Jersey travelled for the third of their away games against their main rivals. All four have still to be met at home. Fleet Town lay 5th with just one league defeat in the 20played so far. Their record of 13-6-1 40-17 looks likely to gain them a play-off spot. They are also in the last 32 of the F.A. Vase after winning through four rounds and they are still in the Aldershot Senior Cup too.

Jersey made one change to their starting XI with Harry Curtis coming into the back four which allowed Jonny Le Quesne to move to the right of midfield replacing Fraser Barlow. Barlow was on the bench alongside Seaney McColgan, Kieran Lester and notionally the injured Jay Giles who was also acting as “sponge man”.

A cagey opening on a wet pitch initially saw little goalmouth action. Jersey were doing the pressing and Rai Dos Santos was deemed narrowly offside on a couple of occasions after breaking through the Fleet defence. Toby Ritzema scuffed a volley and Dos Santos flashed the ball across the face of the goal from a narrow angle.

After half an hour Francis Lekimamati took a knock and hobbled off to be replaced by Barlow. Within a minute he played in Dos Santos whose shot was saved by Finley Purcell’s legs. The game then came to life as five minutes later Le Quesne missed an open goal after a left wing cross from Dos Santos found him unmarked eight yards out. A similar move just before the break saw Dos Santos rectify the situation when he finished off a Barlow cross from close in to give Jersey the lead.

Jersey almost has a second but captain Liam Pestle threw himself in front of a Ritzema shot. There were numerous loud appeals for a penalty but it was not clear cut enough for the referee. Fleet launched a clearance up the right flank where James Carr missed the ball destined for Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb and the winger advanced to the byline before cutting the ball back. Tane Caubo swiftly switched feet and rifled the ball in to the roof of the net as Euan Van der Vliet advanced. A frustrated Ritzema was sin binned for his protests as the interval arrived with the teams now level.

When Ritzema returned Jersey immediately took a stranglehold on the game with two goals in four minutes, both scored by substitute Barlow.

The first of them arrived when Dos Santos swung in a free kick thirty yards out on the left towards the far post. Defender Josh Stepney met it with a diving header but only managed to put it back across the goal where Barlow fastened on to it and hit a cross shot into the bottom right corner as Purcell tried vainly to reach him.

The harrying of defenders paid off for the third goal as Joe Kilshaw robbed Rob Sheridan and Dos Santos held off Stepney as they battled for the loose ball. He fed Barlow in space to his left and his shot from fifteen yards nutmegged Tom Smith and his cross shot found the same spot as he had four minutes before.

Fleet brought on their attacking substitutions as they attempted to recover the situation but Jersey made the game safe with just over quarter of an hour to go. Carr redeemed his earlier error as he advanced down the left channel and switched the play with an incisive pass to Le Quesne to his right. Le Quesne’s strong shot was charged down but the rebound fell to Kilshaw whose shot might have lacked Le Quesne’s power but had the direction required for the fourth goal. Jersey might have had a fifth in the dying embers but substitute Kieran Lester shot straight at Purcell.

Fleet Town – Finley Purcell, Nick Medcraft (vc), Tom Smith, Josh Stepney, Liam Pestle (c), Rob Sheridan, Luke-Chiki Kandi (wore 19), Matt Surmon, Tane Caubo, Dean Rule, Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb (wore 14)

Substitutes – 7. Danilo Cadete (for Smith 74), 12. Josh Pounds (not used), 15. Josh Nunes (for Pestle 53), 16. Brad Manning (for Hakeem Habeeb 81), 18. Dan Bone (for Surmon 65)

Sky Blue with Navy Blue shoulders and sleeves/Navy Blue/Navy Blue; GK all Green

Darryl Evans (Manager), Ben Murray (Assistant), Luke Barron and Charlie Clapham (Coaches), Gary Lewis (Medical)

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, Harry Curtis, James Carr, James Queree (c), Luke Campbell, Luke Watson, Francis Lekimamati, Joe Kilshaw, Rai Dos Santos, Toby Ritzema, Jonny Le Quesne
Substitutes – 12. Fraser Barlow (for Lekimamati 31), 14. Kieran Lester (for Dos Santos 77), 17. Seaney McColgan (for Le Quesne 81), 18. Jay Giles (not used), only four substitutes

Red/White/Red; GK All Yellow

Elliot Powell (Manager), Adam Lester (Coach), Dylan Buesnel (Analyst), Jay Giles(Medical)

Formations (R to L)
Fleet Town (4-4-2) 1; 2-6-5-3; 19-4-8-14; 9-10
Jersey Bulls (4-1-4-1) 1; 2-5-4-3; 6; 7-8-10-11: 9

Match Officials – Tom Murray (Crawley), Joshua Whittall (Camberley) on the dug outs side and Grayham (sic) Henry (also Camberley) on the clubhouse side

Cautions – Toby Ritzema (JB) sin bin 45+2, Josh Nunes (FT) 66

Corners – Fleet Town (3) 8; Jersey Bulls (1) 1

Assists – Fraser Barlow, Rai Dos Santos 2nd & 3rd, Jonny Le Quesne

Player of the Match – Fraser Barlow

Added Time – 2.15 & 4.10 (6.25)