Jersey Bulls will finally begin battling it out for promotion this weekend in front of a home crowd.
The team will face Fleet Town tomorrow from 13:00 at Springfield Stadium in the semi-finals of the Combined Counties Premier South play-offs.
It comes after the Jersey Bulls were punished with a three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player earlier this season – costing the side the league title and automatic promotion.
But manager Elliot Powell said “it’s time for someone to inject a bit of momentum back into Jersey football”.
“I’m very confident our lads can do that,” he said.
The play-offs have been pushed back for several weeks now, as the Combined Counties League and FA deliberated on Jersey Bulls’ and Redhill FC’s points deductions – the outcomes of which drastically changed the logistics of the play-off semi-final fixtures.
But Powell said the lengthy process has allowed the team plenty of time to get back to full fitness.
“The squad looks fresh,” he said.
“We know the intensity that’s going to be required, and it’s nice to have pretty much a fully fit squad.”
Confidence will be high ahead of tomorrow’s contest against Fleet Town – who finished fifth in the division – after the Jersey Bulls dominated their previous encounters 4-1 and 4-0.
Powell said: “Technically, we have a better side, and so long as we can make it a game of football, rather than attrition, then I’m confident we can come out on the right side.”
Jersey Bulls Squad to face Fleet Town: James Querée (c), Euan Van Der Vliet, James Carr, Fraser Barlow, Jonny Le Quesne, Sammy Sutcliffe, Will Yates, Luke Watson, Joe Kilshaw, Adam Trotter, Karl Hinds, Paul McKay, Kurtis Guthrie, Miguel Carvalho, Francis Lekimamati, Lorne Bickley.
