These teams played out two goalless games in their league meetings last season although they were interspersed with a 3-0 Jersey away win in the League Cup before they decided to withdraw from the competition.

It was hoped that Jersey, with leading scorer Lorne Bickley returning from injury, could register a league goal and continue their defensive record against Tadley.

Tadley, like Jersey, had been busy in cup competitions. They opened the season with a 5-2 home win v Alton in the F.A. Cup before losing, again at home, 1-8 to A.F.C. Portchester last Saturday.

In the Hampshire Senior Cup they defeated Fareham Town 3-1 before losing 1-2 at Christchurch on Tuesday. Their sole league match was a 1-3 loss at Sheerwater so they sat 19^th of 20 in the embryonic table.

In addition to Bickley Jersey had four players who had not been available for the midweek match at Knaphill – Frank Tobin, Kamen Nafkha, Jake Mulholland and Rai Dos Santos, the last named making his debut this season.

They replaced Fraser Barlow, Adam Trotter and Barry Beatson with James Queree and Miguel Carvalho dropping to the bench where they were joined by Jack Boyle, like Dos Santos, making his debut this season.

After their 1-8 defeat last week Tadley made five changes to their starting line-up with a debut for young goalkeeper Joel Halliday. Brad Neal, Callum Cleary, Kieran Rodgers and Alex Miller were the others.

On a day of sunshine (17C) and showers Tadley kicked off attacking the Winkworth Lane end. Rather than the dour encounters of last season this one was end to end entertainment for the neutral, but not if you were a Jersey supporter.

Jersey dominated the early proceedings and Bickley brought a good save out of Halliday after only two minutes, at the expense of a corner. But it was a Jordan Goater corner at the other end that saw Tadley take the lead against the run of play.

Connor Thorne back heeled it from the corner of the six-yard box and it flew in behind Euan Van der Vliet off the inside of the near post.

Matters worsened shortly afterwards when Miller robbed Tobin and then let fly from the 18-yard line and found the roof of the net. Everything Tadley did was coming off. A Bickley shot from 20 yards had Halliday scrambling but it was just wide.

Jake Mulholland reduced the arrears when he scored his first Jersey goal by lifting the ball over the advancing Halliday after being played in by Dos Santos.

Within a minute Tadley restored their two-goal advantage. Kieran Rodgers shot from the edge of the box, the ball caught Luke Campbell’s heel and spun into the top left corner.

Nafkha had injured his left leg after 18 minutes and having soldiered on he was now replaced by Queree who took over the armband, with Ben Le Rougetel moving into midfield. All this in the first quarter of the match.

Just before the half hour Dos Santos injured his left leg too when tackled by Cleary in the corner of the box. There was a good case for a penalty. There was another, less strong one, when Mulholland was bundled off the ball by Andrew Charsley.

In added time Luke Watson missed an excellent opportunity to reduce the lead. Jay Giles put over a cross from the left which found Watson unmarked six yards out. Had his header been a yard either side it would have left Halliday helpless.

Jersey brought on Miguel Carvalho for the injured Dos Santos at the break and Tadley introduced James Batchelor for Chad Abrams at the same time. The opening to the second half was as frenetic as the first.

Within a minute Jersey had pulled it back to 2-3. A Giles free kick on the right was nodded down by Watson beyond the back post and Le Rougetel was unmarked five yards out to “nutmeg” Halliday, and like Mulholland, register his first Jersey goal.

Carvalho had an immediate impact and four minutes after coming on he broke down the left, cut in and put a low ball across the face of the goal. It eluded Bickley but Francis Lekimamati coming in at the far post, and stretching from four yards out, managed to hit the angle of bar and post. A “what if” moment.

Two minutes later Tadley were again two to the good. They only had two corners in the first ninety minutes but goals resulted from both of them.

Goater again took it and in a training ground move Neal made a late run towards the near post with Thorne blocking off the covering defender. Neal’s glancing header was parried by Van der Vliet but Miller did well to quickly seize on the rebound, get the ball out from under his feet, and shoot into the roof of the net from a couple of yards.

Bickley had a shot parried by Halliday and later put the ball across the face of the goal, that just eluded Lekimamati. Carvalho also had a shot charged down. With twenty-five minutes left Jersey brought on Jack Boyle for Le Rougetel who had won the player of the match award in his two previous outings.

However, the second half was to be like the first with nearly all the action coming in its early stages. Tadley held on to what they had, and had further chances when hitting Jersey with counter attacks, to gain their first league points of the season.

Jersey will no doubt play worse than this and win, on the day Tadley Calleva had the Midas touch.
Tadley Calleva 4 (Connor Thorne 8, Alex Miller 11 & 52, Kieran Rodgers 22); Jersey Bulls 2 (Jake Mulholland 21, Ben Le Rougetel 47)

Attendance – 66

Programme – Yes – details TBA

Tadley Calleva – Joel Haliday, Chad Abrams, Andrew Charsley, Brad Neal, Jordan Goater (c), Ousman Darboe, Jack French, Callum Cleary, Kieran Rodgers, Connor Thorne, Alex Miller
Substitutes – 12. James Batchelor (for Abrams 46), 14. Dan Morrissey (for Cleary 66), 15. Adam Hargood (for Miller 56), 16. Enow Ojong (for Rodgers 80), 18. Chris Tombs (not used)

Yellow/Black/Yellow; GK All Grey

Joe Lawler (Manager), Matt Moore (Assistant), George Coffin (Coach), Carolyn “Caz” Tuttle (Physio.), Barrie Awbery (Assistant Physio.)

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, Frank Tobin, Jay Giles, Ben Le Rougetel (wore 16), Luke Campbell (c), (wore 15), Kamen Nafkha, Francis Lekimamati, Luke Watson, Lorne Bickley, Jake Mulholland, Rai Dos Santos
Substitutes – 14. Miguel Carvalho (for Dos Santos 46), 18. Jack Boyle (for Le Rougetel 66), 19. James Queree (for Nafkha 23), only three substitutes

Red/White/Red; GK All Dark Green

Kevan Nelson (Manager), Dan Seviour (Coach), Richard Hebert (GK Coach)

Formations
Tadley Calleva (4-1-4-1 R to L) 1; 2-4-5-3; 6; 8-10-7-11; 9
Jersey Bulls (4-1-4-1 R to L) 1; 2-16-15-3; 6; 7-8-10-11; 9

Referee – Tom (sic) H. Lathey (Slough) his second Jersey match after visiting Springfield in January for the Cobham game. A 26 year old who has worked his way up through the Berkshire Leagues before a season with the Hellenic League and now in his third season with the Combined Counties League.

Assistants – Mark Firmager (Reading) on the dug-outs side and Mark Roberts (also Reading) on the covered side

Cautions – Queree (JB) 74, Campbell (JB) 89, Mulholland (JB) 90+2, Goater (TC) 90+3

Corners – Tadley Calleva (1) 3; Jersey Bulls (4) 6

Player of the Match – Jake Mulholland

Added Time – 5.25 & 5.30 (10.55)