JERSEY Bulls’ debut season at step four ended in the most gutting of fashions on Tuesday night, beaten on penalties by AFC Whyteleafe after a match that had everything, including a delay of more than half an hour following a floodlight failure.
After 96 tense minutes finished goalless, the visitors held their nerve to win the shootout 4-3 and progress to Friday’s final, while the Bulls were left to reflect on a campaign of huge progress that ended in cruel fashion.
A crowd of 1,509 turned out at Janvrin Road for the biggest match of the season, but the contest will also be remembered for a lengthy second-half stoppage after floodlights failed at the Whyteleafe end of the ground.
Jersey Bulls 0
AFC Whyteleafe 0
AFC Whyteleafe won 4-3 after penalties
HT Score: 0-0
Attendance: 1,509
JEP Player of the Match: Slavomir Huk
The opening half was tight, as these occasions tend to be. Lorne Bickley dragged an early chance wide after being slipped through by James Queree, Miguel Carvalho dazzled in spells down the right without quite finding the killer ball.
Slavomir Huk, who was impressive all night in the Whyteleafe goal, beat away a Bickley effort from the edge of the area. The Bulls were the more threatening side but the final touch was elusive.
Then came the chaos.
Carvalho limped off with a hamstring problem shortly after the restart, and minutes later the floodlights experienced a fault which meant play was halted. Both teams trudged back to the dressing rooms. The Bull Pen waved their phone torches and Springfield held its breath.
Thirty-five minutes passed before the game resumed at 9.34pm and whatever rhythm had been building was long gone.
To their credit, both sides found a second wind. Toby Ritzema twice tested Huk with fierce efforts, but the goalkeeper was at his brilliant best.
With 15 minutes to go, Bickley surged down the left, cut it back for Lekimamati, and the finish looked certain, only for Huk to block it in an unorthodox fashion, a save with his face that may well have decided the tie. The match eventually finished goalless and headed straight for penalties.
Giles and Dos Santos converted for the Bulls, before Lekimamati blazed over, only for Whyteleafe to hand Jersey a lifeline when Mascoll did exactly the same. Queree held his nerve to make it 3-2, but Kilshaw’s kick was saved, and Saunders-Henry converted coolly.
Bulls manager Elliot Powell admitted the result was painful, but believed his side largely carried out the game plan.
“I thought we were good out of possession,” he said. “I thought we were really good out of possession actually. I thought we cancelled them out. With the exception of one chance where we gave the ball away around the edge of our box, Euan’s not had too much to do.
“In possession, we lacked quality. We lacked quality to break them down and create chances.
“I think the one time we had a bit of quality, their keeper pulled off a brilliant save. That’s what goalkeepers are there to do. He’s done his job tonight and he’s done his job in the penalty shootout as well.”
Despite the heartbreaking ending, Powell said the wider achievements of the campaign should not be forgotten.
“I don’t think tonight’s the night to look back at the achievement,” he said. “We’re allowed to be disappointed. We’re allowed to lick our wounds a little bit.
“But in a week’s time, when we start planning for next season, we’ll look back fondly upon what we’ve achieved this season.
“We’ve learned an awful lot. If you look at our form from January onwards, we’ve pretty much been the best team in the league.”
He’s not wrong. Third place. 28 points from their last ten matches. A home play-off semi-final. The Bulls have made their mark at this level and Powell is already plotting how to go further.
“The core nucleus is there,” he said. “We just need to add a little more quality to get over the line.”
Last night hurt. But this club is only going in one direction.
Jersey Bulls squad: Euan Van Der Vliet, James Queree (c), Luke Campbell, Toby Ritzema, Lorne Bickley, Rai Dos Santos, Miguel Carvalho, Adam Trotter, Jay Giles, Jamie Watling, Luke Watson, Substitutes: Fraser Barlow (for Bickley 90+1′), Joe Kilshaw (for Watson 76′), James Sunley (for Trotter 85′), Francis Lekimamati (for Carvalho 48′), Harry Curtis (unused)
AFC Whyteleafe squad: Slavomir Huk, Helge Orome, Aaron Goode, Corey Holder (c), Daniel Bennett, Jordan Johnson-Palmer, Moses Emmanuel, Mannie Mensah, Hani Hechachena, Craig Braum-Barrett, Ryan Gondoh, Substitutes: Kershaney Sameuls (for Emmanuel 70′), Mason Saunders-Henry (for Bennett 90+1′), Eniola Hassan (for Mensah 70′), Jamie Mascoll (for Braum-Barrett 76′)
