Bulls back in action in the FA Cup

65 DAYS have passed since that historic night at Springfield Stadium, when the Jersey Bulls overcame their toughest challenge that was the chaos of last season’s climax.

Jersey’s home stadium bore witness to a famous 2-1 play-off final victory over Cobham FC on 28 May, securing the Bulls’ promotion to Step 4 of the English football pyramid for the first time.

Elliot Powell took charge of the Bulls following a period of success and well-laid foundations by previous manager, Gary Freeman, who took on the role in 2019.
In Freeman’s tenure, the club rose quickly, achieving two promotions in five seasons, despite consecutive void seasons during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Freeman left the club at the end of the 2023/24 season after his side were defeated in the play-offs by AFC Croydon Athletic, following a second-place finish in the Premier Division South.

Freeman’s departure allowed the chance to give the young coach on the block his chance to step up to the mark. Powell, who was 26 at the time of taking the role, is still very much a young man in managerial terms, with several members of his squad longer in the tooth.

The Jersey Bulls achieved promotion to Step 4 of the English football pyramid following a 2-1 win over Cobham FC in the play-off final back in May Picture: DAVID FERGUSON (40749798)

However, the impact of Powell’s introduction on the group was immediate for all to see, and the results on the pitch throughout the 2024/25 campaign proved as such.

In just his first season in charge, the Jersey Bulls stormed their way to the top three of the division early, constantly with games in hand, but very much the upper hand over their promotion rivals.

Their magnificent campaign saw them achieve a stunning run of ten consecutive games without conceding a goal and a mammoth 20+ match unbeaten streak. The back end of the season, however, ended in farce, as was well documented throughout the media.

An administrative error led to the club eventually being handed down a three-point penalty just hours before the final league match of the season, which cost Powell and his men the chance to secure the league title and automatic promotion.

The error birthed the famous quote from the manager post their 1-0 victory over Sandhurst Town at Springfield on the final day of the league campaign. “We won the league on the pitch, but lost it in the board room.”

In a show of immense character and leadership, the Bulls rallied one final time, marching their way through the dreaded play-offs and sealing a famous 2-1 win over Cobham FC to finally achieve their goal.

Manager Elliot Powell and his coaching staff have had little time to rest in their preparations for the club’s first season in the Isthmian League South East Division Picture: DAVID FERGUSON (407449807)

65 days may feel like a decent break, but Powell admits it feels like no time has passed: “It’s been a quick turnaround, that’s for sure. Obviously with everything that happened at the end of last season, one of the consequences is that we haven’t really had that long a rest period as other clubs.

“The lads have had to really knuckle down and just get on with it, but we might not see the effects of that until later in the season. But alternatively, hopefully we can use this to our advantage and start the season on a high.

“The boys haven’t been out of football too long so hopefully there won’t be too much early season rust to get through. We shouldn’t have too much of that, but we’ll have to wait and see coming into the season whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

When questioned how the players were feeling regarding this, Powell continued: “Look, it’s difficult. There’s excitement, of course, and I think it helps that we’re now at a new level of football.”

“Whether or not we feel fresh mentally and physically, we’re definitely excited for the new challenge and that adrenaline will hopefully get us through the first few weeks.”

Regarding that squad, there have been movements over the past few weeks. Three key names, all of whom are forwards, have departed the squad: Karl Hinds, Kieran Lester and Kurtis Guthrie.

“We thank them for their service,” added Powell, “all three of these players were crucial for us last season and they played excellent roles in the squad.

“Karl and Kieran will be returning to local football, while Kurtis returns to Scotland.”
However, Powell noted that new names would be joining the squad also, with local St Paul’s midfielder Luke Shirley named in tomorrow’s matchday squad.

“Last season we relied heavily on Luke [Watson], Adam [Trotter], Toby [Ritzema] and Joe [Kilshaw] to do some heavy lifting, so we’re looking to bring in other options in this area.”

“We will be looking at having some university lads back when available, as well as hopefully getting James Sunley back from injury as soon as possible, which would be great for us.”

“Yes, we are losing a few attacking options with those three names stepping away, but I think last season we really developed a team all capable of contributing in front of goal.”

“Lorne [Bickley] has been great for us, but we were without him for large parts last season and we managed to find other ways of winning games. With him and Rai [Dos Santos] available we’ll have competition for spots, but we’re always going to be limited with who we can recruit.”

