Herne Bay – 0
Jersey Bulls – 4
Le Quesne 7′, Ritzema 16′, Carvalho 37′, Bickley 89′
HT Score: 0-3
Attendance: 260
John Treleven reports…
THE Jersey Bulls travelled for the third time in eight days, this time to the North Kent coast, to face Herne Bay.
Their opponents were eighth in Isthmian League Division 1 South-East, with three wins from their seven games, along with three defeats and one draw. The Bulls entered the game languishing in 19th place, but had only played three league games, all draws.
Elliot Powell made four changes to the team that had lost badly at Harrow Borough on Saturday. Jay Giles, Luke Watson, and Rai Dos Santos were promoted from the bench and were joined by Adam Trotter, who was unavailable in the Borough game.
Trotter replaced Joe Kilshaw, who was a substitute along with James Sunley and Stanley Dunne. Francis Lekimamati, injured on Saturday, plus the unavailable youngsters Jamie Watling, Will Yates, and Harry Mackenzie made way for them.
Herne Bay had three changes to their side that had lost at home to an added-time goal against Sheppey United in the League Cup on Saturday.
The home side were the first to threaten inside ninety seconds when Ababio put in a right-wing cross that Alfie Bloomfield shot over as he was closed down by Fraser Barlow. Bulls supporters at that point were thinking this was a continuation of the Harrow failings.
The Bulls broke the early deadlock however, when the overlapping Jonny Le Quesne received a short pass from Toby Ritzema in the seventh minute and drilled his cross-shot into the bottom left corner from a narrow angle that the hosts’ captain and keeper Joe Coleman might rue.
Bickley was thwarted by Procopi once more before the visitors scored again just after the quarter-hour. Dos Santos made a nicely weighted pass inside Harvey Brand for Ritzema to run onto in the left channel, and his subtle flick past the advancing Coleman rolled slowly home to make it 2-0.
A Watson header was clawed away by Coleman as Jersey defended in numbers, but quickly transitioned as they burst forward. Herne Bay began to rely on the long ball forward towards Bloomfield, but central defenders James Querée and Jay Giles dealt with them, and nothing fell Herne Bay’s way.
Powell’s side appeared to kill off the contest before half-time, as yet another misplaced pass from the hosts was taken down well by Bickley and laid off to Carvalho twenty yards out on the right flank. The canny winger cut inside and hit a left-footed curler that kissed the underside of the bar as a contender for goal of the season.
Herne Bay rang the half-time changes with a triple substitution that saw Rogers and Jacob Gilbert replace Cutbush and Brand in midfield, and Jamie Lartice also coming on for Newman.
Those substitutions made them look more robust, but the next opportunity went Jersey’s way as Ritzema didn’t make the most of a mistake by Rogers on the hour, and Trotter also failed to hit the target minutes later.
The hosts went closer when Rhys Wyborn’s cross from the left landed on the top netting as keeper Daniel Jinadu backpedalled. Herne Bay were coming more into the game as the Bulls sat on their lead, but Bickley had a shot deflected just over with five minutes left.
Bickley did better just before the final whistle, when substitute Dunne fed him in the left channel. The striker moved past his nemesis Procopi and rifled a cross-shot into the top right corner that gave Coleman little chance of saving.
After a disappointing result on the weekend, this performance will bring a lot of confidence and momentum into the group, who are back in action this Saturday away from home in league action against AFC Croydon Athletic, set for a 1pm kick off.
Herne Bay – Joe Coleman (c), Zuriel Otseh-Taiwo, Rhys Wyborn, Alfie Cutbush, Liam Friend, Louie Procopi, Jordan Ababio, Scott Heard, Alfie Bloomfield, Harvey Brand, Matty Newman.
Substitutes – 12. Chinedu Duru (for Bloomfield 86′), 14. Jamie Lartice (for Newman 46′), 15. Frankie Smith (for Ababio 60′), 17. James Rogers (for Brand 46′), 18. Jacob Gilbert (for Cutbush 46′).
Jersey Bulls – Daniel Jinadu, Jonny Le Quesne, Jay Giles, James Querée (c), Luke Watson, Toby Ritzema (off 74′), Fraser Barlow, Adam Trotter (off 63′), Lorne Bickley, Rai Dos Santos (off 74′), Miguel Carvalho
Substitutes – 8. Joe Kilshaw (for Trotter 63), 20. James Sunley (for Ritzema 74), 22. Stanley Dunne (for Dos Santos 74), only three substitutes used.
