CAPTAIN James Querée complimented his side’s professionalism after keeping a clean sheet and securing a point away at free-scoring Winchester City on Saturday.
Heading into the fixture, the home side had scored 15 goals in their opening five games, and they will have backed their chances for more when the Bulls were reduced to ten men after 65 minutes when Jonny Le Quesne was sent packing for a second yellow card offense.
However, the game remained goalless, leaving the Bulls with two wins and two draws from their opening four games.
Winchester City 0 – 0 Jersey Bulls
Venue: Charters Community Stadium
Attendance: 289
Referee: Josh Osofa
Cautions: [WC] Thomas Bragg 70′, Bradley Waters 43′; [JB] Jonny Le Quesne 35’/62′ sent off, Jarma Mohamed 45+1′, Euan Van Der Vliet 65′, James Querée 65′
“It was a good performance to keep the clean another clean sheet away from home, especially after going down to 10 men,” said Querée. “It was a frustrating game though, a fair few decisions that didn’t go our way.”
The veteran defender naturally highlighted Le Quesne’s dismissal as a key moment in the game, if not a particularly controversial one.
“I thought both his yellow’s were fairly soft,” he said, “but for Jonny to be sent off the way he was for a clash that we didn’t feel was his fault was a challenging one to take at the time.
“But we can’t control those things. What we could control was the way we performed and, especially defensively, I thought we controlled the game well.
“I thought we were the better team and in my opinion we created the better chances, even with being down to ten men for half an hour.”
Querée was complimentary of his big forward Lorne Bickley, describing him as “working his socks off”, while also singing the praises of Sammy Henia-Kamau, the returning Fraser Barlow and striker Darryl Mvalo.
The young forward plays his club football at Jersey Wanderers and is beginning to make his mark in the Bulls squad this season.
Henia-Kamau looked ominous throughout the first half with a couple of efforts narrowly missing, while Toby Ritzema drew a decent save from Winchester Keeper Danny Dixon.
Moments after the restart, Ritzema’s whipped ball across the box found the head of Bickley, but he could only find the side netting.
The hosts looked like they might have snatched a late winner in the 81st minute when Bradley Waters’ header beat Van Der Vliet in the Bulls goal – but the visitors were saved, eventually, by the offside flag.
In added time, a strike from Winchester’s Ryan Carroll looked also to steal the win, but it whistled narrowly over the bar.
Despite the late scares, the Bulls certainly offered their share of chances throughout and Querée (left), in traditionally honest tones, admitted: “In hindsight, on another day maybe we could have been a bit more clinical in front of goal.
“But to secure another clean sheet against a side who were in good goalscoring form up until this game is a good effort and it’s another big point on the road.
“We’ll have a look back at this one at training on Tuesday and we’ll make sure we’re ready to put in another strong away performance on Friday night against Bedfont.”
The Bulls travel to Bedfont Sports Club on Friday night for their fifth game of the Isthmian South Central season, kick-off scheduled for 7.45pm.
To see the full updated league table, as well as other fixtures and scores, click the link; https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/jersey-bulls/league-table
Winchester City: Danny Dixon, Callum Baughan, Sam Godfroy (off 76′), Domenico Panesar-Dower (off 78′), George Milner-Smith, Thomas Bragg (off 84′), Lewis Ross (c), Scott Bungay, Oliver Balmer (off 68′), Lewis Brown (off 46′), Bradley Waters.
Subs: Jez Bedford (on 76′), Charlie Burden (on 78′), Archie Whitfield (on 46′), Ryan Carroll 68′), Wilfred Hawes (on 84′)
Jersey Bulls: Euan Van Der Vliet, Jonny Le Quesne, James Querée (c), Jamie Watling, Jay Giles, Joe Kilshaw (off 64′), Luke Watson, Jarma Mohamed (off 90+4′), Toby Ritzema (off 70′), Sammy Henia-Kamau, Lorne Bickley (off 75′)
Subs: Harry Curtis (on 64′), Harry Mackenzie (on 90+4′), Fraser Barlow (on 70′), Darryl Mvalo (on 75′), Seaney McColgan
League Results
Ascot United 0-4 Raynes Park Vale
Bedfont Sports 0-2 Moneyfields
Bognor Regis Town 3-1 Harrow Borough
Westfield 3-0 Cobham
