It was difficult to know what was going on at times, although any meaningful action was minimal for the most part. Bulls did what they needed to do against a physical, if somewhat limited, Billinghurst side who ply their trade in the Division I Southern Combination Football League.
The good ship Bulls were missing their two-stroke out-board motor in midfield with Kamen Nafkha suspended and Adam Trotter a last-minute absentee due to injury and it showed at times, though it never fully verged on the rudderless. They adopted their game accordingly, looking, like any other typical English non-league club, to play down the channels rather than through the middle, which is a hallmark of their style. For large parts this was as ineffectual as it was unfamiliar a tactic for manager Gary Freeman’s side as it was pitted against a conversant Billinghurst defence.
Apart from an early chance for Sol Solomon, the first half played on the lush pasture of the Jubilee Fields passed with little incident. It took a penalty, scored by defender Luke Campbell just after the restart, to make the breakthrough following a handball. Campbell then surrendered the chance to repeat the moment when the snake-hipped Solomon slithered his way into the penalty box and was duly brought down.
Full report and manager reaction in today’s JEP.