Jersey travelled to Guildford hoping to maintain their 100% record against opponents who had started the season well. After finishing 15^th and then 14^th in the past two seasons they were now sitting in 5^th position with a 6-1-4 23-29 record. They had been top after winning their first five league games but their young team had been leaking goals since then with 22 conceded in their last six games. They had also fallen at the first hurdle in the F.A. Cup at Deal Town (0-2) and the F.A. Vase at home to Knaphill (2-3). Knaphill had visited again last week and won 6-2.

Jersey made four changes to the starting line-up that had lost at home to A.F.C. Croydon Athletic last week. Sammy Sutcliffe, Seaney McColgan, Jack Boyle and Miguel Carvalho replacing Ben Le Rougetel, Francis Lekimamati, Adam Trotter and James Carr. Trotter was out with a shoulder injury sustained in training but the other three were on the bench along with James Queree, returning after a hamstring injury, and Kevan Nelson. Kamen Nafkha and Fraser Barlow were also unavailable.

A morning pitch inspection was required after a very wet Friday but the day turned out to be mostly dry (15C). It was still cloudy and rain fell again for the last quarter of an hour of the first half but the pitch held up well. Jersey kicked off attacking the western end of the pitch that is shielded from the nearby A3 by a bank of trees.

Boyle twice went close early on before Lorne Bickley opened the scoring after being set up by Miguel Carvalho who had broken down the left before putting in a low diagonal cross for Bickley to slide in on at the back post. Bickley and Boyle both went close again before Guildford top scorer Will May tested Euan Van der Vliet as the rain returned. McColgan, making his first start, nearly presented Guildford with an equaliser just before the interval. His cross field pass was intercepted and Kai Beck just failed to curl his shot into the top right corner with Van der Vliet beaten.

The second half opened dramatically with Harry Curtis picking up a debatable caution when challenging for a loose ball with substitute Manny Acheampong. Darnell McDonald chipped the resulting free kick into the box where it fell nicely for May to half volley it in to the bottom left corner from eight yards. Jersey were back ahead within five minutes when Bickley headed down a Jonny Le Quesne cross from the left for Luke Campbell to hook home. Acheampong poked a chance just wide before Bickley scored his second. Lekimamati did well to regain possession and his floated cross to the left post was expertly headed down into the bottom corner.

Bickley had a hat-trick goal chalked off for a marginal offside before Guildford reduced the arrears again. Another free-kick, this time wide on the right reached the far post where Callum Wilson headed home. Sutcliffe prevented an equaliser three minutes later when he headed a May attempt off the line before Bickley wrapped the match in added time. Le Quesne crossed, James Carr harried the defence and Bickley robbed James Glover and strode forward to give Mac Chisholm little chance from eight yards and so complete his hat-trick.

Guildford City 2 (Will May 47, Callum Wilson 78), Jersey Bulls 4 (Lorne Bickley 9, 72 & 90+3, Luke Campbell 52)

Attendance – 157

Programme – Yes (£2, 28 pages) the best programme in the league

Guildford City – Mac Chisholm, Owen Sims, Callum Sullivan, Callum Wilson, James Glover (c), Niall Stillwell, Kai Beck, Owen Tanner, Will May, Finley Warren, Darnell McDonald
Substitutes – 12. Manny Acheampong (for Sulllivan 27), 14. Tulu Ajayi-Obe (for Stillwell 90+4), 15. Louis Lindsay (for Warren 83), 16. Alex Andrew (not used), 17. Lewis Taylor (for May 66)

Red & White stripes with Red backs/Black/Red & White hoops; GK Luminous Yellow

Tristan Rees (Manager), Chris Adams, Dan Goodall & Mo Sher (Coaches), Giacomo Dulicchio (Physio.)

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, Harry Curtis, Jay Giles, Sammy Sutcliffe, Luke Campbell (c), Luke Watson, Seaney McColgan, Jonny Le Quesne, Lorne Bickley, Jack Boyle, Miguel Carvalho
Substitutes – 14. James Queree (for Curtis 65), 15. James Carr (for Carvalho 70), Ben Le Rougetel (for Boyle 83), 18. Francis Lekimamati (for McColgan 65), 19. Kevan Nelson (not used)

White/Light Blue/White; GK All Green

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

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

Referee – Thomas Healy (Hillingdon)

Assistants – Ali Matour (Sunbury) on the dug outs side and Ian Oswald (Farnham), on the grandstand side.

Cautions – Harry Curtis (JB) 46, Niall Stillwell (GC) 88

Corners – Guildford City (3) 4; Jersey Bulls (3) 4

Player of the Match – Lorne Bickley

Added Time – 2.20 & 5.10 (7.30)