‘A POINT could make the difference at the end of the season.’
Forward Karl Hinds was lamenting how his Jersey Bulls side had managed to pull back level deep into injury time only to throw it away moments later. Their first ever home league defeat, committed away from home at Adams Park.
It was a first away win of the season for Banstead Athletic too, struggling second from bottom in the table.
But it was they who basked in the one-off occasion of playing at Wycombe Wanderers’ ground – kindly provided by the League One side to stage the game while Springfield is out of use – while Bulls ran out of steam.
Manager Gary Freeman does not like to use fatigue as an excuse but one win in five matches – four on the road – played over just 15 days, tells its own story.
‘It’s going to be the longest season our players have ever been involved in,’ said a sympathetic chair Russell Le Feuvre after the match, pointing out they would barely play 20 matches in a regular season in the JFA Combination. On top of that are the hours of travel, of checking through security, early rises and late nights. Many forget they are only amateur players, unpaid, in a semi-professional league. You can excuse them, if it starts to take its toll.
The signs are there. Individual mistakes creeping in, injuries to key players, a collective intensity diminishing.
Bulls still should have won though. They had 24 shots on target and scored just two. Banstead had four shots on target and scored three, including a penalty.
While Bulls paid the price for being less than clinical, they were also punished for a sluggish start in the afternoon sun.
There seemed little danger when Bulls looked to transition the ball from defence to launch an attack until Adam Trotter got himself in a tangle; and when his underhit pass to his midfield partner Kamen Nafkha was picked off by the scurrying Scott Walker, the Banstead playmaker made it easy on himself by executing a delightful chip over Euan van der Vliet to open the scoring.
It was not until around the half-hour mark that Bulls created their first couple of clear opportunities, one of which should have resulted in an equaliser. Both chances resulted from well-worked combination play that hinted that Bulls still could conjure up moments of quality.
Nafkha might have had a go himself when he received the ball just inside the left-hand side of the penalty area but he unselfishly squared it to Fraser Barlow, who should have done better with his saved effort at point-blank range.
Then Jonny Le Quesne was put through in a similar area on the left-hand side but chose to shoot early when he had the time and space to bear down on goal a little further and the Banstead ‘keeper Devon Gordon saved easily.
The visitors from Surrey may have extended their lead further when Washington Omenyi was presented with a good chance but, with nearly an hour played, Bulls pulled it back level.
Hinds, who was impressive playing in the hole, got back behind the Banstead defence and lifted his cross to the back post for Kieran Lester to tap in.
Substitute Jake Prince should have put the Bulls in the lead just minutes later when put through, only to see his effort go straight at Gordon and, instead, Banstead delivered another blow, this time from the penalty spot after Omenyi’s cross accidentally hit Jonny Le Quesne’s arm as he dived in to block.
Up stepped Walker to send van der Vliet the wrong way.
There was still a long way to go in the match but Bulls struggled to apply enough pressure until the full-time whistle loomed. Prince thought he had equalised but was ruled offside.
Banstead were then forced to withdraw Gordon due to injury and Bulls proceeded to lay siege to their opponent’s goal in an extended stoppage time.
Eventually they got what they were looking for when, after two efforts were cleared off the line in quick succession, the ball fell to Le Quesne, who fired it into the net.
Bulls immediately went looking for a winner but were instantly done with a sucker punch.
A long clearance fell to Connor Cullen, clean through on goal, and he showed tremendous composure to round van der Vliet and roll the ball into the net for the winner to spark delirium among the Banstead players and officials.
For Bulls, they now have it all to do to get back in the promotion chase. That’s starts tomorrow when they have to travel again to Knaphill.
