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Faversham Town 3 (Kwayie 18′, Campbell 32′, Caney-Bryan 67′) Jersey Bulls 1 (Barlow 17′) Attendance: 461 JEP Player of the Match: Toby Ritzema Mo Sher reports… Non-league football is awash with clubs aspiring to have their day in the sunshine, and there aren’t many better equipped than the Bulls’ conquerors here in Faversham Town. The men from Kent are flying high in second spot in the Isthmian South East league and despite the Islanders enjoying excellent recent results against equally upwardly mobile sides in Three Bridges and Whyteleafe, they couldn’t quite match the quality of an excellent Faversham group. Now, any side coached by Elliot Powell will never lose sight of football’s basics – running hard, getting physically stuck in and having a belief in one another – and those characteristics alone will take the Bulls a long way. But at the Aquatherm Stadium, it was their inability to be clinical which ultimately cost them and when combined with their hosts’ abundant qualities in front of goal, it was going to make for a tough afternoon. As it was, Fraser Barlow got Bulls off to a flyer, and from the moment he cut in from the right, stepping onto his left, you knew exactly what was about to happen. That trademark left foot strike in at the ‘keeper’s near post claimed yet another victim in Roshan Greensall and having taken the lead, the next five minutes was always going to be crucial. Yet another piece of game management which will need taking urgent heed to. Less than 30 seconds from the re-start, Faversham were level. The Bulls lost all semblance of compactness, their left-hand side opening up for Tashi-Jay Kwayie to meander into, finishing with aplomb across Euan van der Vliet to level proceedings. Powell is a coach who is both looking five steps ahead, and five steps previous, and when he watches that back, there’ll be plenty who’ll be getting an earful. Another Powell hallmark is the use of data and statistically, teams are most vulnerable in the immediate moments after scoring. What can’t speak, can’t lie. Faversham’s second, just after the half hour mark, was a brilliant strike from 25-yards from Kieron Campbell – he’d be back for more later – although Powell will be having none of it. With Bulls penned into their own penalty box, they were again sliced open down their left, the ball skimmed across to an unmarked Campbell just outside the area. No red shirt came to close down the Faversham attacker, Van Der Vliet only able to watch the ball sail through a sea of bodies, and past him, into the Bulls net. The beauty of this game is that while the difference on the scoreboard is one, you always have a chance and it was in the 15 minutes the other side of the break the Bulls had their moments. Of the gilt-edged variety. The normally irrepressible Lorne Bickley couldn’t take either, the second of which was from no more than four yards and the goal at his mercy. You felt that could be telling and it certainly was, Faversham putting the tie beyond doubt seven minutes later. A Campbell cross was met with unapologetic venom by a leaping Johan Caney-Bryan, and that was that. Bulls’ afternoon was somewhat soured by the sending off of Luke Campbell in added on time – personally there is only a huge amount of admiration for the veteran, talismanic, centre-half – but both his yellows were nailed on and avoidable. A problem Powell didn’t need on his plate. A challenging run of fixtures comes to an end on Tuesday night when Three Bridges head to Springfield, before relative respite in the forms of Sevenoaks and Hassocks, both sides in the immediate eyesight of the Bulls. Powell, though, was in no mood to look that far ahead. “Look, they’re a good side who are going to be right up there come the end of the season and I don’t think many sides are going to come here and win, that’s for sure,” said the Bulls boss. “But, we have to look at many aspects of our game today and ask ourselves some pretty searching questions. To concede straight after we’ve scored is naïve – and given the amount of experience we’ve got out there, it shouldn’t be happening. “If I’m in the opposition dug-out, of course I’m going to be applauding the goals they’ve scored, especially the second, but our desire to go out and close space and men was a second or two off and even though we’re learning that this level, that’s all it takes. You’ll get punished. “Having said that, we’ve been dealt a very challenging set of fixtures and yes, we’re learning, but I can’t fault their effort. We’ll have a real go at Three Bridges on Tuesday and it’s from then we’ll be able to properly assess where we are at.” The Bulls are next in action back at home at Springfield Stadium tomorrow evening, where they host league leaders Three Bridges, set for a 7:45pm kick off. Faversham Town: Roshan Greensall, James Dyer, Frankie Smith, Ben Gorham (YC 30’), Matt Newman (c) (off 46’), Harrison Pont, Nathan Wood, Tashi-Jay Kwayie, Eniye Amgbaduba (off 11’), Tommie Fagg, Kieron CampbellSubs: Reece Danny Ray Beazle, Ethan Smith (on 76’), Johan Caney-Bryan (on 11’) (off 76’), Monty Saunders, Bradley Simms (on 46’) Jersey Bulls: Euan Van Der Vliet, James Querée (c), Jamie Watling, Luke Campbell (YC 34’/RC 95’), James Carr (YC 20’) (off 71’), Luke Watson (off 81’), Joe Kilshaw (off 65’), Toby Ritzema (off 46’), Fraser Barlow, Lorne Bickley, Rai Dos SantosSubs: Adam Trotter (on 46’), Stanley Dunne (on 81’), Harry MacKenzie (on 71’), James Sunley (on 65’)
