IT probably comes as little surprise that Elliot Powell’s high-flying Bulls returned home from Chipstead with all three points, but the ruthless manner in which they went about the crushing 8-1 onslaught, will certainly turn heads.
Their Surrey-based opponents have struggled with a leaky defence all season, and with Jersey’s knack of finding goals from any number of sources, the Islanders ran riot.
Luke Watson, Joe Kilshaw and Jonny Le Quesne all scored twice, while substitutes Kieran Lester and Sammy Sutcliffe were also on target.
At the halfway point of the Premier Division South season, the numbers are quite staggering for Jersey.
Across 19 league games, the Islanders have won 15 and drawn four, scoring 54 and shipping just 11 in that period.
If those figures are not eye-watering enough, the last 11 fixtures, including an FA Vase victory – saw ten wins – all without the services of record goalscorer Lorne Bickley, still sidelined through injury.
“We were conscious of the challenge, as it was similar in our narrow win at Corinthian-Casuals,” said captain James Querée.
“Under dingy lights, on a surface that wasn’t ideal, we knew that we had to do the basics right and be fundamentally solid.
“I think we certainly did that and getting a couple of early goals really helped us settle into a rhythm.
“The boys deserve a huge amount of credit, because it can be easy to switch off after getting a healthy lead. But we were relentless and that’s really encouraging to see.”
Watson, upon joining the Bulls in 2023, stressed the importance that goals come from different avenues, in a bid to lighten the load on star marksman Bickley.
With their top goalscorer so far this campaign being midfielder Kilshaw with eight, that point of emphasis has come to fruition and is exactly what the new coaching staff demanded in their first season in charge.
“We are getting goals from everywhere,” added Querée.
“Joe [Kilshaw] only had one goal before this season and he’s been finding the target at will of late.
“With Jonny [Le Quesne] and Luke [Watson] also scoring twice, it’s been so pleasing to see so many goals scored by midfielders.
“Sammy [Sutcliffe] is traditionally a centre-half and he was introduced as a number 9 off the bench and managed to grab a goal too.
“We were fully aware entering this season, that if we’re to achieve our goal of getting promoted, that we would need to be able to score through various players.
“People have really stepped up and embraced when they are needed.
“Pierce [Roche] has been training well and patiently waited his turn with Euan [Van Der Vliet] taking some time with his new-born and he did really well.
“There wasn’t really much he could have done about the only goal he conceded.
“We can now wash our hands of no more midweek fixtures in 2024. We’ve had six of them now and they’re a real slog of a day.
“But we can take great pride in how we have managed each of them and continued our unbeaten run.
Watson opened the floodgates in the seventh minute, after player of the game Rai Dos Santos’ stinging free-kick rattled the underside of the bar and out, with Jersey’s defensive midfielder first to react, nodding home into the empty net.
Just a few minutes later, Kilshaw’s searching pass found Le Quesne, who expertly tucked the effort home, doubling the advantage.
Bulls huffed and puffed for a third, but the only resistance that was broken was the goal frame itself, which was eventually fixed after a ten-minute delay.
Approaching the break, chances came for both sides with Roche keeping Chipstead at bay before Le Quesne added his second in additional time, tucking away a Dos Santos squared ball following a threaded pass to the winger from James Carr.
It was the Islanders to break through first in the second period also, again with Dos Santos the creator.
The tricky winger weaved through defenders inside the penalty area, before being hacked down for an obvious penalty.
Watson proceeded to step up confidently to convert from the spot.
The hosts found a glimmer of hope through Melford Simpson on the hour mark, but Powell’s men quickly put paid to any dreams of a comeback.
The man of the hour, Joe Kilshaw, collected the ball to feet, before twisting and calmly slotting home to restore the four-goal advantage and essentially end the game as a contest.
With 30 minutes left, the visitors had little sympathy for their opponents, and proving the strength in depth at their disposal, substitute Fraser Barlow’s effort was spilled to fellow replacement Lester for 6-1.
Kilshaw secured his brace moments later, as his powerful strike at the keeper found its way into the back of the net, before yet another substitute made his mark.
Centre-back Sutcliffe, on at number 9, was on hand to tap in from a corner to round off Jersey Bulls’ biggest victory of the campaign.
“There’s a very positive feel around the squad,” Querée added.
“We have placed a massive reliance of Lorne [Bickley] over the past few seasons and, credit to him, he’s been outstanding and needed.
“But now we are in a place where everyone is stepping up to the plate.
“Lorne is now close to being back in training and James Sunley also. Getting those players back in for the business end of the season would be massive.
“Other teams on the mainland will make signings and have budgets to spend, so I think for us, we will treat their returns like new signings.
“They’ll be back fresh and ready to make an impact.
“We are still only amateur players, but the last few seasons have given us added experience on what to expect and the standard we need to keep.
“At the moment, those levels are there, but it’s up to us to ensure they stay where they need to be.”
Chipstead: Finley Davenport, Cameron Lewis-Brown, Manaaf Pauw, Evan Kelly, Tequaniel Palmer, Archie Alexander, Ben Jordan, Tijani Eshilokun (c), Enrique Tiamuna, Melford Simpson, Emmanuel Robe. Substitutes: Elijah Hopwood (for Robe 48), Mishael Matillon-Konan (for Eshilokun 48)
Jersey Bulls: Pierce Roche, Harry Curtis, James Carr, James Queree (c), Luke Campbell, Luke Watson, Francis Lekimamati, Joe Kilshaw, Rai Dos Santos, Toby Ritzema, Jonny Le Quesne. Substitutes: Sammy Sutcliffe (for Lekimamati 74), Fraser Barlow (for Ritzema 62), Kieran Lester (for Dos Antos 62), Jay Giles
