Despite a bright first half showing at Springfield on Saturday, Jersey, who took the lead, struggled to get going after the break and a couple of mistakes led to a 3-1 defeat.
Jersey shaded the opening 45 minutes and after leading from Craig Leitch’s six-yard tap-in they were pegged back on the half hour.
It was a different story after the break and with substitute Ross Crick having a couple of good chances, Jersey were left to rue their misses as the RAF dominated to win the game with goals in the 71st and 80th minutes.
It was no more than the powerful visitors deserved, they had kept the Jersey forwards very quiet while looking threatening themselves as their physical strength shone through.
Jersey manager Dave Matthews said: ‘It’s a disappointing result and we were spasmodic, playing well only in patches.
A lack of concentration has cost us a couple of goals again, it’s something we have to eradicate from our play.
‘Ross Crick had a very good chance to put us 2-1 ahead only for their goalkeeper to pull off an excellent save.
Had it gone in we may have gone on to win the game.
‘Goalkeeper Danny Evans made a good début, he was only told on Friday that he was playing, while Paul Duxbury returned to the side only to aggravate an old shoulder injury after a heavy fall.’ Keith Christie, the RAF’s manager, said: ‘It’s a great result for us, we have only been together two days so we have not played as a team before.
‘We decided to lower the average age of our team from 31 to 24 and that included playing five teenagers today.
‘There was little in it first half while in the second we got the ball out wide stretching Jersey and we benefited from that.’ Jersey’s goal was a good footballing goal, James Hayward putting in a fine cross from the right, despite a heavy late challenge that would probably have resulted in a penalty kick, after good build-up play between Dave Le Roux and Chris Andrews.
Evans pulled off a fine low save from Del Hamilton but in the 28th minute he picked the ball out of his goal after Darren Shallicker rifled home a rising 16-yard shot after superbly turning two Jersey defenders just outside the penalty area.
The RAF got lucky when a punched clearance ricocheted around their penalty area but the ball did not fall to a Jersey player before being belted away.
The visitors doggedly kept Jersey at bay for the majority of the second period; Crick bursting through only to drag a shot wide when he could have gone closer to goal.
Crick’s goal-bound snap shot was also palmed away excellently by substitute goalkeeper Andrew Niven.
Scott Fuller nodded home the RAF’s second after a flicked on long throw-in while their third was crashed home by Hamilton after Jersey gifted him the ball 25 yards from goal.
