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 lie one place lower with 4-0-7 16-21 record but including wins against early league leaders Colliers Wood United and two weeks ago versus Tadley Calleva.

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 but they are still in the Surrey Senior Cup having beaten Farnham Town on Tuesday.

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

Jersey made two starting changes to last Saturday’s team that had defeated Frimley Green. John Lloyd replaced the injured Jay Giles, although Giles was nominally a substitute, and Sammy Henia-Kamau replaced Frank Tobin. The latter caused many “knock on” changes to the shirt numbers worn by other players.

Other than Giles there were only two substitutes. Jake Prince re-appearing after his one match suspension and guest appearance as “Beany”, plus Max Thompson who had started in the midweek League Cup match at Brook House.

Jonny Le Quesne was sitting out the last of his three-match suspension whilst Kamen Nafkha, Harrison Moon and Sammy Sutcliffe were all unavailable. Fraser Barlow and Joe Kilshaw were still out injured.

Camberley Town still had five players in the squad that had met Jersey nine months ago. They made five changes to their starting line up from last Saturday when they lost at Alton. Luke Roberts, Callum Wiltshire, Joe Sowden, Jack Selby and Elliott Cannon being the five elevated, Sowden and Cannon having been substitutes at Alton. Selby was making his club debut having just transferred from Badshot Lea.

Queree won the toss and decided to change ends with Camberley having to kick off facing the cold westerly wind. The pitch had survived a downpour two hours before the start and was particularly wet on both wings. These areas started to cut up as the match progressed on a heavily overcast afternoon.

The recent wet weather had also meant that it had not been possible to cut the pitch short this week, so it was very well grassed. Jersey and Camberley have not had much luck with the weather in any of their three meetings so far.

The travelling Jersey contingent also wisely placed themselves behind Euan Van der Vliet’s goal at the Crabtree End in order to protect themselves from the prevailing wind. They also “sang” lustily at the Badshot Lea fans who turned up after their game at Horley Town had been called off.

Camberley launched an attack from the kick-off which led to their only corner but after that Jersey penned them in their own half for long periods. After ten minutes a Lloyd diagonal cross intended for Bickley was just too strong but Queree, overlapping in “Tobinesque” fashion, hit a good cross shot from the right which Roberts in the home goal had to be alert enough to tip over.

Jersey took the lead just before the mid-point in the half. An interchange on the right wing between Lekimamati and Carvalho led to Queree playing a through pass to Adam Trotter. Trotter cut in and hit a left foot shot towards the top left corner which Roberts palmed away. Bickley seized on the loose ball, turned and shot, fortunate that it took a deflection off the inside of Jacob Wheeler’s right leg. This was sufficient to take it wide of Roberts’ left side to put Jersey one up.

A couple of minutes later Roberts and Lekimamati challenged for a long high ball played forward by Ben Le Rougetel. A nasty clash left them both needing lengthy treatment with Roberts’ knee having gone into the small of Lekimamati’s back.

Lekimamati eventually resumed but five minutes later found he could not continue and was replaced by “Beany” Prince with Henia-Kamau switching to the right wing.

Camberley tried throwing numerous long balls forward but these were consistently mopped up by Campbell and Le Rougetel. The Jersey back four spent long spells on the half way line, returning hurried Camberley clearances to their own wide men.

Jersey doubled their lead after the half hour when “Lady Luck” smiled on them again. Mendes played a ball forward which ricocheted off Luke Benton in to the path of Carvalho in the left channel. His pot shot from twenty-five yards was not as sweetly struck as his one against Frimley last week, on the edge of the box, but it hit the inside of skipper Steve Lee’s left leg and deflected into the bottom left corner.

Jersey virtually wrapped the match up four minutes before half time. A Lloyd throw-in on the left was collected by Mendes, who played it forward to Bickley who was being very closely marked on the edge of the box. Bickley laid it back to Mendes who struck it superbly with his right foot in to the top left corner giving Roberts little chance of preventing the third goal as Jersey rounded off a dominant first half.

Camberley had defended deep throughout the half, attempting to prevent Jersey getting behind them but had come unstuck against their opponents’ long-range fireworks on November 5th. Needing to get forward, they changed both their wide midfielders with Shane Johnson and Chester Barrow coming on for Joe Sowden and Elliott Cannon at the interval.

