Jersey have had great success against Sheerwater since gaining promotion with four wins and a goal aggregate of 23-2 but the matches have become closer with the only goals conceded coming when they last met at Springfield in late January when Jersey won 4-2. Sheerwater improved towards the end of the season and avoided relegation by finishing 16^th. They also started this season satisfactorily with three wins in their first six matches, including one in each of the F.A. Cup and F.A. Vase.

However, since then the “wheels have come off” with 15 defeats in 16 matches, including all the last 12, conceding 65 goals in those 16 matches and they sat 19^th with a 2-1-13 21-54 record. John Comer was relieved of his managerial duties after their second eight goal loss and Gareth Price was installed in his place only to also concede eight in his first match. Since then he has made ten signings, eight of whom have already made an appearance, and matters are improving as they have only lost their last two matches by a single goal. Therefore, Jersey needed to be wary.

Jersey made two changes to the team that had defeated Tadley Calleva last week with Luke Watson and Francis Lekimamati replacing Lorne Bickley and Jay Giles, Bickley unavailable and the latter out with a hamstring injury suffered in the Tadley match. James Carr moved into the back four and Fraser Barlow took on the main striker role. Will Byers replaced Frank Tobin on the bench and Miguel Carvalho, back from a trial with Crawley Town took the place vacated by Watson’s elevation.

The recent wet weather had given way to cold (8C) and dry conditions with bright sunshine until soon after the later kick-off. Sheerwater won the toss and opted to changed ends so Jersey kicked off attacking the Robin Hood end.

Jersey started quickly and were on the front foot and the signs were promising. Le Quesne flashed a header over, Watson shot straight at the busy Alfie Mickley in the visitor’s goal and Lekmamati had a shot blocked. All this in the first seven minutes.

Le Quesne was regularly making inroads down the left but the deadlock was eventually broken from the other side of the pitch. Le Quesne send a long ball forward towards Barlow which was miscontrolled by Yuta Osawa. The ball ran across to Lekimamati with time and space and from twenty-five yards he looked up and planted a curling shot past Mickley into the bottom right corner. A just reward for the flowing football that Jersey were playing down the “channels”, albeit with little pressure from the opposition.

A Lekimamati corner found Campbell, who consistently outjumped both attackers and defenders all afternoon, but this flashed over. Lekimamati then instigated a move from one side to the other with flick-on’s from first Le Quesne and then Barlow setting up Watson at the far post but once again he shot straight at the seemingly magnetic Mickley.

Carr, who often got forward, played a one-two with Le Quesne, sidestepped a couple of defenders and put in a shot that Mickley managed to just get enough on to enable him to gather at the second attempt. Le Quesne continued to probe down the left, Mickley saved at his feet and then Le Quesne’s header on to Barlow saw a miskick from the striker when well placed. Barlow returned the compliment with a flick on to Le Quesne who set up Watson only for the chance to be ballooned over.

Carr intercepted again, Barlow headed on but Watson found Mickley yet again. A Le Quesne throw reached Barlow on the left byline and his pull back to Watson saw the unlucky midfielder’s shot hit a defender on the line with Mickley beaten.

Jersey therefore reached the interval only a goal to the good despite playing almost all the half in Sheerwater’s end. The danger was a silly slip at the other end might result in an undeserved equaliser. There had been one but Ben Le Rougetel had retrieved the situation with a timely tackle before Frazier Osunkoya, the Sheerwater striker, could get his shot away.

Harry Scott was brought on for Kamen Nafkha at the interval in order to strengthen the front line. Sheerwater brought on their leading scorer, with four, Elliot York, but it was Jersey who extended their lead. Barlow did well to hold the ball up on the right and he fed the overlapping Lekimamati who beat two men and set the ball up for Watson to attack from six yards out and Mickley was not going to save his powerful header from there.

Gary Freeman brought on Miguel Carvalho, back from a trial at Crawley Town, and Adam Trotter, to replace Lekimamati and Le Rougetel for the final twenty minutes.
Le Quesne moving across to the right to make way for Carvalho being on the left.
It was soon 3-0. Another Le Quesne throw, a back header from Campbell and Barlow got in front of his marker for a poacher's goal which trickled in off the left post.

Carr pulled back Osunkaya to earn a caution and was quickly replaced by Will Byers making his Springfield debut after cameos at Sandhurst and Camberley in late September. Seaney McColgan was also brought on for the influential Le Quesne to give Sheerwater another front runner to contend with. Within a minute he brought a good save out of Mickley diving low to his right.

Kevin Kumi pushed Barlow in the back, right under the referee’s nose, as the striker looked to collect a long Euan Van der Vliet clearance. The question of who might take the free-kick without Giles or Lekimamati on the pitch was resolved when Carvalho stepped up and from twenty-five yards, with his supposed weaker right foot, curled a gem into the top left corner.

In added time Van der Vliet had to make his only save of the match when a stray Scott back pass went straight to Danny Taylor but the home ‘keeper was quickly down to his right to snuff out the chance of a consolation. The question remained as whom might be player of the match with Campbell, Le Quesne and the eventual winner Lekimamati being the main contenders. Lekimamati being decided upon for scoring the first and making the second which enabled Jersey to run away with matters for the last quarter of the match.

Jersey Bulls 4 (Francis Lekimamati 19, Luke Watson 68, Fraser Barlow 73, Miguel Carvalho 84), Sheerwater 0

Attendance – 580

Programme – 32 pages, £3.50

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, James Queree (c), James Carr, Harry Curtis, Luke Campbell, Kamen Nafkha, Jonny Le Quesne, Ben Le Rougetel, Fraser Barlow (wore 16), Luke Watson, Francis Lekimamati
Substitutes – 12. Adam Trotter (for Le Rougetel 71), 14. Seaney McColgan (for Le Quesne 83), 15. Will Byers (for Carr 78), 17. Miguel Carvalho (for Lekimamati 71), 18. Harry Scott (for Nafkha 46)

Red/White/Red, GK All Yellow

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

Sheerwater – Alfie Mickley, Samuel Ekoja, Timmy Taylor, Kevin Kumi, Yuta Osawa, Nathan Pooley (c), Liam Avery, Hussein Abukar, Frazier Osunkoya (vc), Danny Taylor, Luke Taylor
Substitutes – 12. Jamel Saleh (for Pooley 76), 14. Zac Jervis (for Abukar 46), 15. James Darvill (for Ekoja 74), Elliot York (for Avery 65), 17. David Amarteifio (unused)

All Royal Blue; GK Dark Pink

Gareth Price (Manager), David McHugh (Assistant), Toby Sleight (Physio.)

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

Sheerwater (4-4-2 R to L) 1; 2-4-5-3; 11-8-6-10; 9-7

Referee – Benjamin “Ben” J. Powell (Lambeth) 28, refereeing since 2011, firstly in his home area of the Midlands before moving to Bristol and continuing in the Western and Hellenic Leagues. Re-located to London in 2022 and now in his second season with the Combined Counties League. His first Jersey Bulls match.

Assistants – Mikaeel Wozniak (Uxbridge) on the dug outs side, of Polish heritage, qualified 2019, Middlesex and now first Co. Co. season. Mohamed Shahib-Shohel (Wembley) on the grandstand side, of Bangladeshi heritage, qualified 2021, Middlesex and now second Co. Co. season. Both on their first Jersey Bulls match.

Cautions – Timmy Taylor (S) 55, James Carr (JB) 77

Corners – Jersey Bulls (4) 4, Sheerwater (0) 2

Player of the Match – Francis Lekimamati

Added Time – 3.15 & 3.05 (6.20)