Euan Van Der Vliet the hero as Jersey Bulls reach play-off final following dramatic penalty shootout
Jersey Bulls are into the Combined Counties League Premier South play-off final after a stunning performance from goalkeeper Euan Van der Vliet.
The Bulls were locked at 1-1 with Fleet Town after 90 tense minutes at Springfield, but Van Der Vliet saved all of the visitors' penalties in the shootout to send his team into the final.
His teammates were penalty perfect too, with Paul McKay, Kurtis Guthrie, and Francis Lekimamati all converting from 12 yards to give Bulls a comprehensive 3-0 win on penalties.
Speaking about his heroics, Van Der Vliet, said: "I'm buzzing! Just to get over the line and get to the final is the main thing - we've been through a lot in the last few weeks.
"I'm always quite confident on penalties because the pressure is always on the taker.
"I don't think I've ever saved three in a row! Once I saved the first one, it put more pressure on the second one, and the third one was amazing."
Elliot Powell's side, unsurprisingly, weren't at their usual fluent best having not played for more than a month.
An own goal had given them the lead early in the second half, but Fleet found a leveller three minutes from time, taking the game to penalties.
Elliot Powell said: "I turned to my assistants and said it's been a pretty traumatic end to the season, so why not top it off with a penalty defeat - that was the pessimist in me, but there's no better way of winning it than on penalties."
Jersey Bulls thought they had won promotion from the Combined Counties League, but ended up receiving a three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player earlier this season.
Reflecting on a topsy-turvy few weeks, Powell pulled no punches about the saga: "The whole situation is a shambles. The system isn't fit for purpose, there's a systematic breakdown at the FA's end, and there's no accountability from them, so the whole thing is a shambles and a lot of people need to have a look at themselves."
Bulls will now face Cobham FC in the final next week, with the date and time still to be confirmed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
Leinster to face Bulls in United Rugby Championship final
June 7 (Reuters) - Irish side Leinster will face the Bulls from South Africa in the United Rugby Championship final at Croke Park in Dublin on June 14 after both recorded home semi-final victories on Saturday. Leinster defeated defending champions Glasgow Warriors 37-19 at the Aviva Stadium, while the Pretoria-based Bulls beat compatriots the Sharks from Durban 25-13 in front of 47,000 spectators at Loftus Versfeld. Hooker Dan Sheehan and fullback Jamie Osborne scored two tries each for record eight-times winners Leinster as they feature in the final of the competition for the first time since 2021. Leinster led when Sheehan crossed for the first score and they raced into a 25-5 halftime lead against their outmuscled opponents. Replacement flyhalf Ciaran Frawley and prop Tom Clarkson also crossed for tries. The only negative for coach Leo Cullen will have been the form off the tee of number 10 Sam Prendergast, who missed several simple kicks at goal. "It's making sure we have a great week now and get excited about putting on another performance, showing what it means to play for Leinster," Cullen told reporters. "Can they (his players) play their best every week? Listen, they're not robots. There is an opposition that is fully motivated as well. It's about dusting ourselves off now, it was a very physical game and I'm sure the (final) will be too." The Bulls will play their third final in four seasons, but lost on both previous occasions to Stormers in 2022 and Glasgow. They scored three tries against the Sharks through wings Sebastian de Klerk and Canan Moodie, and centre Dan Kriel. "I am proud with the way we defended, we were under the pump and sometimes you need those moments to get into the game," Bulls coach Jake White said. "It is a third final in four years and hopefully we can learn from the mistakes we made in the other. We play really well away from home."
STV News
6 hours ago
- STV News
Glasgow Warriors miss out on URC final after loss against Leinster
Leinster will host next week's United Rugby Championship final at Croke Park after dishing out a 37-19 beating to last year's winners Glasgow Warriors. The Irish province, which had endured three straight URC semi-final defeats, regained their mojo to set up a Dublin decider against the Bulls or Sharks. Dan Sheehan started and finished the first half's try-scoring to give Leinster a 25-5 lead as Jamie Osborne and Tom Clarkson crossed at a rain-hit Aviva Stadium. Osborne and Ciaran Frawley made it six tries to one before closing scores from Jamie Dobie and Sione Tuipulotu added to George Horne's fourth-minute effort. The hosts hit the ground running with Jamison Gibson-Park pulling the trigger for Sheehan to raid over in the second minute. Glasgow swiftly cut the gap to 7-5 when Kyle Rowe's inviting kick infield was dotted down by Horne. Crossing from James Lowe denied Leinster a second try before Sam Prendergast slotted over a 21st-minute penalty. A Gibson-Park forward pass ruled out an Osborne score, but the young centre duly scored out wide from a slick Lowe offload. Leinster turned a scrum penalty into five more points when Clarkson rumbled over, and Sheehan's maul try came on the stroke of half-time. Despite Tom Jordan switching to fly-half for the Warriors, Leinster, aided by Ryan Baird's player-of-the-match performance, remained in full control. Following a penalty miss from Prendergast, who had a disappointing day with the boot, Gibson-Park clinically played in Osborne in the 53rd minute to make it 32-5. Replacement Frawley followed him over the line just four minutes later, with Lowe's initial aerial take igniting a sweeping move. Sprung from the Scots' bench, Dobie raced over in the 71st minute and Tuipulotu displayed his dancing feet with a superb solo try from the edge of Leinster's 22. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Strikers call time on Jersey Bulls careers
Forwards Karl Hinds and Kieran Lester will leave Jersey Bulls following the club's promotion to the Isthmian was the island side's top scorer in their inaugural season in 2019-20 before the campaign was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic. Having spent some time away from the club, Hinds returned last summer under new boss Elliot Powell and scored nine times to take his overall tally to 28 goals in 72 returned to the side earlier this season after an injury crisis and scored a number of key goals in his final campaign as he ended his time at the club with 19 goals in 79 brother Adam, who was part of the Bulls' backroom team, is also leaving the club.