Long-standing Bulls captain James Querée added his thoughts from within the group, saying: “As a squad we’re all really excited to get started again. This season is going to be a new challenge for us but we’re all looking forward to it, we’ve been training really well over the last few weeks.”

Tomorrow’s season opener sees the Bulls start in FA Cup action, commencing their knockout journey in the Extra Preliminary round against Erith & Belvedere, set for a 3.30pm start at Springfield Stadium.

Erith & Belvedere play their football at Step 5 in the Southern Counties Premier Division East. “The Deres”, as they are known, have tasted Step 4 football before with a campaign in the South East Division of the Isthmian League in the 2023/24 season, but they were relegated after just one season following a bottom-place finish.

Skipper Querée continued: “We know the excitement that the FA Cup brings. Anyone in football would want to take part in this famous competition. We had a good run in it a couple of years ago reaching the third qualifying round, so another good run this season would be great.

“We also know tomorrow’s opposition had a decent run in the FA Vase last year, so this should be a good contest. They’ve had a longer pre-season than us and we know they’re at the level we just got promoted from, so they’ll be a decent side.

“If we can take a win and progress to the next round, it’ll be great preparation for our tough first league game next weekend against Margate.”

“We don’t know too much about them,” Powell admitted, “they played against St Peter a few years ago, before my time there, but we know the level they play at so they’ll be a decent side.”

“They have had the benefit of a longer pre-season than us. They’ve played eight warm-up matches already compared to us with just two, they’ll be a good test for us.”

“Having a good cup run this year would be great. Last season it was all about the league really, but we achieved that goal and we have to be realistic our league expectations will be different this season.”

“We’ve seen how hard it was for Guernsey, so to help keep people engaged in the hard months of the season, a good cup run would be ideal.”

As a coaching group, Powell and his staff have exceeded expectations, achieving their two-year objective of promotion 12 months early. This year, Powell is excited for a season where they can “enjoy a little bit more”, with the “pressure off us slightly”.

“We want to use this season to learn. What does it take to be competitive at this level? What are we going to need eventually to get out of this level, which is definitely the club’s ambition.”

“Tomorrow’s game will be a great occasion, it’ll be a good chance for the boys to get back out there and we’re all really looking forward to this next chapter.”

Jersey Bulls Squad:
Euan Van Der Vliet, Ewan Brodie, Fraser Barlow, Jack Lumsden, James Carr, James Querée (c), Jay Giles, Joe Kilshaw, Lorne Bickley, Luke Campbell, Luke Coutanche, Luke Shirley, Luke Watson, Miguel Carvalho, Pierce Roche, Sammy Sutcliffe, Stanley Dunne

Archie Corbett’s Predicted XI

As the Bulls prepare for their FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round fixture against Erith & Belvedere, here is how I anticipate they will line up.

With little changes from last year’s squad, I think the backbone of the team will largely remain the same. In a classic 4-3-3 formation, I expect the Bulls to set up with a compact midfield and dominate possession on their home ground.

In terms of the line-up, I’ve gone with captain fantastic, James Querée, and partner Luke Campbell to command the defence in front of the Bulls number one, Euan Van Der Vliet.

Following a lengthy spell on the sidelines, I’ve gone with the classy left-foot of Jay Giles to run the left flank.

I hope there is a first-team debut for youngster Ewan Brodie at right-back. There is not an out-and-out right back in the squad, and Brodie has impressed at the likes of the Island Games and throughout the academy ranks. His understanding of the game is second to none, and I feel he will be a fantastic addition to the squad.

I think Luke Watson will return to the deep-lying midfield role, his experience is always impactful, which is needed in cup fixtures.

I think new signing Luke Shirley may be given his first competitive start in the box-to-box role.

Last season’s goal machine, Joe Kilshaw, deserves to retain his spot playing off the Bulls number nine, Lorne Bickley.

I expect Miguel Carvalho to start on the right-hand side and continue to twist and turn his way past the opposing full backs.

And finally, I think Elliot Powell will prioritise experience at this level and give Fraser Barlow a start at left-wing. With plenty of talent on the bench, including sharp-shooter Luke Coutanche, I expect to see his introduction first off the bench to replace Barlow if necessary.

Bulls back in action in the FA Cup

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