Knaphill 0 - 2 Jersey Bulls

A crowd of 220 saw a thrilling top of the table clash between Knaphill and Jersey Bulls last Saturday, 19 February 2024 who met for the eight time in total and the fourth time during the 2023-24 season.

Both sides were looking to cement their playoff ambitions behind runaway league leaders Farnham Town with the season entering a crucial stage.

The early 12:30PM Kick-Off didn’t faze the teams as the game started at a fast pace as expected.

Jersey’s attacking quartet of Watson, Bickley, Trotter and Barlow pressed the home defence for much of the early part of the game with Barlow going close in the seventh minute after a good run from deep that produced the first save of the game from Barker.

Knaphill continued to counter where possible and had a good shout for a penalty when Jake Hawker latched onto a ball over the top. The Knaphill forward ran into the Jersey box only to be well tackled by his marker. Unfortunately the referee decided to book him for simulation, which was very harsh given it was a good passage of play all round.

Jersey came close to opening the scoring in the 29th minute following a Giles free kick that was put over the bar from a few yards out by Campbell.

The tireless Zac Hawker won a great challenge in The Knappers half. His driving run ended up with a good pass to Sani whose shot was saved by Roche.

Soon after the 40th minute Jake Hawker made a decent run and slipped the ball to Karczewski, who chose to pass instead shoot, another decent chance passed Knaphill.

Half Time: Knaphill 0 - 0 Jersey Bulls.

The players came out and started the second half as they started the first, full of energy and looking to get the first goal.

Knaphill captain Zak Horkan, smashed a drive from about 30 yards out that just went over the bar and a Karczewski header, following a free kick, was as close as the home side came to opening the scoring before Jersey made their mark.

In the 70th minute, a lovely pass from Barlow set up Bickley who made no mistake. Knaphill 0 - 1 Jersey Bulls. Jersey now had a hold on the game.

A stunned Knaphill managed to regroup fairly quickly after a few attacking changes. Jim Ward entered the arena and had an immediate affect, winning two headers that almost resulted in an equaliser for Jacob.

The game was settled in injury time. Barlow picked the ball up in his own half, ran 20 yards and played in Bickley to slide his low shot under Jos Barker. Knaphill 0 - 2 Jersey Bulls.

The referee brought an end to a very good game. Final Score: Knaphill 0 - 2 Jersey Bulls. Considering the positions of both sides, there’s always the chance they’ll meet again in the playoffs and another promise of an epic encounter!