Jersey Bulls
3 - 0
Combined Counties League Premier Division South
Camberley Town FC
Saturday February 4, 2023, 2:00 pm
Springfield Stadium
Combined Counties League Premier Division South
Camberley, formerly of the Isthmian League, joined the Combined Counties in 2006. Initially they were generally amongst the top half dozen clubs. They were runners-up in both 2014 and 2015 and reached the F.A. Vase quarter-finals in 2016. However, the last four seasons have seen them in the bottom half of the table.
Camberley have played at Krooner Park since 1923. It is so named as the land was bought by the owner of a horse named “Krooner” after the owner had successfully backed it to win a race at Haydock Park, near Liverpool.
Last season they finished twelfth in the league with a record of 13-5-20 43-60. This season they are currently three places lower with 7-0-12 26-38 record. This is largely because they have failed to gain a single point “on the road” whereas their good home record includes inflicting Badshot Lea’s only league defeat of the season. This was the week after Jersey won there 4-0, a score matched by Raynes Park Vale last Saturday. Guildford City are the only other side to have won there in the league.
In the F.A. Cup they went out to the last Level 10 survivors – Wincanton Town of the Western League, after a replay. They had previously disposed of Shaftesbury of the Wessex League, also after a replay. In the F.A. Vase they lost to South Bristol side Ashton & Backwell United of the Western League.
Jersey did the double over Camberley last season. They won 3-1 at Springfield in early December with goals from Fraser Barlow, Lorne Bickley and Sol Solomon. The return at Camberley in mid-February, played on a very heavy pitch, was won 2-1 with an added time winner from Bickley after Camberley had equalised Luke Campbell’s opener.
This season in early November Jersey took a large contingent of travelling supporters with them and again won in heavy conditions in front of a crowd of 320. Lorne Bickley, Miguel Carvalho and Ruben Mendes put the Bulls three up at the interval and Mendes scored his second thunderbolt of the match ten minutes into the second half.
Jersey made three starting changes to Tuesday’s team that had won at Fleet Town.
Captain James Queree returned to the back four with Luke Campbell, rested on the bench in advance of the trip to Newport Pagnell. Joe Kilshaw and Sammy Henia-Kamau both came into midfield rotating with Adam Trotter and Miguel Carvalho who joined Campbell amongst the substitutes. Harry Scott, debutant at Fleet, and Sammy Sutcliffe were also there with Scott poised for a first appearance at Springfield for the first team.
Camberley Town had eight players in the squad that had met Jersey three months ago but just as many were new faces. They brought a dozen supporters with them and they enjoyed meeting up again with the Bulls fans they had met at Camberley.
Camberley won the toss and decided to defend the Town end with Jersey kicking off on a cloudy afternoon milder than of late at 10C.
Jersey were soon on the attack forcing three successive corners in the opening two minutes. The first was gained when Steve Lee tackled Lorne Bickley on the left byline. This saw Bickley take a tumble and injure his right shoulder which was to force him off early in the second half.
From the second delivered by Francis Lekimamati from the grandstand corner Luke Watson rose highest at the far post eight yards out to send a header dropping in to the top right corner before Camberley ‘keeper, Harry Cawdron, clawed it away from under the bar for another corner.
After quarter of an hour Lekimamati blocked a Callum Wiltshire clearance and it deflected to Bickley. Bickley advanced and returned it to Lekimamati but his first touch left him with a narrow angle and Cawdron was able to smother his shot.
Jersey took the lead with a delightful team goal. Jay Giles played a long ball forward down the left for Henia-Kamau to run on to. He checked back and played the ball inside to Bickley who then played a one-two in the penalty area with Luke Watson leaving Bickley to cleverly chip the advancing Cawdron.
Midway through the half Lekimamati delivered a free-kick from the grandstand corner on to Ben Le Rougetel’s head eight yards out. He made good contact but it went straight to Cawdron who managed to parry it for Cavan Atkinson to hook away.
Another attack saw Luke Benton bundle Henia-Kamou over but the penalty appeals were waved away. Camberley picked up a couple of knocks with Calvin Camara and then captain Steve Lee needing treatment. The latter having a bad nose bleed after contesting a Wiltshire corner which saw Frank Tobin hook the loose ball off the line. Lee was off for six minutes whilst the blood was staunched and he returned wearing the number 16 shirt as there was blood on his own.
An Aaron Mead free-kick for Camberley in the 39th minute was only semi cleared and from near the penalty spot Sam Whitehead did well to hook a volley goalward but Watson was there to head clear as Euan Van der Vliet launched himself to his left behind him.
Three minutes before the break Frank Tobin crashed a twenty-yard shot against the right post and Mead apparently injured himself in trying to block Tobin off and was replaced immediately by Jack Selby. As the clock ticked into added time Giles cut in from the left, passed to Joe Kilshaw in the centre who in turn fed Lekimamati on the right sideline. His early cross to the far post saw Giles, who had continued his run, head in for the second goal of the game.
