Jersey played in the Great Park on a ground gifted to the original club by King George V in 1911. The club re-formed in 2023 after folding in 2011 with large debts. Immediately three successive promotions from the Thames Valley Premier, Combined Counties Division 1 and Combined Counties Premier North have seen them return to the level they were playing at when they folded in mid-season. This season they lay 14th (3-2-3 15-15) with a home crowd average of 375, the fourth highest in the division.

Jersey welcomed back Jay Giles and Lorne Bickley to the starting eleven with James Watling unavailable and Fraser Barlow returning to the bench. Jonny Le Quesne, Fergus Boyle and Jack Lumsden joined him there with Dan Burton, Luke Lister, Seaney McColgan and Harry Mackenzie dropping out.

Windsor & Eton made three changes to the team that drew 0-0 at home on Saturday with Hayes and Yeading United in front of 469. Tremayne Woolliscroft and Jack Shakespeare were elevated from the bench and Callum Wright was brought in too.
Khalid Simmo and Isaiah Chase were dropped to being substitutes where Jack Mazzone was added. Josh Blackwood, Jack Penton and Gordon Weston-Brown were left out.  

An action packed match which both sides might think they should have won with Windsor exploiting Jersey’s decision to play the diminutive Giles at centre back instead of Lumsden.

After Jersey failed to clear the first corner of the match Jack Shakespeare dispossessed Luke Watson in the penalty box but the Bard scuffed his shot, and all ended well. An early thirty yard free kick from the left channel by Finn Harvey was headed back across the goal from the far post by Callum Wright. Fellow wide defender Morgan Elliott reacted quickest to stab home from five yards as the Jersey defenders looked at one another. Jersey were soon back on terms when James Sunley flicked on Luke Watson’s free kick to Lorne Bickley who held off Tremayne Woolliscroft to shoot past Finley Purcell from six yards. 

Jersey thought they had taken the lead just after the midpoint when Jarma Mohamed hooked home from a narrow angle when Windsor failed to clear a corner. Offside was given although with four defenders and two attackers near the goal line it must have been a close decision.

Almost immediately Jersey were reduced to ten. Giles and Elliott slid in on a loose ball with Elliott coming off worse. The referee deemed it a red with Euan Van der Vliet earning a yellow for pointing out the error of his ways to the official.

As the interval approached Jack Ebanda headed over from a couple of yards and then mishit a close in shot that Van der Vliet somehow managed to kick away to leave the teams level at half-time.

Upon the restart Casey Nixon brought a good save under his bar from Plumley before there was a goal at each end. Bickley challenged for a header in midfield and Sunley seized on the dropping ball, beating three men as he did so. He swerved past two more and Plumley to score a memorable first goal for the Bulls. The lead again did not last long. Elliott went down the right, found Woolliscroft inside, and he fed Bruno Dos Santos who stepped inside Toby Ritzema and beat Van der Vliet with a low cross shot. 

A Lumsden header was pushed away at full stretch by Plumley on the hour and ten minutes later Watson somehow missed a tap in from a yard after Ritzema hooked back a Sunley free kick across the face of the goal. Henia-Kamau saw a fierce shot saved by Plumley before the sides once again scored within minutes of each other.

Bickley harried Harvey who passed back to Plumley who tapped it forward to substitute Kieran Jordan. Sunley read it and side stepped Ben Hutchings and Plumley for his second of the evening. Jersey succumbed to a long throw which Jordan glanced home at the near post with all the defence expecting Van der Vliet to claim it with his aerial advantage. Jersey’s last throw of the dice saw Ritzema burst down the left channel, but he could not keep his shot with the outside of his right boot down. 

Windsor & Eton – Finley Purcell, Morgan Elliott, Callum Wright, Tremayne Woolliscroft, Ben Hutchings (c), Bruno Dos Santos, Finn Harvey, Alex Donville, Freddy Dunham, Jack Shakespeare, Jordi Ebanda
Substitutes – 12. Kieran Jordan (for Elliott 83), 14. Khalid Simmo (for Ebanda 78), 15. Sam Hutchings (for Dos Santos 83), 16. Jack Mazzone (for Dunham 66), 17. Isaiah Chase (for Wright 66) 

All Red, GK All Yellow 

Rob Webb (Manager), Adam Barnard (Assistant), Yashwa Romeo and Rhys Evans (Coaches), Meg Bryan (Medical) 

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, Jarma Mohamed (wore 20), James Carr, Luke Watson (c) (wore 16), Jay Giles (wore 14), Toby Ritzema, Sammy Henia-Kamau (wore 21), Joe Kilshaw, Lorne Bickley, James Sunley, Casey Nixon
Substitutes – 2. Jonny Le Quesne (for Nixon 78), 7. Fraser Barlow (for Henia-Kamau 83), 12. Fergus Boyle (not used), 15, Darryl Mvalo (for Bickley 86), 17. Jack Lumsden (for Kilshaw 34)

All Grey, GK All Green

Elliott Powell (Manager), Dan Garton and Dave Kennedy (Assistants), Richard Hebert (GK Coach), Karl Benest (Kit), Nikki Nicolle (Medical)

Formations (L to R)
Windsor & Eton (4-4-2) – 1; 2-4-5-3; 11-6-8-7; 9-10
Jersey Bulls (4-1-4-1) – 1; 20-6-14-3; 16; 11-8-10-21; 9

Officials – Harry Yellen (Sutton), Richard B. Marus (Worcester Park) dug outs, Nicholas “Nick” Elliott (Bracknell) far side 

Caution(s) – Jay Giles (JB) dismissed 29, Euan Van der Vliet (JB) dissent 30, Callum Wright (WE) 59. Morgan Elliott (WE) 61 

Corners – Windsor & Eton (3) 5, Jersey Bulls (2) 7 

Assist(s) – James Sunley, Lorne Bickley (2nd & 3rd) 

Player of the Match – James Sunley 

Added Time – 2.05 & 4.55 (7.00)