Fareham Town win 4-3 on penalties.

Looking to advance into the later rounds Jersey had to travel to Fareham. Their opponents had been exempted to this stage of the competition by virtue of reaching the third round (last 64), for the third time, last season. Fareham were, like Jersey, lying sixth in their league, the Wessex Premier, and had been ousted, somewhat surprisingly, from the F.A. Cup by league rivals, Alresford Town.
Fareham, a town nine miles north-west of Portsmouth, were unlikely to feature in a low scoring game, as their 13 league matches had so far realised 72 goals. They had scored 48, but conceded 24.
Jersey were missing Lorne Bickley and Kamen Nafkha from their previous match at Balham. Jack Griffin returned to the back four, allowing Joe Kilshaw to move forward in to his more regular midfield role. Jake Prince, on the bench at Balham, took Bickley’s place up front and Calvin Weir came in as a substitute.
Jersey kicked off attacking the tree lined “Redlands” (car park) end on a 14C day with a breeze blowing. As early as the second minute Fraser Barlow played in Prince for an excellent opportunity. However, his shot hit Jon Webb’s leg and ballooned over. A crucial save by the Fareham goalkeeper who had only made his club debut in midweek.
The match settled in a midfield battle with a well drilled Fareham side stifling Bulls’ attempts to push forward and generally slowing the pace of the proceedings. Near the half hour an Adam Trotter diagonal pass gave Jonny Le Quesne a chance. However, it was a narrow angle and Webb, along with his captain Garry Moody, blocked him off at the expense of a fruitless corner.
Jersey continued to have the majority of the possession but were failing to produce the final ball to Prince with the solid Fareham defence marking tightly. One promising attack down the right was halted when Curt Robbins pulled Prince back to prevent him going clear and earnt Robbins the first caution of the afternoon. The “presence” of Bickley was being missed up front but the occasional Fareham counter attacks were easily mopped up.

A goalless first half looked likely until Sol Solomon went on a mazy thirty-yard run down the left channel. He was adjudged to have been fouled just outside the box by Calum Benfield. Benfield felt he had taken the ball and that Solomon had dived. Goalkeeper Webb leant over the prostrate attacker to tell him so and “team handbags” ensued. There was a long stoppage for Solomon to be treated and assistant referee, Charlie Hardingham, notified the referee of Webb’s actions which earnt Webb a caution.

Surprisingly Solomon having gone off the pitch after treatment was allowed back on to take the long delayed free kick. He curled the ball around the wall and into the top right corner to add further indignation to Fareham’s protests.

In the seventh added minute Fareham had a corner which was cleared to Charlie Cooper twenty-five yards out and his low shot was deflected just wide of the left post in the last action of the half.

Early in the second half Archie Willcox almost scored an own goal. In cutting out a Le Quesne cross it needed Webb to be alert to fingertip the ball over his own bar.

Fareham equalised when a Griffin clearance was cut out and a long diagonal ball played quickly forward to Cooper on the right of the box. A good first touch and cross to the far post was met by Benfield, just before the recovering Griffin.

The rest of the half saw Jersey have three good opportunities to regain the lead. A Solomon flick put Prince in but, under pressure from a defender, his cross shot was wide to the left. In a similar move a quarter of an hour later it was Prince who set up Barlow, but with a similar result. Then Trotter gave Prince another chance but this time it was wide to the right. Finally, in added time, Webb spilt a Weir header but Ash Tattersall saved his blushes by getting to the loose ball just before Solomon to clear the danger and send the match to a ”shoot out” at the Redlands end.

Fareham started and Euan Van der Vliet saved from Ethan Jones. The next six kicks were all scored although Ben Rowthorn was fortunate with Fareham’s third as he only scuffed it but Van der Vliet had committed himself the other way. Willcox brought Fareham level at 3-3 but Jersey would still go through if they scored their remaining two.

Webb then saved low from Prince, scored himself and then saved again from Weir whose attempt was at a good height for a goalkeeper to save if he went the correct way. Therefore, a disappointing finale for Jersey, eliminated 3-4 on “penalties”.

Fareham in the last 64 have been drawn at home again. This time to Abbey Rangers, who disposed of Horley Town, also on “penalties”. Abbey Rangers are currently third in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North. It should be an interesting game and the result will be looked out for on 20th November.

Fareham Town 1 (Calum Benfield 53); Jersey Bulls 1 (Sol Solomon 45+3)
Fareham Town won 4-3 on “penalties”

Attendance – 273

Programme – 24 pages, £1.50

Fareham Town – Jon Webb, Ethan Jones, Ash Tattersall, Curt Robbins, Archie Willcox, Garry Moody (c), Charlie Cooper, Ben Rowthorn, Bailey Newbury, Calum Benfield, Kai Sterne
Substitutes – Gary Austin (not used), Ross Kidson (not used), Jack Breed (for Newbury 46), Simon Woods (for Benfield 79), Ryan Mackney (not used), Dan Bennett (not used), Luke Douglas (Sub GK, not used)

Red/Black/Black; GK Green

Pete Stiles (Manager), Matt Powell (Assistant), Sam Dixon (Coach), Mark Jones (Coach), Dave Hook (GK Coach), Millie Westbrook (Sports Therapist)

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, James Queree (c), Jonny Le Quesne, Jack Griffin, Luke Campbell, Joe Kilshaw, Fraser Barlow, Adam Trotter, Jake Prince, Kieran Lester, Sol Solomon
Substitutes – Calvin Weir (for Barlow 82), Ruben Mendes-Pestana (for Lester 66),
Daryl Wilson (not used), Kevan Nelson (not used), only four substitutes

Blue/Blue/White; GK Yellow

Gary Freeman (Manager), Kevan Nelson (Assistant), Jason Carpenter (Coach)

Referee – Radoslav Iliev (Portsmouth)

Assistants – Charlie Hardingham (Portsmouth) & Michael Paintin (Cowplain)

Cautions – Robbins (FT) 37, Webb (FT) 45+2, Rowthorn (FT) 60, Queree (JB) 83

Corners – Fareham Town (1) 4; Jersey Bulls (2) 6

Player of the Match Award (commentator) – Jon Webb (Fareham Town GK)

Shoot-Out (at Car Park End, Fareham Town went first)
FT – Ethan Jones (low right, saved), Curt Robbins (low left, pace beat GK), Ben Rowthorn (scuffed low left but GK went wrong way), Archie Willcox (low left, GK went wrong way), Jon Webb(GK) (low right, GK went wrong way)

JB – Luke Campbell (low left, pace beat GK), Sol Solomon (high left, GK went wrong way), Ruben Mendes-Pestana (low left, GK went wrong way) Jake Prince (low right, saved) Calvin Weir (mid height left, saved)