Jersey met Merstham for the first time. Merstham had been promoted from the Combined Counties in 2008 and maintained their Isthmian level ever since. Last season they finished 5th and lost in the play-off semi-final. This season they have started with two wins and a loss.

Jersey made three changes with James Queree, Joe Kilshaw and Luke Coutanchereplacing Frank Tobin, Jay Giles and Will Yates. Jack Lumsden moved into central defence with Queree as right back. Giles was on the bench along with Francis Lekimamati, teenager Harry Mackenzie and substitute goalkeeper Daniel Jinadu. Merstham did the same with Jude Molloy and Bradley Wilson returning, and Jamarie Brissett, signed from Beckenham Town, making his debut as they tried to plug the gap left by their injured striker Korrey Henry. Nikki Nicolle took on the medical duties for Jersey when they were playing on the mainland.

The pitch was hard and the ball consequently not easy to control. Aerial attacks were the more likely to succeed and three of the four goals were scored in that manner.

They all arrived in the second half after a goalless midfield battle in the first session.

Jersey were content to sit deep and let Merstham try and break them down. In the first half Charlie Greenwood brought a save out of Pierce Roche and Finlay Johnson hit a cross shot wide for Merstham, whilst Jersey’s best efforts were a Coutancheshot that sailed well over the bar and a Rai Dos Santos curler that just needed a bit more “whip” to bring it back inside the right post.

The deadlock was broken ten minutes after the interval when a long diagonal cross from the left by Ryan Healy put Roche into the “corridor of uncertainty”. He started to come, then stopped and Oliver Khinda arriving on the right astutely lobbed his header over him and into the unguarded net.

When Merstham scored a second twenty minutes later it appeared that the match was over. Substitute Louis Evans played a delightfully weighted cross from the right which cleared the tall Lumsden and fell nicely for Sam King to cushion volley it into the bottom left corner with his left foot.

Jersey received a lifeline when they “won” a penalty. Dos Santos beat Khinda and Healy on the left byline and passed inside to substitute Mackenzie. His touch was heavy which allowed the recovering Healy to launch a ferocious tackle which left the youngster in a heap. The referee gave a spot kick whilst Merstham complained lengthily that it was a hard but fair tackle as Healy had taken the ball first.

Luke Watson was relieved of penalty duties after missing his last two and skipper James Queree took on the role. He had last taken one three seasons ago but placed it in the bottom left corner, just beating Rob Tolfrey’s dive.

This changed the momentum of the match and six minutes later Queree scored again, heading home from six yards a cross from the left by substitute Lekimamati.
Queree had run half the length of the pitch to meet it and not having scored at all last season he was now this season’s top scorer. Merstham looked for another goal in the remaining ten minutes, but Jamie Watling and his fellow defenders resisted all that was thrown at them. A point gained after the two lost forty-eight hours before.

Merstham – Rob Tolfrey, Ollie Khinda, Jude Molloy, Ryan Healy, Matt Drage (c), Paris Hamilton-Downes (wore 18), Finlay Johnson, Charlie Greenwood (wore 17), Sam King (wore 12), Bradley Wilson (wore 14), Jamarie Brissett

Substitutes – 6. Harry Ponting (not used), 8. Louis Evans (for Wilson 56), 10. Lee Lewis (for Greenwood inj ,68), 13. Sam Allen (sub GK, not used), 16. Ben Schroll (for Brissett 88)

Amber (Black shoulders)/Black/Black; GK All Light Green

Jamie De Cruz (Manager, ex Sutton United, Colliers Wood United & Kingstonian), Lee Matthews (Assistant), James Deacon & Ollie Ellaway (Coaches), Ryan Valentine(Medical)

Jersey Bulls – Pierce Roche, Jack Lumsden (wore 16), James Carr, James Queree(c), Jamie Watling, Luke Watson, Adam Trotter (wore 12), Joe Kilshaw, Luke Coutanche (wore 15), Rai Dos Santos, Miguel Carvalho
Substitutes – 7. Harry Mackenzie (for Kilshaw 76), 14. Jay Giles (not used), 17. Francis Lekimamati (for Coutanche 59), 21 Daniel Jinadu (sub GK, not used), no fifth substitute

White with light blue and pink diagonal sashes “Aladdin Sane”/Light Blue/White;
GK Grey/Grey/Yellow

Elliot Powell (Manager), Dan Garton (Assistant), Andy Dewhurst (Coach), Karl Benest (Kit), Nikki Nicolle (Medical)

Formations (R to L)

Merstham (4-3-3) 1; 2-5-18-3; 7-4-14: 17-12-11
Jersey Bulls (4-3-3) 1; 4-16-5-3; 8-6-12; 11-10-15

Officials – Abdul-Aziz Olol (Penge), Patrick O’Reilly (Crawley) (dug outs), Adan Siage (Crawley) (grandstand)

Cautions – Paris Hamilton-Downes (M) 26, Matt Drage (M) 60 (time wasting), Ryan Healy (M) 72, James Queree (JB) 90+1, Ollie Khinda (M) 90+2, Rai Dos Santos (JB) 90+6

Corners – Merstham (4) 6, Jersey Bulls (1) 2

Assist(s) – Harry Mackenzie and Francis Lekimamati

Player of the Match – James Queree, mentions for Adam Trotter and James Watling

Drinks Breaks – 23 & 62

Added Time – 1.05 & 6.50 (7.55)