A DAMP and foggy afternoon at Les Quennevais provided the backdrop for a gripping Men’s Tier 2 Trophy quarter-final, as Jersey Men’s 1s edged past Woking to secure a place in the semi-finals of the English League Championships.
Jersey were backed by a sizeable home crowd and were forced to respond early after Woking opened the scoring in the sixth minute, a clean drag-flick from a penalty corner flying through a crowd of sticks and beyond Tyler McGlinchey.
The hosts hit back just six minutes later with a beautifully worked short-corner routine. Pete Millar’s initial drag was cleverly redirected by his brother Tom, whose lifted touch flashed into the roof of the net to restore parity.
Jersey began to assert themselves after the equaliser, creating the better chances as Woking were forced into several nervy defensive moments. The visitors’ goalkeeper was required to make a sharp save to deny Tiaan Kruger, while Ed Hodgson and Jamie Bolton both went close as Jersey pressed.
The sides went into the break level, but the second half saw the tempo lift further. Hodgson was slipped through early on, only to be denied by a well-timed intervention from the Woking goalkeeper. Moments later, Jersey made their pressure count when Bolton reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the circle, flicking home to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.
Woking responded well and levelled the match midway through the half, punishing a lapse in concentration at the back to make it 2-2. The contest swung end to end, with McGlinchey producing a superb save onto the post to keep Jersey level as Woking threatened.
The decisive moment arrived six minutes from time when Ben Heelis showed composure beyond his years, smashing a powerful strike from the edge of the D to restore Jersey’s lead. Despite sustained late pressure and several nervy moments from penalty corners, Jersey held firm to seal a memorable victory and book their place in the semi-finals.
A full reaction article will be available in Tuesday’s paper.
