Jersey Bulls put eight goals past the Sheers in last season’s league fixture at the Eastwood Centre and they repeated a similar feat on Tuesday evening, showing real class, cutting edge and sharp shooting.
According to the Jersey Bulls manager, they started the game just as well as they had all season and it was a springboard to overwhelm their hosts and rattle in four first half goals and three after the break.
It wasn’t as if Sheerwater were opened up at will; it was more a case of being absolutely clinical in front of goal. On this showing it won’t be long before another team is put to the sword.
The opening goal arrived on thirteen minutes. Le Quesne worked space down the left and his low cross was met on the run by Barlow who beat Harvey Rackley-Hayes at the near post. 0-1.
It was 2-0 eight minutes later when another move down the left saw Giles win the ball and play it in to Prince who in turn picked out the run of Lekimamati through a square back four and he drilled his shot past Rackley-Hayes. 0-2.
Sheerwater tried to get things going; Will Shaw tried his luck from twenty-five yards but it was too high. Cameron Edwin did well to win the ball back and crossed for Danilo Cadete who had his shot blocked and Hugo Silveira followed up but his strike screwed wide of the post.
The next chance came for Jersey on 33 minutes. Expert finisher, Prince, brought the ball down and skipped inside and buried his effort into the bottom corner. 0-3.
The fourth goal just on half-time was the pick of the bunch as Le Quesne noticed Rackley-Hayes off his line. He took aim from just inside the Sheers' half and duly struck a curling effort into an empty net. 0-4.
HT: 0-4
Heads didn’t drop in the second half and the Sheers tried to match the Bulls but the gulf in class was evident and three further goals followed.
Prince helped himself to another goal from deep in the corner, he was allowed to wriggle through a challenge before cutting into the area unchallenged and beating Rackley-Hayes at the near post. 0-5.
Just before the hour mark 16 year-old, Sammy Henia Kamau became the youngest ever scorer for the Bulls with a ferocious strike from 18 yards that flew in over the head of Rackley-Hayes. Goal number seven, another goal from Lekimamati, was created by Henia-Kamau and 17 year-old Miguel Carvalho. He nipped in and finished left footed, giving Rackley-Hayes no chance.
A tough result to take for the Sheers in front of a decent crowd and the many at home watching the live stream. Games come round thick and fast so we now look forward to Saturday with the visit of high flying, Badshot Lea.
SHEERWATER: Rackley-Hayes, Sims, Lofthouse-Smith, Cox, Gritt, Cooper, Cadete (Frank), Coen (Cleevely), Edwin (Davis), Silveira (Stockill), Shaw (Smith)