Last season Guildford had three different managers and the close season saw a complete clear out of players and backroom staff as Guildford recruited Sheerwater’s personnel en-masse, both their managerial group and their players. This had failed to improve performances and this season they have been flirting with relegation once again. However, twelve signings in mid-March had had the desired effect and last week they won at both Tadley Calleva and Redhill to pull away from the bottom spots. They now lie 15^th with a record of 10-4-17 46-61.

Guildford visited Jersey in mid-August for Springfield’s opening league game when Jersey won 3-1. Tonight’s match had originally been scheduled for Wednesday 18^thJanuary but had been postponed. Jersey had a much different team to the one that played in August with only 7 of the 14 in tonight’s squad playing then.

There were four changes to Saturday’s match with Sammy Sutcliffe, Joe Kilshaw, Adam Trotter and Fraser Barlow replacing James Queree, the unavailable Kamen Nafkha, Luke Watson and the injured Robert Martins-Figueira. Guildford had three of their new recruits in their squad – Sam Rees, making his debut, Andy Matthews, signed from Badshot Lea, and Paul Maas on the bench.

On a dampish evening of 10C Guildford kicked off attacking the Abbotswood end. The pitch is surrounded by an athletics track and seemed to be the victim of shot putt and discus divots as the ball regularly bounced disconcertingly. It certainly required the heavy roller and if it had been a cricket match it would have been abandoned shortly after it started as was West Indies v England test at Sabina Park, Jamaica in 1998. Consequently it produced a match that will not live long in the memory.

Jersey dominated the proceedings and could have taken a second minute lead but skipper Stuart Norman pulled off a superb save to deny Francis Lekimamati. Fraser Barlow and Lorne Bickley had half chances before the lead was eventually gained just after the half hour. Adam Trotter got to the left byline and although his cross for Barlow at the far post was parried the ball fell nicely for Bickley to finish off from ten yards out.

Whilst it remained just a one goal lead Guildford hoped for something out of the game but without showing much likelihood of producing anything. New boy Rees scuffed a shot wide before Lekimamati had a “goal” ruled out for offside just before the hour.

Ten minutes from the end Bickley hit a powerful twenty yard free-kick through the wall which Norman managed to parry before Bickley eventually wrapped up the match in added time. Substitute Sammy Henia-Kamau wriggled through the defence on the edge of the box and found Bickley who, just onside, did well to hook the ball in to his stride and then slide it past Norman.

Guildford City 0, Jersey Bulls 2 (Lorne Bickley 31 & 90+3)

Attendance – 107

Programme – T.B.A.

Guildford City – Stuart Norman (c), Stephen Langley, Billy Nutbeam, Campbell Scott, Sam Rees, Andy Matthews (wore 25), Ricardo Andre, Ashley Hitchinson, Shane Rideout, Sam Hunt, Harvey Valter
Substitutes – 12. Shane Cheeseman (for Hitchinson 75), 14. Cameron Gyeabor (for Rideout 59), 15. Tom Hegarty (for Hunt 81), 16. Paul Maas (for Valter 71), 17. Leon Dadey (for Andre 65)

Peter Ruggles (Manager), Neil Roissetter (Assistant), Tom Davis (Coach), Mo Saqib-Sher (Coach), Richard Shelley (GK Coach), Teagan Brown (Physio.)

Red & White wide stripes/Black (Red design)/White (two Red hoops); GK All Pink

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, Frank Tobin (wore 12), Jay Giles, Sammy Sutcliffe, Luke Campbell (c), Joe Kilshaw, Francis Lekimamati, Adam Trotter, Lorne Bickley, Jonny Le Quesne, Fraser Barlow
Substitutes – 14. Luke Watson (for Trotter 62), 15. James Queree (not used), 20. Sammy Henia-Kamau (for Lekimamati 62), only three substitutes

Grey/Orange design/Grey/White; GK All Yellow

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

Formations
Guildford City (5-4-1 R to L) 1; 2-5-25-4-3; 7-8-10-11; 9
Jersey Bulls (4-1-4-1 R to L) 21; 12-4-5-3; 6; 7-10-8-11; 9

Referee – Robert Alderton (Ashford)

Assistants – Daniel Skilton (Wonersh, Guildford) on the dug outs side and Ben Frape (Guildford) on the grandstand side

Cautions – Stephen Langley (GC) 79

Corners – Guildford City (2) 2; Jersey Bulls (1) 6

Player of the Match Award – Lorne Bickley