Jersey went into their final “regular” season fixture knowing that they needed a win to guarantee a home final in the play-offs should they reach it. Spelthorne had joined the Combined Counties League in 2011 and won promotion to the Premier Division in 2014. Since the regionalisation in 2021 they had spent two seasons in the Northern Section before being transferred to the South this season.

Last season they finished 15th in the North and this season they lie one slot lower in the South with a record of 10-8-19 40-69. They had 8 points deducted in early April after fielding an ineligible player in two wins and two draws from late November to early January, including a win and a draw against Knaphill. Thattumbled them precariously close to the danger zone but a couple more wins had made them safe. Jersey won 4-0 at Spelthorne in mid-September with goals from Francis Lekimamati, Fraser Barlow (two) and Luke Watson. A match that Lorne Bickley missed. Jersey’s win that day put them top albeit having played more games than their closest rivals

Jersey made four changes. Fergus Boyle replaced the injured Jay Giles, Ben Le Rougetel and Ruben Mendes stepped in for Luke Campbell and Kamen Nafkha who were attending a wedding and Miguel Carvalho “rotated” with Lekimamati. The latter was on the bench with Will Byers, Joe Kilshaw, James Carr and Jonny Le Quesne.
Spelthorne had a very different side to the one in September with only 5 of the 16 met that day still in the squad. Spelthorne kicked off attacking the Robin Hood end on a dampish day with a F4 north-easterly keeping the temperature (11C) in check.

Jersey put any anxious supporter’s minds at rest with a first half salvo that put them

three goals up, and it could have been more. After an early Bickley chance Adam Trotter robbed a defender in front of the dug outs and found Bickley on the edge of the box. He squared the ball to Barlow who had the time and space to pick his spot from near the penalty spot. Bickley was also the “assist” for the second goal. Luke Watson won a header from a Spelthorne throw in, Bickley headed it on and Carvalho seized on it, held off a defender, and scored in the right corner.

After a couple of Bickley headers had cleared the bar it was a Bickley/Carvalho combination again for the third goal. Ruben Mendes supplied Bickley whose curling shot on the turn towards the bottom right corner was parried away by Bob Honey in the Spelthorne goal only for Carvalho running in from the right to score his second.

After the break Andrew Juett put a Spelthorne header wide before Jersey made a couple of substitutions on the hour as Boyle and Carvalho had picked up knocks. One of them, Carr, grazed the bar with his first touch from a Mendes cross. Shortly afterwards the Bulls“rested” assist hat-trick man Bickley before Tanaka Gabaza beat the Jersey offside trap with twenty minutes to go to hit the base of the right post. With six minutes left it looked as though substitute Carr had won a penalty for Jersey when he was felled by Daniel Watts as he burst through on the left only for Carr to be cautioned by the referee for “simulation”.

Jersey Bulls 3 (Fraser Barlow 3, Miguel Carvalho 26 & 32); Spelthorne Sports 0

Attendance – 692 (average for the league season 669)

Programme – 32pp, £3.50

Jersey Bulls – Pierce Roche, James Queree (c), Fergus Boyle, Harry Curtis, Ben Le Rougetel, Luke Watson, Fraser Barlow, Adam Trotter, Lorne Bickley, Ruben Mendes, Miguel Carvalho
Substitutes – 12. Will Byers (for Boyle 61), 15. FrancisLekimamati (for Bickley 67), 16. Joe Kilshaw (for Mendes 78), 17. James Carr (for Carvalho 61), 18.Jonny Le Quesne (not used)

Red/White/Red; GK All Green

Gary Freeman (Manager), Kevan Nelson (Assistant), Dan Seviour (Coach), Richard Hebert (GK Coach), Steve Martin (Physio.)

Spelthorne Sports – Bob Honey, Oliver Davison (c), Daniel Watts, Daniel Paez-Palacios, Alex Andreou, Ricardo George, Kyle Eakin, Leon Iloube, Andrew Juett, Zachary Scott, Jonathan Gjoshe
Substitutes – 12. Benedict Statham (for Scott 78), 14. Tanaka Gabaza (for George 46), 15. Kieran Dowding (for Juett 67), only three substitutes

Light Blue/Navy Blue/Navy Blue (white tops); GK All Light Green

Myles Hook (Manager), Darren Bullen (Assistant), James Cameron (Physio.), Lauren Hunter (Assistant Physio.)

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

Referee – Thomas D. Murray (Crawley) 34, Qualified in 2019, always with the Combined Counties League, promoted to Level 4 this season. Last at Springfield in January as the fourth official for the Hamworthy Recreation F.A. Vase fixture.

Assistants – Richard Lines (Alton) on the dug outs side. Qualified initially in 1983 and re-qualified in 2014. Also officiates for the Wessex League, on the line for our visit to Farnham Town in February. Michael Oakes (Hillingdon) on the grandstand side. Qualified in 1991, initially with the Wessex League but the last 15 years with the Combined Counties. Last at Springfield in February 2023 v A.F.C. Croydon Athletic.

Cautions – Luke Watson (JB) 3, Scott (SS) 19, James Carr (JB) 85, Eakin (SS) 87

Corners – Jersey Bulls (2) 3; Spelthorne Sports (0) 5

Player of the Match – Miguel Carvalho

Added Time – 1.40 & 4.25 (6.05)