Bickley was still feeling his shoulder and was replaced by Miguel Carvalho early in the second half. Carvalho was immediately involved in Jersey’s next chance. Setting Lekimamati on his way down the right the cross to the far post reached Watson who, under pressure from Brenton, did not get much power on his header from eight yards out which went just wide of the left post.
On the hour Camberley withdrew their other striker, Shane Johnson, in favour of Jacob Wheeler. Three minutes later Jersey scored their third. Tobin played a one-two on the right with Lekimamati and surged forward down the right channel. His first attempt at a pass inside came back to him off a defender but the second reached Watson, playing further forward after the withdrawal of Bickley. Henia-Kamau stepped over the pass and from ten yards Watson smacked the ball into the top left corner.
That was Tobin’s last action as he was withdrawn for Sammy Sutcliffe who moved into central defence with Queree moving out to Tobin’s position on the right. Selby became the first player cautioned when he hauled Carvalho back as he attempted a break from midfield.
Scott was brought for Henia-Kamau to make his home debut before Sam Whitehead joined Selby in the book for the same misdemeanour, pulling Carvalho back. Trotter then replaced Nafkha before a delightful lofted ball forward by Kilshaw set up Scott. Another lob would surely have given him a debut goal but he pulled the chance wide of the left post.
Jersey continued looking for a fourth goal. With ten minutes remaining the livewire Carvalho played in Lekimamati left of centre and his cross shot from the edge of the box cannoned back of the top right of the bar. Lekimamati set up Scott but he was closed down by Cawdron who, when the ball was recycled, produced a great save to push a twenty-yard Trotter shot, to the top left corner, over the bar.
After this burst of excitement Camberley made their last change of the day with their second substitute being substituted himself. Billy Ludlow came on for Wheeler who went off rubbing his left hamstring. However, there was little of note during Ludlow’s ten minutes of action, including added time, as Jersey ran out comfortable winners to maintain their third position in the table.
Jersey Bulls 3 (Lorne Bickley 19, Jay Giles 45+1, Luke Watson 63), Camberley Town 0
Attendance – 562
Programme – £2, 24pp
Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, Frank Tobin (wore 12), Jay Giles, James Queree (c), Ben Le Rougetel, Joe Kilshaw, Francis Lekimamati, Kamen Nafkha, Lorne Bickley (wore 16), Luke Watson, Sammy Henia-Kamau
Substitutes – 15. Harry Scott (for Henia-Kamau 72), 17. Miguel Carvalho (for Bickley 52), 18. Luke Campbell (not used), 21. Adam Trotter (for Nafkha 77), 23. Sammy Sutcliffe (for Tobin 64)
Red/White/White; GK All Green
Gary Freeman (Manager), Kevan Nelson (Assistant), Dan Seviour (Coach), Richard Hebert (GK Coach), Steve Martin (Physio.)
Camberley Town – Harry Cawdron, Luke Benton, Callum Wiltshire, Mohssine Sabek, Steve Lee (c) (wore 16 from 34th minute after a bad nose bleed), Cavan Atkinson, Calvin Camara, Sam Whitehead, Shane Johnson, Aaron Mead, Stan Jones
Substitutes – 12. Rodney Dos Santos (not used), 14. Jack Selby (for Mead 43), 15. Jacob Wheeler (for Johnson 60), 16. Ollie West (not used), 17. Billy Ludlow (for Wheeler 83)
All Royal Blue except Yellow fronts to shirts; GK All Black except Grey front to jersey
Luke Turkington (Manager), Craig Green (Coach), Lee Pollard (Coach), Alex Reis (Coach), Claire Benton (Physio.), Brad Passfield (Squad Player)
Formations
Jersey Bulls (4-1-4-1 R to L) 1; 12-5-4-3; 6; 11-8-10-7; 16
Camberley Town (4-1-4-1 R to L) 1; 2-5-6-3; 10; 7-8-4-11; 9
Referee – Harry (sic) G. Yellen (Sutton) Only 20 but in his 7th season of officiating, initially in the Surrey County League, now in his fourth season in the Combined Counties League. His second Jersey fixture having taken control of the Molesey fixture in early April last season.
Assistants – Aiden Farrelly (Hanworth) on the dug-outs side. In his 21st season, having served fifteen of them with the Spartan League. He was due at Springfield for the Guildford game in November last season before the officiating team were thwarted by the airport delays that day. He was also on the line for the cup game at London Samurai Rovers and the league game at Guildford before eventually making it to Springfield for the Frimley Green match in mid-April. This season he has previously seen away at Cobham.
Ethan Stacey (Bracknell) On the grandstand side. His first Jersey match. His sixth season, four with the Hellenic League and now in his second with the Combined Counties League.
Cautions – Jack Selby (CT) 66, Sam Whitehead (CT) 76
Corners – Jersey Bulls (4) 6, Camberley Town (3) 3
Player of the Match – Luke Watson
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