JERSEY Bulls’ unbeaten streak at home has been halted by Herne Bay, as the visitors came out on top 2-1 in a match that wasn’t without controversy.
“It’s a tough one to analyse so quickly after the final whistle, but defeats are always hard to take, especially since this is our first loss at home for the season,” said midfielder Luke Watson.
“Were we of value to get anything out of it? Probably not, I think we were short on quality today. It’s tough because we’ve been on this long unbeaten run and its hard to lose it tonight, but we’ll dust ourselves down and, with the character we have in the team, we’ll bounce back.”
It wasn’t long before the Bulls found themselves under pressure, as a scoring opportunity opened up with a free-kick just outside the box in the fourth minute.
Herne Bay’s Bode Anidugbe stepped up to take the set piece, placed just left of the penalty arc, and delivered a powerful strike, but keeper Pierce Roche strongly palmed the ball away.
Jersey Bulls – 1
Lorne Bickley 78’
Herne Bay – 2
Jonny Le Quesne (OG) 7’, Steven Townsend 81’
Attendance: 860
HT Score: 0-1
Player of the Match: Lorne Bickley
Just three minutes later, ‘The Bay’ found themselves back in enemy territory, as their own Steven Townsend made a darting run.
As Townsend pulled the ball back at the back line, that stirred controversy as many at the time believed the ball went out, but the Herne Bay player didn’t stop before then creeping round the keeper to find the back of the net after an unfortunate touch from Jonny Le Quesne, putting the visitors up 1-0.
Falling behind so early would have put the Caesareans on high alert, as they responded well on the pitch to then control possession. However, for their dominant period of possession, the reds just lacked that killer touch in the final third, as attacking chances were hard to come by.
The Islanders’ first chance at goal came in the 17th minute, as midfield stalwart Luke Watson made a magnificent cross into the box, landing right at the feet of striker Lorne Bickley.
Although it seemed the stars were aligning for an equaliser, as Bickley was right in front of the goal, his volley strayed just wide.
That intensity was maintained, with both teams battling away for possession, However, it was the hosts who then gained the upper hand to then power themselves back into the opposition’s area, with Jay Giles whipping in a dangerous low cross.
Somehow, the ball darted across the six-yard box unanswered, as it was just outside the two Bulls players’ reach to result in another missed chance.
Jersey’s finest then followed that up with another opportunity, as Bickley made himself open once again from a Le Quesne cross to shoot first time, but he just couldn’t get enough power on it, allowing Herne Bay’s Freddie Norman to pat it out for a corner.
That corner was taken quickly in the 43rd minute, finding the head of Luke Campbell who powered it towards goal, but a remarkable goal-line clearance prevented the hosts from going level.
That moment wasn’t without dispute, as many around the ground believed it had crossed the line, and the home crowd surely made their voices heard on the stand.
Drama wasn’t over for the first half, as a threatening cross from James Sunley landed at the feet of winger Francis Lekimamati at the back post, who drilled it low. Unfortunately, it was just wide as the ball hit the side netting, seeing Herne Bay on top heading into the break.
Following the restart, play was incredibly contentious, with neither team really having an upper hand in possession.
It was a long wait yet again for an attacking chance to open up, with fans waiting until the 62nd minute for a team to break through, as a costly slip from Roche gave the visitors a free header towards goal.
Fortunately, the ever-reliable captain James Querée was there when needed most, jumping across to clear the line and prevent the hosts from falling behind even further.
Just eight minutes later, Querée found himself called upon again, as Herne Bay’s Zuriel Otseh-Taiwo ran through on goal. Roche went out to press the attacker, but somehow the ball still managed to sneak through, trailing towards the goal.
Yet again, the skipper saved the day to coolly make the clearance, bringing a sense of relief to keep the Bulls in the game.
Finally, in the 78th minute, the home crowd’s prayers were answered, as Bickley gathered another cross from Le Quesne to then deliver a powerful low-driven shot, which was simply too much for the keeper as it found the back of the net, making it all square once again at 1-1.
All seemed to be going the Bulls’ way after they levelled the score, with hopes high that their unbeaten home record may continue. However, Herne Bay had other ideas, as a cross made its way into the Bulls’ box just five minutes later.
It certainly looked dangerous and it proved to be, as Townsend got the final touch off his head after his teammate, Joseph Alatise, headed the ball at goal, killing hopes to go 2-1 late in the match.
Controversy hit with that one yet again, as many believed that Townsend had interfered by shoving Roche to the floor before the goal, but the officials deemed no foul.
That go-ahead goal seemed to really kill the hosts’ momentum, as they just couldn’t really get anything going for the remainder of the game, and Herne Bay rode out the win.
Manager Elliot Powell was furious following the full-time whistle, making his frustrations known: “The game was fine, I think the team played well and that a draw would have probably been a fair result, but we were dealing with three officials that weren’t up to scratch. There were about five or six key match incidents that weren’t looked into, it was just pathetic.
“If that’s the standard that’s getting trotted out each week, then we might as well pack up because that’s nowhere near good enough. They’re happy to speak to you, pull us up on everything from the changing rooms to our sideline kits, but they can’t make simple decisions.
“We can’t continue this standard of refereeing, and the league has to do something about it as it’s just not good enough. For a league that we’ve worked so hard to get in, for this to be the product it feels like we’ve been let down.”
Looking ahead to their next match, the Bulls have their work cut out as it’s an incredibly quick turnaround, with their match against Broadbridge Heath taking place tonight, for a 7.45pm kick-off at Springfield Stadium.
Watson concluded: “In the team huddle at the end there, it was actually quite positive about today, but really they were mainly saying what I said earlier about lacking quality. I think I’d like to see the second goal back, but the goals we conceded were poor goals and we weren’t goo enough in their box.
“However, if there’s one thing we’re good at, it’s bouncing back. You need character and resilience, and this team has that in abundance, so we’ll be giving our best shot on Monday to get those three points. Of course it’s harder, with us being in a tough league, but we’ll lie down for no one and give our best for the home crowd.”
Although the home record has now been stopped, Watson had to give his plaudits for the home fans, who have played a huge part in their form at Springfield Stadium: “I though our home crowd were brilliant again today, our fans getting behind us has had a huge role in our home form this season.
“We have great numbers, they’re loud and there really is a great atmosphere here, hopefully we contribute to that by playing more front-footed football. So, as much as we’ve lost today, I thank the fans and hopefully they will keep getting behind us.”
Teams
Jersey Bulls: Pierce Roche, Luke Campbell, James Querée (c), Jonny Le Quesne, Jay Giles, Luke Watson, Adam Trotter, Stanley Dunne, James Sunley, Francis Lekimamati, Lorne Bickley.
Substitutes: James Carr (for Giles, 45’), Miguel Carvalho (for Lekimamati, 57’), Toby Ritzema (for Dunne, 63’), Joe Kilshaw (for Watson, 69’), Luke Coutanche.
Herne Bay: Freddy Norman, Louie Procopi, Rhys Wyborn, Bode Anidugbe, Joe Alatise, Joe Tyrie (C), Gil Carvalho, Hamilton Antonio, Alfie Bloomfield, Steven Townsend, Zuriel Otseh-Taiwo.
Substitutes: Zaid Al-Hussaini (for Carvalho, 76’), James Lartice (for Otseh-Taiwo, 90+6’), Alfie Cutbush (for Bloomfield, 84’), Matt Holness (for Anidugbe, 90+1’), James Rogers (for Alatise, 86’).
Isthmian League South-East Division
