“FRUSTRATING night at the office” is how Elliot Powell described the Jersey Bulls 1-1 draw at home to old foes Beckenham Town.
The Bulls were held to a stalemate against the side placed second from bottom but preserved their impressive unbeaten home record with an energetic second half showing. Top scorer Lorne Bickley came to the rescue, nodding home from close range to earn his side a share of the spoils.
“We’ve got to improve the first half of games, and we’ve got to start quicker.” Powell admitted at full time. “It’s a game that we should be winning.”
Of the 176 sides at Step 4 level, the Bulls remain one of six to boast an unbeaten record on home soil. The point keeps the Bulls comfortably placed in 11th in the league standings.
Jersey Bulls 1
Bickley 72′
Beckenham Town 1
Gordon 29′
HT Score: 0-1
Attendance: 744
JEP Player of the Match: Jamie Watling
A busy Tuesday night on Janvrin Road drew a lively crowd to Springfield Stadium on a crisp, cold evening.
One of the main talking points for the home side was a full debut for teenager Stanley Dunne. The 17-year-old earned his place in the starting XI after an electric cameo – capped by a goal – in Saturday’s win over Erith Town.
Dunne lined up alongside the experienced pairing of Adam Trotter and Luke Watson, adding youthful energy to a settled midfield.
The visitors took to the pitch in a navy-blue strip uncomfortably similar to the referee’s outfit, causing brief confusion before order was restored and the match got under way.
Bickley looked to impose himself early, ensuring his physical presence was felt from the outset. That said, with Beckenham fielding a powerhouse of their own in the number nine shirt, it was an unusual sight to see Bickley cast as the smaller of the two strikers.
The hosts’ first real flash of attacking fluency followed soon after, as Jay Giles threaded a defence-splitting pass through to Miguel Carvalho. With Bickley waiting in the middle, Carvalho flashed a ball across the face of goal, but it narrowly eluded the Bulls’ leading scorer.
Despite Beckenham’s lowly league position, their recent form – having won their previous two matches – and a competitive opening showing confirmed that they were not a side to be taken lightly.
With neither side able to significantly test the goalkeepers, the first half took on a frantic and at times disjointed feel. Clear-cut chances were at a premium, though Beckenham’s winger Tyler Anderson emerged as the visitors’ most credible attacking outlet down the right flank.
It was Anderson who ultimately engineered the opening goal. Skipping past Giles before driving into the penalty area, the winger fired a low ball across the six-yard box – part cross, part shot – which slipped through the grasp of Pierce Roche.
The loose ball fell kindly to former QPR striker Shaquille Gordon, who made no mistake from close range, much to the disappointment of the Bulls’ goalkeeper.
Very little emerged from the closing stages of the first half, with the Bulls, in Elliot Powell’s words, “making faces at it” as the contest drifted towards the interval. Ultimately, a single defensive lapse proved the difference between the two sides.
There were no changes at the interval, neither side looked the more composed in possession as the tempo took time to settle.
A first corner for the hosts on 50 minutes, greeted by loud cries of ‘Come on you Bulls’, signalled a shift in momentum, and Powell’s men soon began to apply sustained pressure.
A slick move down the left on 55 minutes, featuring two clever dummies, created an opening for Lorne Bickley, but forced onto his weaker left foot from a tight angle, he was denied by Vinith Murugumoorthy.
The Bulls went closer moments later. James Sunley brought down a raking diagonal on his chest with a touch of class before drilling a ball across goal. Stanley Dunne’s low effort was well saved, and Murugumoorthy reacted sharply to keep out Bickley on the rebound as the reds continued to press.
Celebrations were cut short just after the hour mark when Bickley blasted into the roof of the net, only for the assistant’s flag to intervene following an offside in the build-up.
Powell turned to his bench, introducing Rai Dos Santos 20 minutes into the second stanza – and the change proved decisive.
On 72 minutes, Adam Trotter picked out Dos Santos’ well-timed run down the left. The winger broke into the box following a fortunate break for the winger, after his effort was deflected and parried, Bickley was on hand to guide a header home and level the contest.
Further changes followed as the Bulls pushed for a winner, with Giles and Dos Santos both threatening without reward.
The clearest chance arrived on the stroke of full time when Trotter slipped Jonny Le Quesne through after a surging run from right-back, but he dragged his effort over when a square pass looked the smarter option.
Deep into stoppage time, Springfield thought it had its moment. Dos Santos delivered a dangerous cross and James Sunley bundled the ball home, only for the flag to rise once more, denying the Bulls a dramatic late winner.
“We’re frustrated with ourselves, another 45 minutes where we just haven’t done anything really, just making faces at the game, so we’re frustrated by that.” said Powell.
The manager was pleased with how his side reacted following a disappointing first half, explaining: “We were good in the second half, let’s not kid ourselves on that, in the second half you need a bit of luck, or something to fall your way, and it didn’t quite, but I’m a firm believer that you make your own luck and we didn’t work hard enough in the first half to do that.”
Stanley Dunne earned a start following his positive impact from the bench on the weekend and Powell confirmed that he was showing encouraging signs once again, stating: “I thought he [Dunne] did well, it was a game where it didn’t quite come off for him, but he lived with the pace of the game well which is exactly what you can hope for from a young lad.”
Powell mentioned that he had some stern words at half time, saying: “I think the lads would be first to say that there some words exchanged, but I think you saw a reaction at in the second half and it’s just frustrating that it took that to get the reaction.”
“It’s a frustrating night at the office, but the most important thing is that we found a way not to lose the game. Powell continued.
With the Bulls’ excellent home record still intact, the side hope that Springfield Stadium will remain a fortress ahead of this Saturday’s match against eighth placed Herne Bay.
Jersey Bulls squad: Pierce Roche, Jonny Le Quesne (c), Jay Giles, James Watling, Luke Campbell, Luke Watson, James Sunley, Adam Trotter, Lorne Bickley, Stanley Dunne, Miguel Carvalho Substitutes: James Carr (not used), James Queree (not used), Joe Kilshaw (for Watson 73), Rai Dos Santos (for Dunne 64), Francis Lekimamati (for Carvalho 75)
Beckenham Town squad: Vinith Murugamoorthy, Joe Chalker, Makhaya James, Henry Douglas, Jack Holland (c), Will Grieveson, Freddie Nyhus, Harry Gamble, Shaquille Gordon, Thomas Hever, Tyler Anderson Substitutes: George Porter (not used), Jesse Rowe (for Gordon 85), Abbas Agoro (for Grieveson 81), Casey Dudley (for Gamble 64), Rob Carter (not used)
