Jersey Bulls win first-ever FA Trophy tie
Jersey Bulls' had never played an FA Trophy tie before
- Published
Jersey Bulls beat Hastings United 3-1 to win their first-ever tie in the FA Trophy.
Fraser Barlow fired against the Hastings crossbar inside the opening 15 minutes as the Bulls impressed early on.
The hosts went close after half an hour before Barlow gave the islanders the lead just before half time as he headed in Rai Dos Santos' corner at the front post.
Hastings started the second period brightly as Euan van der Vliet made two excellent saves.
But two goals in as many minutes settled the tie - James Queree converting a 74th-minute penalty before Lorne Bickley returned from injury to lob the goalkeeper after a Dos Santos through ball seconds later.
Hastings had something to cheer when Jack Lyons scored a superb individual goal in the 89th minute.
Bulls were playing in the FA Trophy - the top-tier knockout competition for non-league sides - for the first time - after winning promotion to the Isthmian League last season.
It also continues their good cup form - they will play National League South side Worthing in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup at Springfield next weekend.
"We tried to change the system today and add another game model that we might need throughout the season, so we're delighted that it came off," Jersey Bulls manager Elliot Powell told BBC Radio Jersey.
"We haven't had much of a pre-season so we're going to have to try stuff like that in competitive games and luckily today it came off.
"They posed good threats and I think either side of half time they had a bit of a spell, and certainly at the start of the second half they asked a lot of questions of us and they'd probably be disappointed they haven't converted at least one or two of them.
"But then I thought once we weathered that storm in the second half the introduction of Toby Ritzema pushed us up the park a little bit more, we asked a lot more questions.
"I think we've got away with the penalty - I think it's a soft one, I'd be pretty livid if we conceded that - but at the same point we then tucked it away and Lorne scores a great goal to make it three and it was a really convincing performance from that point on."