JERSEY BULLS – 2 (Giles 36′, Dos Santos 90+4′)
FISHER – 0
Attendance: 563
Man of the Match: Jay Giles
Bookings: Luke Watson (JB) 10′, Adam Trotter (JB) 45+3′, Elliot Powell (JB Manager) 45+3′, 84′ and off, Rafael Garcia-Ferreira (F) 47′, Don Macaulay (F) 90+6
JERSEY Bulls reigned supreme on home turf, seeing off the visiting Fisher FC to win their FA Cup clash 2-0.
It wasn’t the most action-packed fixture to grace Springfield Stadium, but the Bulls showcased their resilience to remain in the game, never relenting in effort to grind out the result and seal victory.
As Fisher kicked off the match, a contentious opening period of play ensued, making for a rather nip-and-tuck affair where neither side could get a bearing on the game. However, to everyone’s surprise, it was the lower-tiered visiting squad that looked the more convincing.
In the midst of it, the reds’ stalwart midfielder Luke Watson was shown the yellow card in the tenth minute, miscalculating things to make a crunching tackle on his adversary.
The home crowd may have experienced some slight jitters, as Fisher moved forward exceptionally well to create a host of chances, with both wingers driving attacking efforts with darting runs. Chief of these occurred in the 12th minute, as a dangerous cross forced a last-minute headed clearance from the ever-reliable Luke Campbell.
Jack Lumsden, who’s come into the side since returning from university, has really grabbed his opportunities recently to shine on the pitch, and this was very much apparent in the FA Cup clash, as he showed incredible composure to really dictate play in the middle of the park.
Despite Fisher’s early momentum, the Bulls managed to turn things around, swinging matters into their favour.
Jay Giles starred on the day, with his movement up the pitch proving crucial in attack and earning him Man of the Match honours. It’s important to note that the left-back was exceptional when drifting into a more central area, which presented much success for the local outfit.
Giles’ attacking proficiency was on full display in the 16th minute, squaring it perfectly to last week’s goalscorer Fraser Barlow. However, this time it just wasn’t meant to be, as Fisher’s goalkeeper, Thomas Taylor, made a terrific save to deny the Jerseyman.
From that moment, it was all up for grabs, with both teams giving their all to try gain an advantage. It was a long battle, but an opportunity would finally present itself.
Twenty minutes on from Barlow’s effort, Giles once again found himself in the driving seat, delivering a remarkable diagonal pass to Lekimamati on the right flank. The right winger crossed it quickly, finding Giles in the centre of the box who then neatly put it away in the bottom right corner to break the deadlock.
Competition remained intense for the first half’s remaining nine minutes, but neither team could create an opportunity, seeing it 1-0 for Jersey’s premier side at half-time.
Returning from the break, only one change was made between the lineups, as Fisher’s Chibueze Echem came on for Charles Yiadom-Konadu.
However, what didn’t change was the intensity of play, as spirits remained high. The boys in red were amped up for the occasion, as a beautiful passage of play saw them quickly move up the field four minutes from the restart, however that final lethal touch was lacking.
Yet again, after a contentious period, Giles ran rampant down the left wing, causing several problems for the Fish. He put in a grounded cross, but there simply wasn’t anyone there to capitalize on the opportunity, seeing the chance go begging.
Tragedy struck for the visitors in the 65th minute, as Echem’s match was called to an abrupt end, stretchered off after an unfortunate challenge at the edge of his box.
Three minutes later, the Jersey outfit decided to make a change, bringing on Rai Dos Santos for Francis Lekimamati. The former didn’t hesitate to make an impact, getting on the end of a promising cross into the box just four minutes after his introduction, but he got under the ball that bit too much on the header, flying over the crossbar.
Fisher replied in kind in the 77th minute, as their own Lorenzo Duncan showcased some wizardry to make a waltzing run down the left wing, cutting into the box. However, the Bulls defence managed to stuff the threat just in the nick of time.
Even though they were a goal up, there was still a sense of urgency, as all efforts were made to seal victory and avoid the costly replay, as it was an FA Cup clash.
Dos Santos was impeccable in creating opportunities during his brief outing on the pitch, making countless runs which pierced through the back line. This was eveident in the 80th minute, as fellow substitute Frank Tobin made a spot-on long pass up the field, looping over the back line to find Dos Santos in stride. However, just as he was about to take on the keeper, the Fisher defender persisted to deny the attacker, keeping the score at 1-0.