They had an immediate impact with Camberley soon putting in their first shot on target in the match but it was only a routine stop for Van der Vliet. Johnson also had an impact on Campbell’s leg with a late tackle, the latest in a series by Camberley, that earnt him the game’s only caution.

Bickley brought a good save out of Roberts but Jersey did not have long to wait for their fourth goal. A Queree cross was cleared by Lee just beyond the area only to be returned with interest by Mendes with his second rocket of the day that whistled off his left boot into the top right corner past a flailing Roberts. The team then all joined with their supporters behind that goal for a “group hug.”

A surging run by Prince ended with Henia-Kamau hitting the side netting from a narrow angle. Another from Trotter saw Bickley thwarted at the last moment by a combination of Lee and Roberts as Jersey continued to pour forward. That was Trotter’s last contribution as he was rested for Max Thompson for the final half hour.

Carvalho soon put Bickley away in the left corner and his low cross was hit on to the crossbar by Prince with Roberts doing a “Banksesque” save of the follow up shot from Henia-Kamau by rapidly getting across from one side of his goal to the other to make the block with his legs.

Bickley got free down the left again but was halted with a lunging tackle from Lee that brought penalty appeals from the Jersey supporters immediately behind the goal but referee Andrew Batten only gave a corner.

The left corner continued to be the centre of the action as Prince put Henia-Kamau away and from the left byline he lobbed Roberts and Lee to give Bickley a nod in from a yard. However assistant Nick Pyne gave a marginal offside against Henia-Kamau and this fifth “goal” was chalked off.

Pyne continued his flag waving to draw attention to a left achilles problem. Whilst he was being treated by Camberley physio Claire Benton the home team made another double substitution with Brad Passfield and Sam Whitehead being replaced by Wilson Ferreira and Mohssine Sabek.

Roberts was called on again when a Prince shot was deflected off Lee’s heel towards the bottom left corner before the stopper dived to push it around the post.
Carvalho worked his way into a shooting position on the edge of the box but could not match his finish of last week before Camberley made their final change with Harrison Playle coming on for Jacob Wheeler as the rain intensified.

Before the end, Prince tested Roberts once again. The stopper had had a fine game despite the scoreline on a day when Jersey seemed to have an extra player on the pitch throughout.

Camberley Town 0:
Jersey Bulls 4 (Lorne Bickley 19, Miguel Carvalho 33, Ruben Mendes 41 & 54)

Attendance – 320

Programme – none, usually on line but a printed version was intended for the anticipated larger than normal crowd, only for the printer to let them down

Camberley Town – Luke Roberts, Luke Benton, Callum Wiltshire, Jacob Wheeler, Steve Lee (c), Brad Passfield, Joe Sowden, Jack Selby, Sam Whitehead, Gianluca Zanre-Botti, Elliott Cannon
Substitutes – 12. Harrison Playle (for Wheeler 79), 14. Shane Johnson (for Cannon 46), 15. Wilson Ferreira (for Passfield 69), 16. Mohssine Sabek (for Whitehead 69), 17. Chester Barrow (for Sowden 46)

All Red (White fronts to shirts); GK All Green

Luke Turkington (Manager), Billy Ludlow (U 23 Coach), Craig Green (U 18 Coach), A. Reis, Claire Benton (Physio.)

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, James Queree (c), John “J.J.” Lloyd, Ben Le Rougetel, Luke Campbell, Adam Trotter, Francis Lekimamati, Ruben Mendes, Lorne Bickley (wore 16), Miguel Carvalho, Sammy Henia-Kamau
Substitutes –12. Jake Prince (for Lekimamati 26), 14. Max Thompson (for Trotter 60), 15. Jay Giles (not used)

Blue/Blue/White; GK All Yellow

Gary Freeman (Manager), Kevan Nelson (Assistant), Dan Seviour (Coach), Richard Hebert (GK Coach)

Formations
Camberley Town (4-4-2 R to L) 1; 2-4-5-3; 11-8-6-7; 9-10
Jersey Bulls (4-1-4-1 R to L) 1; 2-4-5-3; 8; 7-6-10-11; 16

Referee – Andrew Batten (Basingstoke) his first Jersey match

Assistants – David Bott (Cranleigh) on the dug-out side was also the assistant for the same fixture last season

Nick Pyne (Wokingham) on the grandstand side and like Batten on his first Jersey match

Caution – Shane Johnson (CT) 52

Corners – Camberley Town (1) 1; Jersey Bulls (3) 7

Player of the Match Award – Ruben Mendes