Knaphill gained their only corner of the game.

Before the interval Le Quesne pumped a long ball forward which Aaron Burchett reached first but he left his header back to Barker short. Bickley nipped in between them and lobbed Barker but was unable to keep it below the bar. In the last minute of the period Le Rougetel picked up a caution for a high foot on Kye Nash as Nash just beat him to a bouncing ball in the centre circle.

Nine minutes after the resumption Jersey almost equalised. Hard-working front man Lorne Bickley put in a powerful twenty-five yard right foot shot which came back to him off Burchett and he hit the rebound equally well, this time left footed. It deflected off Burchett’s right boot and was heading for the top left corner but Barker pulled off a magnificent save to flick it over the bar.

Adam Poynter in a rare visitors’ attack, advanced down the left channel from near the half way line with no one closing him down. He unleashed a low shot from twenty yards that Van der Vliet was grateful to see go just wide of his right post.

Jersey responded with a half volley from Henia-Kamau that he could not keep down before Ruben Mendes was brought on for Lloyd in order to strengthen Jersey’s attacking options.

Knaphill introduced Tony Trinder for Lindsey just after the hour and soon afterwards Jake Prince came on for Harrison Moon up front for Jersey. Thereafter it was almost all Bulls as they laid siege to the Knaphill goal when the opposition regularly had ten, and sometimes all eleven, players behind the ball.

With twenty minutes left a long throw by Le Quesne was headed down by Campbell to Mendes whose shot from the edge of the area went just wide on the left post, although Barker had it covered.

As usual the ball was retrieved slowly and then another “injury” occurred before the restart. When it was eventually taken Knaphill newcomer Sebastian Kraczewski produced a “Hand of God” to deny Campbell heading it clear. He was duly cautioned and promptly substituted with Will May taking his place.

With quarter of an hour to go Kilshaw replaced Henia-Kamau and Knaphill made their third, and last, change with Daniel Bone taking Nash’s place. Substitute Mendes then damaged his right leg tackling Burnett on the half way line. He struggled on for a few minutes and even put a half chance over the bar before collapsing in front of the Knaphill dug out and Sammy Sutcliffe coming on for him.

Another long throw from Le Quesne with four minutes to go was headed out to Trotter twenty-yards out. He did well to hit a low shot through the massed defence but Barker, diving to his left, held it tight.

In the five minutes of added time Le Rougetel’s optimistic pot shot flew high and wide and Prince just failed to set up Bickley, before firing wide of the left post himself. Bickley was also high and wide before the game ended with Bone trying a Mendeseque shot from the half way line that lacked the direction needed to trouble Van der Vliet.

Jersey therefore lost their record as the last unbeaten team in the Combined Counties Premier League South as Knaphill extended their unbeaten run to nine league matches to take them up to fourth position whilst Jersey remain seventh.

Jersey Bulls 0;
Knaphill 1 (George Pilbeam 10)

Attendance – 624

Programme – 24pp, £2

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, Frank Tobin (wore 12), John Lloyd, James Queree (c), Luke Campbell, Ben Le Rougetel, Harrison Moon, Adam Trotter, Lorne Bickley (wore 16), Ruben Mendes, Jake Prince
Substitutes – 2. Joe Kilshaw (for Henia-Kamau 75), 9. Jake Prince (for Moon 66), Ruben Mendes (for Lloyd 58), 23. Sammy Sutcliffe (for Mendes 81), 21. Pierce Roche (sub GK) (not used)
Red/White/Red; GK Green

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

Knaphill (squad numbers) – 1. Jos Barker, 6. Owen Tanner, 5. James Ward (c) 12. Aaron Burchett, 21. Adam Poynter, 11. Kye Nash, 23. Zaccharius Horkan, 20. Luis Lindsey, 16. Jack Williamson, 9. George Pilbeam 10. Sebastian Karczewski
Substitutes – 14. Will May (for Karczewski 72), 19. Tony Trinder (for Lindsey 62), 25. Daniel Bone (for Nash 76) only three substitutes

Colours – Bright Yellow/Navy Blue/Navy Blue: GK All Light Blue

Jamie Daltrey (Joint Manager), John Cook (Joint Manager), Lee Trussler (Assistant), Andy Sharratt (Coach), Garry Dodds (GK Coach), Alyss Watts (Physio.)

Formations
Jersey Bulls (4-1-4-1 R to L) 1; 12-4-5-3; 6; 7-8-10-11; 16
Knaphill (4-4-2 R to L) 1; 6-5-12-21; 11-23-20-16; 9-10

Referee – James Hall (Northwood) Hailing from Swansea where he played for Swansea City’s Youth team winning 12 caps for the Welsh U16/17/18 teams before injury ended his career. Now serving in the Royal Air Force at Northwood and in his second season with the Combined Counties League. His first Jersey match.

Assistant – Ian Vallance (Wokingham) on the dug outs side. Also on his first Jersey match. A former player with the Metropolitan Police. Ten seasons officiating with the Hellenic League and the last two with Combined Counties League since the geographical restructure.

Assistant – Gareth Mays (Tadworth) on the grandstand side. Started with the Suburban League, later ran lines for the Southern League as well as refereeing in the Combined Counties League. Probably our most regular official – referee for the league game at Godalming Town and at Springfield for the visit of Sandhurst Town, both in our first season, also on the line that season for our Premier Cup visit to Dorking Wanderers. Last season he ran the line at Beckenham Town, Balham and A.F.C. Croydon Athletic. He was also due at Springfield for the Guildford City fixture before Christmas before the officiating team failed to make the ‘plane but he made it here for the Badshot Lea game in April.

Cautions – Ben Le Rougetel (JB) 45, Sebastian Karczewski (K) 71

Corners – Jersey Bulls (2) 6; Knaphill (1) 1

Player of the Match Award – Frank Tobin