Jonny Le Quesne followed this up by feeding the ball back to Dos Santos a minute later, but he couldn’t convert.
Chaos was on order in the 84th minute for the Jersey Bulls, as miscommunication and confusion in the box saw goalkeeper Pierce Roche make contact with fellow teammate Luke Coutanche in the area, as he attempted to punch the ball away. Coutanche was left on the floor, bleeding from his head as many of the team showed their frustrations with the referee’s slow stoppage of the game.
One of those was manager Elliot Powell, who was then shown a second yellow as a result. With him now serving a suspension, the club will have to navigate that going forward.
In the 88th minute, Giles gave us a glimpse of his attacking prowess with an accurate through ball to Dos Santos, and it looked as if a goal was inevitable as the latter charged towards the keeper. However, Dos Santos just took one too many touches, inviting pressure which then saw him sky the attempt.
Coutanche returned to the field in stoppage time, and did so in style, as he shimmied his way into the box and made a curling shot. It was almost a dream return, but the shot dragged just wide.
After seeing countless chances slip through his fingers, it was about time Dos Santos got a goal of his own, and he finally reaped the rewards of his several runs at 90+4′, getting on the end of Joe Kilshaw’s long ball, cutting through the opposition. Dos Santos was left unopposed, as the visitors wildly miscalculated their offside tactic, leaving the Caesarean one-on-one with the keeper, and this time he had no hesitation, confidently striking the ball in to double their lead and seal the deal.
That was enough, as Jersey Bulls guaranteed entering the FA Cup’s next round with that hard-fought 2-0 victory.
“It was a tough, tough game. They came at us, pressed us high and had a lot of fitness and intensity all the way to the end,” said Dan Garton, Bulls’ assistant manager.
“Ultimately, I’m really proud of the lads that they ground it out. It was just a case of coming together and making sure we took our chances when they came our way. We did miss a couple good ones, but we saw it out in the end.
“We always work on being clinical in pre-season, and we know we need to improve in the final third, as it wasn’t good enough today. With the higher level, we’re trying to professionalize everything a bit more, increasing intensity and higher expectations for players.”
With Powell now suspended, Garton was unsure how that would work, but remained confident in his side: “We’re not sure if he’s suspended in the league or FA Cup, but either way, our preparation remains the same.
“We’ve done this before, it’s all about mucking in as a team and getting through it.”
Jay Giles had his thoughts after a stellar Man of the Match performance, saying: “Getting a 2-0 home win is always a positive, that wasn’t our best performance but we’re through to the next round, that’s what matters.
“I don’t think there were too many issues to fix, guys like Rai (Dos Santos) take those chances nine times out of ten, and I’m sure they’ll be hungry to rectify that.
“We’ll recover first, then get through a week of training. Elliot (Powell) always has a plan, so it’s all about implementing it.”
Jersey Bulls – Pierce Roche (wore 13), Jonny Le Quesne, James Carr, James Queree (c), Luke Campbell, Luke Watson (wore 18), Jack Lumsden (wore 16), Adam Trotter (wore 12), Fraser Barlow, Jay Giles (wore 14), Francis Lekimamati
Substitutes – 1. Daniel Jinadu (not used), 8. Joe Kilshaw (for Trotter 73′), 10. Rai Dos Santos (for Lekimamati 68′), 15. Sammy Sutcliffe (not used), 19. Will Yates (for Le Quesne, injury 83′), 20. Luke Coutanche (for Carr 61′), 21. Frank Tobin (for Barlow 73′)
Fisher – Tommy Taylor, Jack Gibbons (c), Conor Dawish, Flavio Jumo, Ange Djajda, Don Macaulay, Michael Sarpong, Charles Yiadom- Konadu, Kesna Clarke, Tom Jones (wore 12), Rafael Garcia-Ferreira
Substitutes – 10. Chibueze Echem (for Yiadom-Konadu 46′), 14. Edward Sata (for Jumo 58′), 15. Lorenzo Duncan (for Sarpong 58), 16′. Kelvin Bakare (for Garcia-Ferreira 51′), 17. Michael Williams (for Echem, injury 68′)
