JERSEY BULLS – 4 (Henia-Kamau 30′, 33′, 60′; Bickley 37′)
SHEERWATER – 1 (Harvey Valter 14′)
Player of the Match: Sammy Henia-Kamau
SENSATIONAL attacking play, domination of possession and a few highlight individual performances lit up Springfield Stadium this afternoon, as the Jersey Bulls came out on top 4-1 over Sheerwater in their FA Cup preliminary round clash.
With Sheerwater currently in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South, a tier below the boys in red, the odds seemed hugely stacked in the Bulls’ favour.
However, with the very magic of the FA Cup being its unpredictable nature and tendency for the odd giant-killing, anything could happen and for the opening 20 minutes, that was very much the case.
The Bulls just weren’t themselves in that opening period, with errors in possession and issues with their formation leaving them wide open for Sheerwater to take the lead, as their own number nine Harvey Valter scored a neat finish from the very centre of the box in the 14th minute.
That was not the end of what was almost a nightmare start, as the visitors’ nearly doubled their lead with a header which just dragged wide.
The very shock of almost falling down 2-0 to the underdogs seemed to kick the Bulls into gear though, as the local outfit completely turned things around for the remainder of the game.
With every attack, every passage of play, the Bulls’ grasp of the game only tightened and, after a few razor-close chances – most notably Lorne Bickley’s header that went just wide in the 25th minute – it seemed inevitable that the Caesareans would hit back.
Just four minutes later, those hopes were transformed into reality as Sammy Henia-Kamau pulled off an absolute beauty of a goal. Capitalising off a neat dummy from Bickley, Henia-Kamau then showcased a moment of brilliance to drag the ball back, sending the defender the wrong way before smashing it in the top right.
From there on out, the Bulls just completely overwhelmed their adversaries and Sheerwater just couldn’t get a look in.
All it took was another three minutes for the Bulls to pull ahead, as they scored in the 32nd minute from their third corner of the half as Henia-Kamau’s shot deflected off the Sheerwater defender’s head to land in the top left corner- but it wasn’t without controversy.
It may have been announced as Henia-Kamau’s second of the day but, after we all painstakingly analysed several replays of the finish up in the media box, opinions were divided. Some thought it was curling out wide before the deflection, others thought it was on target, but the Bulls decided to keep it as Henia-Kamau’s goal – for now.
After playing an instrumental role for the Bulls all game in the build-up, it was time for Bickley to add his name to the scoresheet in the 37th minute, and he certainly did so in style. The Caesarean striker showcased his strength to, quite literally, muscle through Sheerwater’s back line with a very physical carry up through the middle, battling all the way to the six-yard box before then neatly slipping the ball to the bottom left corner to make it 3-1.
Any worries of the Bulls dropping off after the break were quickly dashed, as the Bulls picked up right where they left off in the second half to pepper Sheerwater with threatening shots and sharp through balls.
Henia-Kamau was truly sensational for the Bulls at Springfield Stadium – every time he had possession, he looked a threat. Sheerwater had no answers for the star and, at the 60th minute, Henia-Kamau capped off his unrivalled showing with yet another goal, this time finding the back of the net from James Carr’s assist inside the box.
By the 60th minute, they were 4-1 up and there simply was no way back for Sheerwater to get back into contention.
The Bulls showed the great depth they have at their disposal with a few big substitutes to further push the game out of Sheerwater’s reach.
The most notable of those had to be Toby Ritzema, who filled in for Bickley up top to create many chances. He paced through the tiring away side’s back line with ease and, in the 81st minute, managed to get one-on-one with the keeper. However, he took that one touch too many, allowing the keeper to stuff the ball before it could find the back of the net.
Jersey’s star side managed to ride out the rest of the game and seal a dominant 4-1 victory. It may have not been perfect, but there are plenty of positives for the season ahead.
For the full interview and reaction, check out Monday’s JEP
