Jersey Bulls get fourth win in five at Crowborough

Jersey Bulls secured their fourth victory in five games as they won 2-1 at Crowborough Athletic in Isthmian League South East.

Adam Trotter gave Bulls an 18th-minute lead as he smashed home a first-time effort after getting on the end of Jay Giles' ball over the top of the defence.

The island side doubled their lead 11 minutes later as Harry Reed turned Miguel Carvalho's cross from the left past his own goalkeeper.

It took the hosts less than three minutes of the second half to pull a goal back as Tom Pearson picked up a loose pass in midfield and found Reed whose excellent ball to Rushaar Samuel-Smikle set up the striker to fire into the top corner.

The hosts had a goal disallowed for offside with five minutes left and also had a penalty appeal waved away as they pushed hard for an equaliser.

But Bulls held on the secure a victory which consolidated sixth place in the table.

"I don't think we were at our best today, but we're never going to be with the lack of preparation we've had," Jersey Bulls manager Elliot Powell told BBC Radio Jersey.

"The storm back home meant we weren't able to train on Thursday - we'd given the lads who'd played through December the night off on the Tuesday as well.

"So it was always going to be a little bit bitty for us, but the main thing is we're starting to learn how to find a way to win on pitches like this, against teams like this in conditions like this.

"I'm really happy to have got the win, but we're going to need to be better next week against Sittingbourne."

Bulls travel to fourth-placed Sittingbourne next week knowing a win would be crucial in their ambitions of making the play-offs.

With only the league winners gaining automatic promotion, fifth place is the final play-off spot.

Bulls are four points off the play-off after AFC Whyteleafe dropped a place to fifth following a 2-1 loss at home to Sittingbourne.

Powell feels the win at Crowborough will be key to their play-off hopes come the end of the season.

"You quickly forget about games like today - it wasn't a spectacle, it's not one I'm going to write home about," he added.

"But these are the games that when you get back to May time - if you have had a successful season, if you end up getting promoted, if you end up in the play-offs - those are the big wins that no one notices, they just tick you along.

"We need to get better at just ticking those off, I think we've done it the last couple of weeks now, Merstham and this one today.

"Sittingbourne is a cup final for us, go there, get something and again get into that rhythm of ticking games off and just picking up points.

"We need to lean on the experience of today and hopefully replicate that going forward."