Match Report: Fleet Town 1-1 Jersey Bulls

Fleet Town hosted third place Jersey Bulls on Tuesday night (20th) in a game vital to both sides, for Fleet to eradicate the memories of a poor performance at Cobham last Saturday and for Jersey, who traveled without their two goal hero from Saturday, Lorne Bickley, who was injured in their win at second place Knaphill, to consolidate their place in the promotion play offs.

The first attack came from Fleet, when Dan Bone intercepted the ball in midfield and took it down the left wing to play in a dangerous cross, which was cut out before reaching its target player. Jersey threatened on five minutes when a cross from the left found Adam Trotter in space to shoot, but his effort was deflected away for a corner, which came to nothing. A couple of minutes later, Miguel Carvalho cut in from the left and shot across the goal but it passed harmlessly wide of the right post. After twelve minutes a period of pressure from Fleet led to Dan Bone combining with Louis Blake to shoot and Jersey were forced to concede a corner to Fleet which was then dealt with by the Jersey defence. After a long spell where the ball stayed around the middle of the pitch with both sides giving the ball away after only two or three touches, Brad Manning collected the ball about 35 yards out and ran unchallenged into the box before getting his shot away, which rose up and over the bar, with just the keeper to beat. Jersey were then getting more of the ball but their attacks were snuffed out by Sam Marks playing a sweeper role in the centre of defence in the first half. Jersey were forced into their first change of the game after 40 minutes when Miguel Carvalho had to come off, he had tried to play on after treatment for an injury but found he could not continue, five minutes into added time Fleet also made their first change bringing off Prince Da Cruz, who had received treatment earlier for a knock in the face and had to change into the spare blood shirt. Deep into added time a free kick for Fleet was played into the box and found Brad Manning in position to shoot but again his effort passed over the bar and the game reached half time still 0-0.

Fleet brought on Josh Nunes at half time to add another body to the back line, although Jersey were having more of the ball it was just before the hour mark before Joel Halliday was forced into a serious save having to get down low to a Jonny Le Quesne shot and push it round the post for a corner. Ten minutes later Fraser Barlow was in space for Jersey, in a dangerous position but scuffed his hot twenty yards wide. On 72 minutes Fleet hit a long ball from defence over the top and fell perfectly in the path of Dan Bone, who took the ball forward into the box before calmly slotting it past Pierce Roche into the net to give Fleet Town the lead. Ten minutes later from a Jersey free kick the ball took a couple of touches as it bounced around before Ben Le Rougetel stuck out a leg and stabbed the ball into the roof of the net from inside the six yard box to level up the match. Jersey soon had a chance to win the game but Fraser Barlow’s effort was well saved by Joel Halliday. Fleet created late chances from balls into the box from Sam Marks and from TJ Taylor but nobody could convert them and the game finished in an honourable draw.

Fleet Town are back in action on Saturday with an away trip to league leaders Farnham Town, who have won all their 23 league games so far this season.

FLEET TOWN:

1 Joel Halliday, 2 Brad Manning, 3 Prince Da Cruz, 4 Joe Wotton, 5 Liam Pestle, 6 Sam Marks, 7 Leo Downing, 8 Luke Phair, 9 Louis Blake, 10 Matt Surmon, 18 Dan Bone

SUBS:

11 Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb (on for Da Cruz 45+5 mins), 12 TJ Taylor (on for Downing 61 mins), 14 Naz Miah (on for Bone 83 mins), 15 Josh Nunes (on for Phair at half time), 17 Mihail Marinescu (on for Wotton 68 mins)

Match report written by Harry Cannon.

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