A remarkable match against the first year scholars of the Kinetic Academy (alias A.F.C. Whyteleafe) whom the Jersey first team had met the day before. The winners would meet the second year scholars of the Kinetic Academy (alias Rising Ballers Kensington).

Whyteleafe started the stronger and it needed Will Yates to clear off the line with Tiago Duarte beaten from the first visitors corner. Sonny Cassidy forced a good save out of James Hill at the expense of a corner which Tomas Goncalves headed down to Fergus Boyle. Unfortunately, it came at an awkward height for the unmarked Boyle and the ball cannoned off him for a goal kick. The ever dangerous Samuel Ayolie put a snap shot just wide of the right post for Whyteleafe whilst Joey O’Toole had a shot blocked at the other end.

Calamity struck midway through the half when Duarte miskicked a bobbling back pass from Goncalves. Ayolie picked it up on the left corner of the box, sidestepped Goncalves, and then beat Duarte low at his near post. Twenty minutes later from a Zane Rayfield corner from the right Duarte could only push the ball away and Harris at the far post did well to get in a header from five yards. It looked to have been cleared off the line by Cassidy but the clubhouse side assistant, to the disbelief of the defenders, indicated a goal to leave Jersey two down at the interval. However,Whyteleafe’s indiscipline had already cost them three cautions, all for dissent.

Ayolie continued to be a threat and after putting one shot well over hit another straight at Duarte from point blank range midway through the half. With twenty minutes left Jersey at last began to get into the game and Cassidy rampaging down the left was only thwarted by an excellent last-ditch tackle by substitute Chris Batai.

There followed an amazing five minutes in which the match was completely turned around. A quickly taken throw in by Conor O’Keeffe let Fergus Boyle work his way into the box where opposing captain Harris left out a trailing leg to concede a penalty. After waiting for ‘keeper Hill to return from getting a drink from the half way bench, which brought their caution count to six, O’Toole sent Hill the wrong way with a well-placed shot to the bottom right corner.
Very shortly afterwards a long clearance from Goncalves down the right flank was flicked on inside by Gilroy where O’Keeffe read it much quicker than Harris and burst clear. He advanced and astutely curled the ball past Hill for the equaliser to turn the match on its head.

The golden spell was completed when Gilroy headed on another clearance but it only reached Harris who, harassed by O’Keeffe, passed it back to Hill. Hill, like Duarte, suffered from the bobbly pitch. He therefore only managed to scuff his clearance as far as Gilroy who hit a first-time lob from 25 yards which dropped over the backpeddling Hill and into the bottom left corner for Jersey’s third goal in a remarkable 193 seconds.

Whyteleafe, whose heads had already dropped with the equaliser, failed to create a significant chance in the remaining twenty minutes, including the lengthy added time, but did have two players dismissed. The first was Ahmed Camara, a half-time substitute. Having been cautioned midway through the half he picked up another in added time when he went in recklessly on Joey O’Toole for a loose ball on the halfway line. The player he had replaced at the interval, Dan Burbulis, let his frustrations get the better of him after the final whistle and his abuse of the referee earned him a straight red.

Jersey Bulls – Tiago Duarte, Ewan Brodie, Sonny Cassidy, Fergus Boyle (c), Tomas Goncalves, Kyle Wilson (14. Eddie Rothwell 46), Will Yates (15. Harry Davy 46), Stanley Dunne (12. Evan Lees 46), Callum Gilroy, Joey O’Toole, Conor O’Keeffe, only three substitutes (five from seven permitted)

White (Light Blue)/Light Blue (White)/White; GK Grey/Grey/Black

Paul Renton (Manager), Mike Teruggi (Coach)

A.F.C. Whyteleafe – George Hill, Jackson King, Dan Burbulis (15. Ahmed Camara 46), Riley Chapman (16. Samuel Yabani 62), Archie Quinlan (14. Chris Batai 46), Nadwane Harris (c), Bruno Pereira (18. Elijah Yabatan 76), Zack Ejeta, Samuel Ayolie, Zane Rayfield, Jaden Coleman (17. Ronnie Callin 85). Unused – 12. Oscar Sheriff, 19. Fawaz Adeolu

Yellow/Black/Black: GK Lemon/Black/Black

Corey Holder (Manager) who played for the first team in yesterday’s match, Kyle Bernard, Cairo Duhaney-Burton and James Fray (Coaches)

Formations (R to L)
Jersey Bulls (4-1-4-1) 1; 2-5-6-3; 4; 11-8-10-7; 9
A.F.C. Whyteleafe (4-1-4-1) 1: 2-5-6-3; 4; 7-10-8-11; 9

Match Officials – Tom Murray (Crawley), Adam Bensureiti (Crawley) dug outs side, Kirk Ritchie (Crawley) clubhouse side

Cautions – Burbulis (AFCW) 16 (dissent), Quinlan (AFCW) 22 (dissent), Holder (AFCW manager) 34 (dissent), O’Keeffe (JB) 49 (foul), Chapman (AFCW) (foul), Camara (AFCW) 68 (foul), Hill (AFCW) 73 (delay of game) Goncalves (JB) 80 (foul), Camara (AFCW) 90+2 (foul) and off as second caution. Burbulis (AFCW) dismissed after the final whistle for abusing the referee.

Corners – Jersey Bulls (2) 4; A.F.C. Whyteleafe (6) 8

Assists – Boyle, Gilroy, O’Keeffe

Player of the Match – Callum Gilroy

Added Time – 3.50 & 8.05 (11.55)